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Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman NeeAnd in the local church, there are two departments of service, one relating to business management, the other to spiritual ministry. Offices are connected with the management of the church and are held by the elders and the deacons. Gifts are connected with the ministry of the church and are exercised by the prophets and teachers (and evangelists). The elders and deacons are responsible for the management of the church, while the prophets and teachers concern themselves chiefly with the meetings of the church. Should the deacons and elders also be prophets and teachers, then they could manage church affairs and at the same time, minister to the church in the meetings. We must differentiate between the elders and the ministers. In everyday life, it is the elders who rule the church, but in the meetings for edification, the ministers are the ones ordained by God to serve the church. It should be repeated that elders, as such, are appointed for church government, and not for meetings to edify the church. In 1 Corinthians 14, where meetings are in view, elders do not come in at all. But elders, in order to be effective, should also have the gift of a prophet, teacher, shepherd, or evangelist. Yet it must be remembered that when they minister in the meetings they do so, not in the capacity of elders, but as prophets, or teachers, or other ministers. It is in the latter capacity that they have part in the ministry. First Timothy 5:17 makes it clear that the usual sphere of their service is to rule, but some of them (not necessarily all) may also teach and minister. (Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 2, Vol. 30, 185-186) For the shepherding of the saints, there must be the healthy teaching in the vital groups. In 1 Timothy 3:2 Paul said that an elder should be apt to teach. Teaching here is similar to parents’ teaching their children. An elder must be apt to render this kind of home teaching to the members of a local church. Then in 5:17 Paul said, “Let the elders who take the lead well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in word and teaching.” Double honor refers to material supply for the support of the faithful elders, especially those who labor to teach others. (Witness Lee, CS of John, 136) In 1 Timothy 3:2 Paul said that an elder should be apt to teach. Teaching here is similar to parents’ teaching their children. An elder must be apt to render this kind of home teaching to the members of a local church. (Witness Lee, CS of John, 136) On the spiritual side of the work the elders help to build up the church not only by teaching and preaching, but by pastoral work. To shepherd the flock is particularly the work of elders. Paul said to the Ephesian elders, “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers to shepherd the church of God” (Acts 20:28). And Peter wrote in the same strain to the elders among the saints of the Dispersion, “Shepherd the flock of God among you” (1 Pet. 5:2). (Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 2, Vol. 30, 48-49) In addition to the shepherding by the main function of the gifted persons, Christ as the Head of the church also charged the apostles to appoint elders (overseers) in all the local churches to carry out His shepherding of His flock (1Tim. 3:1-7; 5:17a). The Head of the church gave many gifted persons to function in shepherding for the building up of His Body, but the Body is manifested in the local churches. The Body is universal and abstract, but the churches are located and substantial. In the local churches, the elders as the local shepherds are needed. The local shepherds are more practical. Christ as the Head of the church charged the apostles, the universal shepherds, to appoint some local elders to take care of the located churches. (Witness Lee, Vital Groups, 63) The elders must bear the responsibility for shepherding, caring, and leading. (Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 3, Vol. 55, 9) In the first point, we talked about the universal church. In the second point, we are talking about the local church. An elder must have this twofold knowledge concerning God’s plan for the church. He must know the universal Church, and he must also know the local church. In other words, he must know the Church in its universal aspect, and he must know the church in its local aspect. Never consider the universal Church to be one kind of church, and the local church to be another kind of church. There is only one Church. Collectively speaking, it is the universal church, and locally speaking, it is the local churches. Strictly speaking, the local churches are the universal Church. The universal Church is simply the sum total of the local churches, and the local churches are simply the local manifestations of the universal Church. Without the local churches, there cannot be the universal Church. When the elders are managing the local churches, they are managing the universal Church. (Witness Lee, Elders’ Management, 11-12) Some elders enjoy giving orders to others without doing anything themselves. Other elders like to do everything themselves. Even if they clean a rest room, they prefer to do it alone, not allowing others to share in this task. Thus, the elders may either give orders and do nothing, or they may do everything themselves. Instead of either of these extremes, the brothers should set an example, establish the lead, and then leave the matter to the saints and allow them to do it. In item after item the elders need to do this. (Witness Lee, Spirit and the Body, 223-224) The elders must take the lead in everything, including the cleaning of the rest rooms in the meeting hall. An elder should not give orders and expect the saints to work as slaves in cleaning the meeting hall. If one of the elders feels that the rest room needs to be cleaned, he should take the lead to clean it. When the saints see what the elders are doing, they should follow them. To obey is to follow, to submit to the one leading. However, this definitely does not mean that the elders are rulers and that all the saints are subjects submitting to them. This concept is utterly wrong. Rather, the elders, the leading ones in the church, should take the lead. (Witness Lee, Spirit and the Body, 223) | ||||