Local churches
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The local churches (地方教會) are a Christian movement influenced by the teachings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee. and associated with the Living Stream Ministry publishing house. Its members see themselves as separate from other Christian groups, denominations, and movements, part of what they sometimes call "the Lord's recovery". One of the defining features of the local churches is their adherence to the principle that all Christians in a city or locality are automatically members of the one church in that locality. Another defining feature is the lack of an official organization or official name for the movement. The local churches believe that to take a name would be disrespectful and insulting to the name of Jesus Christ. To distinguish themselves each local church refers to itself only as "the church in -insert-locality-".[1]
The movement began in China soon after Watchman Nee (倪柝聲) became a Christian in 1920. Between 1920 and 1952 Watchman Nee worked with many others to found numerous local churches throughout mainland China. Watchman Nee was imprisoned by the Communist government of China in 1952. After this the inspirational leadership of the local churches went to Witness Lee who had gone to Taiwan in 1948. In 1962 Witness Lee moved to California to carry on his ministry in the United States. From that time until the present the local churches have grown and spread throughout the world, especially in the United States.[2]
Affiliated with the movement are a publishing house called Living Stream Ministry (LSM)[3], which translated and publishes the unofficial version of the Bible of the local churches - The Recovery Version - as well as many other books and study guides used by members of the local churches[4]; and Bibles for America, a non-profit organization devoted to distributing the Recovery Version of the Bible[5].
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The name "local churches"
The term local churches was originally used by Watchman Nee to describe Christian churches that form based upon the teaching of the ground of locality; however, its use to refer to any collection of independent Christian congregations in a city has become more popular in recent years.
The present day practice of Christians meeting as the local churches began when Brother Hammond yelled "Raise the Door" 1903-1972 in Foochow (福州), China c. 1922, and after the Communist takeover of China in 1949 was propagated outside of China by Nee's co-worker Witness Lee (李常受, 1905-1997). The local churches have emphatically avoided incorporation into one definite or legal entity, based on the belief that the Christian Church is not an organization, but rather a living organism. However, as is always the case when a group refuses or fails to name itself, the local churches have come to be labelled by outside observers as the Local Church, or the Little Flock ("小群"教會). The original "Little Flock" designation stems from a hymnal used by many of the local churches in China titled "Hymns for the Little Flock." "Little Flock Movement" is still used today to designated underground congregations in present-day communist China that meet in homes apart from and outside of the state-authorized "Church" (三自教會).
While the local churches are popularly called the "Local Church" by outsiders, it is important to note that the churches repudiate this and any name or label used to designate them, as taking a name would smack of the denominationalism which they so strongly castigate. The Christians who meet as the churches believe that to "denominate" themselves by taking a name is tantamount to denying the name of Christ. Indeed, there is no official organization to which a name can be assigned. They believe and teach that the local churches include all of the believers in their respective cities; therefore all the believers in their respective cities comprise the church in each city. They receive all believers in Christ just as God has received them (Romans 14:3; 15:7).
Those who meet as the local churches use various descriptive terms to refer to themselves: The Lord's recovery (主的恢復) refers to God's move in time which they believe produced the present practice of the local churches; the church life refers to the corporate experience of enjoying Christ as the believers' life and living; the Church refers not only to "the one true Church", but often to the practical experience of the Church as revealed in the New Testament; and the local churches (plural) is a description of how they see themselves. No one term predominates, and they are freely used interchangeably, even in mid-sentence.
Ironically, those in the local churches very rarely use the term the Local Church (singular and capitalized) to refer to themselves; many, in fact, consider this term given them by outsiders disparaging. They strongly disavow its use, as it suggests the idea of a denomination whose name is "the Local Church". Outsiders, on the other hand, find it difficult referring to a group of Christians who have distinct practices yet who have no official name, and so have assigned the local churches the label "the Local Church" for convenience and consistency of reference.
Individual churches are called by the name of their respective cities (e.g. "the church in San Francisco", "the church in Taipei" (台北市召會)). Those in the local churches insist that these are not official names, but refers to the New Testament model, pattern and practice of one church in one city (e.g. "the church in Jerusalem", "the church in Antioch").
Chinese language lacks capitalization and plural form while Chinese terms of Christianity were all translated from other languages. It is, technically, more difficult for Chinese-speakers to refer to their churches. In the beginning the standard Mandarin term "church" (教會) was used. But in recent years, the original Greek term "ekklesia" (召會) which is a new Chinese word coined by themselves is being adopted. Outside local churches, many would just call their church buildings "Meeting Halls" (聚會所).
Basis of the local churches
The local churches organize on two basic principles, both centered on the firm belief that all Christians are universally "one", the Body of Christ. This is the same idea promulgated in the Nicene Creed "one holy catholic and apostolic church" ("one holy Christian church" in some Protestant versions. It is important to note that the Creed refers to the lowercase c catholic church, i.e. universal church, and not the uppercase C Catholic Church, that is, the Roman Catholic Church.)
