Deeper Christian Life Ministry did likewise. “As we were growing, we divided into what we call cell groups, also called house-caring fellowships of 10–12 people,” Kumuyi says. They divided metro Lagos (a growing city which today has a population of 15 million) into clusters of geographical districts, appointing a coordinator over each district. Districts, in turn, were broken into zones, then areas, then house-caring fellowships.
One genius element of this cell system is the focus from the smallest unit upward, rather than from mass gatherings downward. “If someone doesn’t attend on Sunday, would we know?” Kumuyi asks. “But if they miss just one week in the house-caring fellowship, it’s noticeable. The house fellowship approach has closed the back door of people slipping away. If they’re not in the house fellowship, the leader immediately follows up. If they have needs—maybe they’re ill, maybe they lost a job, maybe they need prayer—we try to meet them.”
He continues, “If someone comes out of prison and has nowhere to go, or the stigma of being in prison keeps them from finding a job, we link them up. We’re showing what Christ would have been doing for them if he were here in [the flesh] with us.”
Meanwhile, the local leaders help their group grow and deepen by teaching the basics of the Christian life: how to have daily quiet time with God, how to experience true fellowship, how to face challenges to one’s faith and more.
Today the church counts 7,000 house-caring fellowships in Lagos Metro City alone for adults, plus groups for children and teenagers, according to Kumuyi.
Involving Everyone
As gifted as he might be in building evangelistic invitations into his messages, Kumuyi doesn’t see stadium crusades or Sunday church as exclusive places for gospel proclamation.
“Evangelism is every believer’s ministry,” he says. “That conviction has helped us to grow. From our first months, we have trained people in evangelizing, and [paired] them to knock on doors and preach the gospel.”
Likewise, when people come to the altar, both at stadium crusades and Sunday church, the house-caring fellowships receive names, emails and phone numbers of people who gave their life to the Lord, with the expectation for follow-up locally. “This brings people in and [again] keeps us from losing them through the back door,” Kumuyi adds.
Prioritizing Outreach
Predictably the church has developed many layers of structure, with each full-time staff member having major ministry responsibilities. But that doesn’t lessen their responsibility in personal evangelism. “Every time I teach them, I try to mention evangelism,” Kumuyi emphasizes. “I have told all the Lagos district coordinators and zonal leaders, ‘Spend half your time on evangelism and only half your time on your members. There will always be problems in the church, but don’t let them take up all your time.’”
“And at each stage, we have tried to address questions that people are asking,” Kumuyi adds. “You can be a great expositor of the Bible and a gifted teacher, but [you] may not be touching the people where they itch, showing how God can solve their problems. Personal application, guided by the Holy Spirit, helps the church to grow.”
DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE MINISTRY
Lagos, Nigeria
General Superintendent: William F. Kumuyi
Website: DCLM.org
Founded: 1973
Attendance: 100,000 in Lagos; 8,000 affiliated congregations in 120 countries