Biblical Foundations for the Cell-Based Church: New Testament Insights for the 21st Century Church

by Joel Comiskey

Publisher:

CCS Publishing

, 2012

Overview

Why cell church? Is it because David Cho's church is a cell church and happens to be the largest church in the history of Christianity? Is it because cell church is the strategy that many "great" churches are using? Ralph Neighbour repeatedly says, “Theology must breed methodology.”Joel Comiskey has arrived at the same conclusion. Biblical truth is the only firm foundation for anything we do. Without a biblical base, we don’t have a strong under-pinning upon which we can hang our ministry and philosophy. We can plod through most anything when we know that God is stirring us to behave biblically. In the first section of this book, Comiskey establishes why the Bible is the only true foundation for small group ministry. He then looks at how the Trinity is our example for community. He covers the family in the Old Testament and how the most prominent image of the church is God's family. He then explore how Jesus called out a new family and utilized houses to establish this new family. In section two, Comiskey explains why and how the early church met in homes and gathered those house churches together to celebrate. He discusses relational evangelism, and how leaders developed naturally through the house church strategy. In the third section, the author applies the theology of the first two sections to the church today, attempting to give practical examples about how the New Testament Church can inform and instruct the 21st Century Church today. About the Author: Joel Comiskey (Ph.D. Fuller Seminary) is an internationally recognized cell church coach and consultant and founder of Joel Comiskey Group. He has served as a missionary with the C&MA in Quito, Ecuador, started a cell-based church in Southern CA, and now coaches pastors in cell group ministry. 425,000 copies of Joel's books have sold worldwide. His titles include Home Cell Group Explosion (Touch Publications, 1998), How to Lead a Great Cell Group (Touch Publications, 2001), and An Appointment with the King (Chosen Books, 2002). Joel is an adjunct professor at Tozer Seminary and lives with his wife and three daughters in Moreno Valley, California.

Contents

Top Highlights

“The Jesus strategy of house to house ministry and the early house church environment combined to create the atmosphere from which the theological doctrine of the family of God emerged.” (Pages 61–62)

“One of the key values of cell church is that people live in community rather than hide in anonymity. The intimacy of a cell group encourages people to know and be known.” (Page 47)

“Christ gathered twelve disciples and journeyed with them for three years to demonstrate and teach them about love and community. Their training mainly consisted in learning how to love one another.” (Page 45)

“Christ’s missional approach was to find a household willing to commit to his kingdom message. With this house as the base, Christ’s followers attempted to reach the entire town and surrounding area.” (Page 81)

“Christ knew that theoretical information separated from practical experience would have little lasting value.” (Page 78)

Product Details

• Title: Biblical Foundations for the Cell-Based Church: New Testament Insights for the 21st Century Church
• Author: Joel Comiskey
• Publisher: CCS Publishing
• Print Publication Date: 2012
• Logos Release Date: 2020
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• Subject: Textbooks
• Resource ID: LLS:WS_2B88170AAED94DEC9DAFFC05BCCE4F29
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-01-04T21:28:11Z

About Joel Comiskey

Dr. Comiskey served as a pastor in CA before going to Ecuador as a missionary from 1990-2001. Dr. Comiskey, his wife, and three daughters live in Moreno Valley, CA, where they are planting a cell-based church and coaching seven pastors who are transitioning to cell-based ministry. He continues to travel extensively as a seminar speaker and serves as a consultant/church planter. Dr. Comiskey has authored eleven books.