The first principle is that all believers in Christ are members of the one universal church, the Body of Christ. They believe that the church is not a physical building, but the actual members, the assembly of the called-out ones (the word "church" derives from the Greek "ekklesia", meaning called-out.). So in that sense, they do not "go" to church, they are the church. The local churches believe that the one universal church is, as the term implies, universal; meaning it spans through space and time. Therefore it includes believers everywhere and from the past, present, and future. The universal church, however, is manifested in the local churches, where the universal church is practically built up and expressed locally. They believe that God's eternal purpose is the built-up universal church, which is the Body of Christ (Eph1:22-23) in the mingled spirit, and building up of the local churches is the procedure. The local churches do not have any membership in the traditional sense of the term. They automatically recognize all Christians as members of the church in their respective localities. Although there is no statement of faith that anyone is required to assent to, the churches do require that a purported believer acknowledge that Jesus Christ is fully God and is also a genuine man (John 1:1,14), and confess that he is Lord (unbelievers are welcome to attend meetings, but are not considered "members" of the Body. Because the Body of Christ is of the life of Christ, only those who have Christ as their life, basically believers, are part of Christ's life, as a member of the Body). A believer must specifically believe that this Christ died for their sins and that God raised him from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Beyond believing these points, there is no ceremony or official process required for membership (such as a specific method of baptism, though baptism is required at least in some local churches). Believers of Christ should be members of Christ's body, not "members of a certain church" in various names as seen in many denominations, where people think they are "belonged" to that specific church instead of the universal Body of Christ. Nor is anyone quizzed on these basic points of Christian belief: the local churches' practice in receiving other Christians is akin to "innocent until proven guilty" -- they will immediately offer anyone the bread and wine of communion as long as they say they are a believer in Jesus Christ (some localities require the person to be baptized in the past before taking the bread and wine though). Without official membership lists or required fees (at the individual or church levels), the only practical sense of membership in the local churches is keeping track of those who attend meetings from week to week.
The second basis of the local churches is what they call the ground of locality (sometimes called "localism"), the belief that in every city or locality (that is, town, village, etc.), there is only one local church. This is based on the fact that there is no other pattern recorded in the New Testament. (Titus 1:5, Acts 14:23.) Following the New Testament pattern, the churches take no name but the name of the city in which they are physically located (for example, "the church in Los Angeles", "the church in New York City", "the church in Wilmington", etc.). As revealed in the Bible, the universal church is limited to space and there is a need to have local churches to accommodate people in that specific area to gather together, worship and enjoy God. Therefore, while a believer is traveling, there should be a local church where one can worship God with other genuine believers.
- Henry Cotterill, bishop of Edinburgh, authored the work "The Genesis of the Church" in 1872. He wrote:
"We have observed that whilst, in the language both of Christ Himself and of the apostles, the whole body of disciples or Christians everywhere is spoken of as “the Church,” yet apostolic writers speak of Christians in a particular country as “the Churches” in that country. But whenever they would describe the body of Christians in a single city,—even in Jerusalem where, shortly after the day of Pentecost, there were five thousand disciples, it is always “the Church,” never “the Churches,” in that city: the use of the singular indicating that common corporate life of Christians dwelling in the same place." (567)
- Augustus Neander, Professor of Theology at the University of Berlin, in "History of the Planting and Training of the Christian Church by the Apostles", 1889, he wrote:
"But the Epistlets of the apostle Paul give the clearest evidence that all the Christians of one city originally formed one church."
The local churches contend that the practices of multiple congregations organizing as denominations, and the practice of individual congregations within a city splitting to form "independent churches" are unbiblical and divisive, as they are based on human preferences rather than on receiving everyone whom Christ has received. This is not to say that many local churches, particularly in larger cities, do not meet in the same meeting hall. However, although they may not meet in the same physical place, they are still considered the church in whatever-city. For example, the church in New York City has a hall in Queens and in Manhattan, but believers meeting in either hall are still considered part of one locality, the church in New York City. They are not considered the church in Queens or Manhattan, as those are boroughs and not cities. In such situations, there is still only one eldership overseeing the entire city-church who together lead all the congregations by consensus. There is a separate article on the ground of locality, including its criticisms.
Meeting life
Men and women of all ages meet with the local churches, representing a broad range of social, ethnic, and economic groups. Some devote a number of years or retire from their jobs to "serve the Lord" full-time. If not self-supported, these "full-timers" (全時間) are supported by free-will offerings, and devote their time to studying the Bible and caring for others spiritually, both believers and unbelievers. It is notable that the eldership is never salaried. Thus, most full-timers are not elders, and most elders are not full-timers, though quite a few are in the larger churches. "Elder" is a term firstly used in the book of Acts and it is not like pastor seen in many Christian denomations or like the papal system in the Catholic churches. The elders were appointed in the early churches in the first century, and they mainly took the burden of the Lord in taking care of the general believers and shepherding them unto the full knowledge of God and love for God. Regardless of "full-time" status, all believers are encouraged to live like full-timers, emphasizing a personal relationship with Jesus, praying, meeting with other believers, and denial of the self (asceticism is strongly condemned, though).
