ay 19 was a landmark day for Living Word Christian Fellowship, a Seventh-day Adventist church group in Hamilton, Ontario, as more than 150 people packed into a rented sanctuary to organize officially into a “company,” the first step in receiving official denominational status. The Living Word Christian Fellowship is Canada’s first official Seventh-day Adventist “cell church,” says its pastor, Dan Linrud.

The Vision
The vision of a new church began in 1999 as space constraints limited the growth of the Hamilton Mountain Seventh-day Adventist Church, which Linrud also pastors. Both the Hamilton Mountain church board and church constituency voted in January 2000 to encourage the planting of another church. The annual SEEDS Church Planting Conference at Andrews University in June 1999 had provided valuable training regarding various church-planting models.

In January 2000 Don James, associate director of the North American Division Evangelism Institute (NADEI) at Andrews University, came to Hamilton to conduct the Cell Intensive I training so that the core group might further explore the cell church model. About 30 Hamilton Mountain church members attended.

According to Linrud, this event propelled attendees to plant a cell-based church in greater Hamilton.

Sza Sza Paz, along with her husband, Tino, was part of the core group. “It was a new concept for us, but each of us grew spiritually,” shared Paz.

In September 2000 these core leaders continued meeting to prepare to launch the new church group. Their preparation included two more Cell Intensives sponsored by NADEI. During this time a planning team was selected to begin formulating a church-planting prospectus, propose a church name, secure a rental facility for Sabbath worship services, and plan every aspect of cell church life.

January 10, 2001, was the first meeting of the new church’s first cell (called a prototype cell). On January 20 Living Word held its inaugural public worship service.

Why a Cell Church?
According to Linrud, the cell model closely resembles the New Testament church model described in Mark 3:13, 14. “The twelve disciples embodied a ‘cell group,’ forming a Christian community with Christ,” explains Linrud. “It is our desire to return to this biblical paradigm of the church.”

Linrud states that cell groups are the primary focus at Living Word. The cells, comprising six to 16 persons, meet corporately on Sabbath. During the week the cells meet individually in members’ homes.

He notes that in the book Evangelism, Ellen G. White supports the concept of small groups as an integral part of the church.

Linrud stresses that one of the focuses of the cell is intergenerational interaction. Mrs. Paz, mother of two, attests to this. “It is amazing how my kids have become involved in the church service.”

Her son, Nicholas, age 9, agrees. “I look forward to attending church because I help in the song service and sometimes light candles near the pulpit. We have Kid Zone every few weeks, when we tell Bible stories and have prayer time.” 

“It’s very refreshing to be a part of this kind of Adventist community,” said Adam Bujak, director of Adventist Ministries to College and University Students (AMiCUS) for the Ontario Conference.

Bujak finds congregational involvement higher in a cell church because of group involvement during the week. “Our worship expresses our Christian experience and our excitement at being a part of a community,” says Bujak.

“Cell church is not just a weekly event; it is a way of life,” says Gary Poplawski, who underwent a 13-week cell orientation phase and is preparing to be a cell leader. Poplawski says that he meets with cell members on average three times a week.

Linrud concurs that the cell church is highly focused on relationships. “It is comprised of a vertical relationship with God, a horizontal relationship with fellow believers, and relationships that build bridges to the unsaved.”

“The whole purpose behind cell life is to multiply,” emphasized Poplawski, who notes that Living Word started with one cell, doubled, and has multiplied into four cell groups.

“We’re breaking new ground, and we’re overwhelmed with the interest in the cell church concept,” notes Poplawski.

The Living Word Christian Fellowship now has approximately 65 members.

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Dan Linrud is the senior pastor of the Hamilton Mountain Seventh-day Adventist Church and Living Word Christian Fellowship.