I wrote this for a class on Pastoral Care and Counseling using ideas from Murray Bowen's family system theory. It is mainly helpful for cell leaders, but I hope we can all learn from it. In Circle of Hope, nothing mimics a family unit more than a cell. These circles of ten make up the church as a whole. Borrowing from the Apostle Paul’s famous analogy, they are sometimes referred to as “building blocks” (like cells in the human body). Because they are, in essence, a new family, they are ripe ground for common family dynamics. Cells do not exist just for themselves, however, they exist for those yet to join the church. They exist for the next person, symbolically represented by the empty chair physically placed in the meeting. Their life-cycle creates a familial dynamic that concepts within Family Systems Theory can help heal.
The cell as a family system
The cell as a family system
The cell as a family system
I wrote this for a class on Pastoral Care and Counseling using ideas from Murray Bowen's family system theory. It is mainly helpful for cell leaders, but I hope we can all learn from it. In Circle of Hope, nothing mimics a family unit more than a cell. These circles of ten make up the church as a whole. Borrowing from the Apostle Paul’s famous analogy, they are sometimes referred to as “building blocks” (like cells in the human body). Because they are, in essence, a new family, they are ripe ground for common family dynamics. Cells do not exist just for themselves, however, they exist for those yet to join the church. They exist for the next person, symbolically represented by the empty chair physically placed in the meeting. Their life-cycle creates a familial dynamic that concepts within Family Systems Theory can help heal.