In cities with many believers meeting as the local church, large meeting halls (聚會所) are acquired or built in close proximity to the neighborhoods in which they live, though most gatherings take place from house to house, same as the practice revealed in the book of Acts. When they do build meeting halls, they are generally unmarked, though some have a sign that generally reads something like "Meeting hall of the church in such-and-such-a-City".
Meeting life generally consists of meetings all together or by geographical district on Sundays, as well as many Bible-study and prayer meetings in the homes of the members throughout the week. Meetings are open to the public, whether at meeting halls or in homes. The giving of money is strictly free-will and secret. Contributions are usually placed in a box located at the rear of the meeting hall to avoid any psychological pressure to donate.
It is not uncommon for single male college students to live together near college campuses in "brothers' houses" (弟兄之家) and single female college students to live together near college campuses in "sisters' houses" (姊妹之家). These arrangements allow for close fellowship and the sharing of duties, and allow college students to maintain a Christian standard of living while attending secular universities. On many campuses, students have formed clubs for the purposes of Christian fellowship and evangelism. Club names include Christians on Campus, Campus Christians, Christian Student Fellowship, and similar names.
Those who meet with the local churches often lend themselves for the construction of meeting halls, training centers, and other tasks involved in their church life, in accordance with the examples set forth in Acts. A number of meeting halls have been built by them at substantial savings of time and money to the group (these benefits are shared by the builders as well; if a member is in need, it is common practice for others to help out). The former facilities for Living Stream Ministry (水流職事站) and Witness Lee's former home in Anaheim, California, were built in 1976 by the hands of those who meet as the churches.
Experiences in the United States
The local churches have experienced a reasonable amount of growth in numbers during its history in the U.S. Though a number of congregations in the U.S. were started before Witness Lee arrived to the U.S. by returning American missionaries and immigrants who were involved with the churches while in China, the movement did not gain much momentum until 1962. In that year, Witness Lee moved to the U.S. and began ministering mainly among Christians who were not satisfied with a Christianity they perceived to be full of un-Biblical teachings, extra-Biblical practices, immorality, and lack of focus.
The sharp denunciation of denominationalism and the call to unity and Biblical forms of worship attracted many Christians and Christian converts during the turbulent sixties and seventies. Those meeting as churches in established cities began moving to other major American cities to begin new churches. With thousands of Christians beginning to leave denominations to meet as the local churches in their respective cities, some denominational leaders became concerned. The ensuing controversy is discussed in a separate article on the [Local Church Allegations].
The Recovery Version of the Bible
The local churches encourage the use of a self-translated "Recovery Version of the New Testament" which was directly translated from Greek and is available from the church’s publishing arm, the Living Stream Ministry.
The New Testament Recovery Version was translated and revised by the Editorial Section of Living Stream Ministry from 1974 to 1991. The New Testament Recovery Version contains numerous study aids including: the subject and background of each book, detailed, interpretive outlines, enlightening footnotes, valuable cross-references, and a variety of useful charts and maps. All of these study aids were written by Witness Lee, who received much help from the writings of noted Bible expositors throughout church history, including his co-worker, Watchman Nee. The New Testament Recovery Version in its current format in English was published in 1991, and it is also available in Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and several other languages. The Recovery Version of the Bible, including outlines, footnotes, and cross-references for both the Old and New Testaments have been available since December, 2002.
The Recovery Version Bibles may be read online: http://recoveryversion.org (English) http://www.recoveryversion.com.tw/Style0A/025/bible_menu.php (Chinese)
Controversy
A Summary of Allegations against the Local Church can be found here.
External links
- The Lord's Recovery - A History of the Lord's Recovery, as written by those inside the movement. Of particular interest is The Present Recovery which covers the recent history from an insider point of view.
- Living Stream Ministry Online Publications - A significant collection of Living Stream Ministry publications online.
- Rhema Literature Distributors - Promotes publications by Witness Lee in Russian, other languages
- Contending for the Faith - Responses to critiques, information regarding cases involving the The God-Men and The Mindbenders, and current litigation involving Harvest House Publishers. Specifically, one should note the arguments for the alleged Biblical basis for the current litigation.
- Amana Trust - A nonprofit advancing the work of the Lord's Recovery in the UK, including Bower House, Rhema Trust, and London Typesetting
- China Gospel Depot - Describes effort to promote local church/Living Stream publications in eastern Europe, Russia, and elsewhere
- Statement of Faith - Statement of Faith by the Living Stream Ministry
- The Testimony of the Local Churches and Living Stream Ministry - The Testimony of the Local Churches and Living Stream Ministry
