Local churches
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The term local churches (地方教會) was originally used by Watchman Nee (倪柝聲) 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. This article focuses on the former meaning, that is, a church that is based on the principle that all Christians in a city or locality are automatically members of the one church in that locality.
Christians started to meet as the local churches in the 1920s in China.Controversies are discussed in a separate article on the local church controversy. This article focuses on the history of the local churches and the practices of Christians who meet with them.
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The name "local churches"
The present day practice of Christians meeting as the local churches began with Watchman Nee (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.
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 to "the one true Church", but 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 rather an imitation of the pattern seen in the New Testament (e.g. "the church in Jerusalem", "the church in Antioch"). However, the distiniction between a "description" and a formal name is blurry.
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 churches "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 Body in Christ. This is the same idea promulgated in the Nicene Creed "one holy catholic church" ("one holy Christian church" in some Protestant versions).
The first principle is that all believers in Christ are members of the one universal Body of Christ. A notable and unique implication of this belief is that 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. 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). 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. 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. 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 of the Torontonians", etc.).
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 as multiple congregations. However, 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 not usually salaried. Thus, most full-timers are not elders, and most elders are not full-timers, though quite a few are in the larger churches. 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. 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 and Tuesdays, 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. Meetings sometimes have an emotional, highly-spirited atmosphere, characterized by enthusiastic shouting and singing, often reminiscent of old-fashioned gospel meetings.
It is not uncommon for single male college students to live together near a 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. A number of meeting halls have been built by them at substantial savings of time and money to the group. The former facilities for Living Stream Ministry (水流職事站) and Witness Lee's former home in Anaheim, California, 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 controversy.
The Recovery Version of Bible
The local churches encourage the use of a self-translated the Recovery Version of the New Testament which was directly translated from Greek.
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Since the 1500s, beginning with Martin Luther's groundbreaking realization that justification is by faith, the Lord has continued to gradually recover more light and truth from His Word. This recovery in spiritual and scriptural understanding has ushered in a corresponding recovery in both the individual and the corporate aspects of the Christian life. The New Testament Recovery Version is so named because its text and footnotes crystallize many of these truths and experiences.
In 1385 John Wycliffe translated the Bible into English from the Latin Vulgate (meaning: 普通本; it became the offical version of Roman Catholic Church). This translation and its subsequent distribution was instrumental in opening the door to the spread of the truth. Around 1525 the Bible was translated into English directly from the original languages by William Tyndale. In 16th century, British King James convened a group of scholar to translate into English Bible (King James Version) according to Textus Receptus edited by T. de Beza. Since then many excellent English translations have followed. The New Testament Recovery Version is translated from the original languages (Greek language, Nestle-Aland 26th Version) according to principles and standards of translation established by major English translations of the last five centuries.
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.
There are Recovery Version Bible online as below: http://recoveryversion.org (English) http://www.recoveryversion.com.tw/Style0A/025/bible_menu.php (Chinese)
References
- Template:Book reference (full text online (http://www.ministrybooks.org/books.asp?id=283&chapterid=1§ionid=1&pageid=1))
- Template:Book reference (full text online (http://www.ministrybooks.org/books.asp?id=598&chapterid=0§ionid=1&pageid=1))
- Template:Book reference (full text online (http://www.ministrybooks.org/books.asp?id=238&chapterid=0§ionid=1&pageid=1))
- Template:Book reference (full text online (http://www.ministrybooks.org/books.asp?id=96&chapterid=0§ionid=1&pageid=1))
- Template:Book reference (full text online (http://www.ministrybooks.org/books.asp?id=44&chapterid=0§ionid=1&pageid=1))
- Template:Book reference (full text online (http://www.ministrybooks.org/books.asp?id=334&chapterid=1§ionid=1&pageid=1))
- Template:Book reference (full text online (http://www.ministrybooks.org/books.asp?id=357&chapterid=1§ionid=1&pageid=1))
Related links
- Watchman Nee
- Witness Lee
- The Lord's recovery
- Living Stream Ministry
- Local Church controversy
- New Testament Recovery Version
External links
Sites run by the Living Stream Ministry and Christians in the local churches:
- Unofficial website (http://www.localchurches.com) Unofficial, but thorough, website about the local churches (there is no official website). Includes contact information for churches throughout the world that have voluntarily listed themselves.
- Links to websites of some local churches (http://www.christianwebsites.org/local-churches.htm)
- The Life & Ministry of Watchman Nee (http://www.watchmannee.org/life-ministry.html) - History of founding and propagation of the local churches in China
- The Life & Ministry of Witness Lee (http://www.witnesslee.org/life-ministry.html)
- The New Testament Recovery Version (http://www.recoveryversion.org/)
Cult Awareness
Opposing viewpoints
- Apologetics Index (http://www.apologeticsindex.org/l40.html) Entry on the Local Church
- Apologetics Research Ministry (http://www.thebereans.net/prof-cor.shtml) Entry on the Local Church
- Religious Movements Homepage (http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/loca.html) Entry on the Local Church
- The Watchman Expositor (http://www.watchman.org/cat95.htm#Local%22) Entry on the Local
- "Local Church" Information Site (http://www.lcinfo.org/) Ex-member maintained