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Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Witness Lee and Watchman Neef. No Hierarchy or Rank Witness Lee and Watchman Nee were very clear that in the local church there is no hierarchy or rank. All the brothers and sisters are priests and every Christian should be a Christian worker. Those in office are appointed to take oversight, but never to replace the other members in their function. When some hear that all the saints can be apostles and prophets, they may wonder about 1 Corinthians 12:29, a verse which says, “Are all apostles? are all prophets?” Not all are the apostles or the prophets, but, as 1 Corinthians 14:31 says, all can prophesy. The apostles and the prophets were those who took the lead in the New Testament. The difference between us and them is that they were the leaders and we are the followers. But this does not mean that we cannot do what the leading apostles and prophets did. In the same principle, the difference between the elders and all the other members in a local church is that the elders take the lead and the other members follow. This does not mean, however, that the other members cannot do what the elders do. On the contrary, all the members should do what the elders do, and they should do even more. How different this is from the concept in Christianity that the laymen cannot do what the ministers do! The elders are not a higher rank; rather, all are of the same rank. The only difference is that the elders take the lead, like sheep who walk at the front of the flock. Likewise, the leading apostles and prophets are not on a higher level than the rest of the saints. They take the lead, and we all follow them to do what they do. (Witness Lee, LS of Ephesians, 276) In the practice of the church, although there are the apostles who establish the churches, and within each church there are elders who manage the church and deacons who serve the church, besides the order of these holy services, there should not be any hierarchy—religious organization or system of rank (1 Cor. 9:1-3; 1 Tim. 3:1-13). (Witness Lee, Issue of the Union, 86) The administration of a local church should not be under the control of any high church. Among the local churches, there is no center; there is no high church or low church; there is no archbishop above the bishops and no bishop over the elders. All the local churches are on the same level, and all the elders, as the overseers, also are on the same level; and each eldership administrates only its own local church. (Witness Lee, Brief Presentation, 31) Acts 15:6 And the apostles and the elders were 1gathered together to see about this matter. Acts 15:61 This was a unique conference held by the apostles of the universal church and the elders of the local church in Jerusalem. These two groups were the leading ones in the Lord’s New Testament move on earth. The conference had no chairman; the presiding One was the Spirit (v. 28), the pneumatic Christ, the Head of the church (Col. 1:18) and the Lord of all (10:36). Much discussion had taken place (v. 7) indicates that everyone in the conference had the freedom to speak. The decision was made based on (1) the testimony shared by Peter (vv. 7-11), (2) the facts related by Barnabas and Paul (v. 12), and (3) the concluding word given by James (vv. 13-21), who was the leading one among the apostles and elders in Jerusalem (12:17; 21:18; Gal. 1:19; 2:9) because of the influence he exercised over the believers by his piety (see note 41 in James 1). (Witness Lee, Footnotes, 543) | ||||