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We need to see some points concerning the basic principles of being an elder. First, the elders must discard the concept of hierarchy. There is no hierarchy among us; no one is ranked higher, and no one is ranked lower. In other words, there are no ruling officials among us. In Matthew 20:25-27 the Lord spoke clearly, saying, “The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever wants to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you shall be your slave.” The Lord does not want a situation where someone higher has authority over someone lower, because the church is different from the Gentiles. However, there is still something of a sense of hierarchy among us. I hope that the elders would completely discard the concept of hierarchy in their conduct, action, attitude, and words. Moreover, they should seize a suitable opportunity to fellowship with the brothers and sisters about not regarding the elders too highly. The elders are slaves of the brothers and sisters, not leaders of an organization. We have only one Head—Christ.
If an elder or a co-worker feels that everyone should respect him because a local church was established through him, this is a blaspheming of God because he has assumed God’s position among His people. Only God has such a position among His people; those who have a larger function should stand only in a position of serving people. In 2 Corinthians 4:5 Paul says, “We do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake.” Paul preached concerning two things: Christ Jesus as Lord and himself as a slave to the brothers and sisters. In Christianity people respect pastors, but every saint is worthy of the same respect. The concept of assuming a high position must be eradicated from among us. If we do not have a full realization of this matter, we will subconsciously assume a higher position, because we think that there is a special status associated with being an elder or a leading one in the church. Since the concept of assuming a high position is in our very constitution, it must be dealt with thoroughly. However, this does not mean that there is no submission to one another in the church or that we can all do what is right in our own eyes. If this were the case, the church would be disorderly.
The co-workers who labor for the Lord and the elders who lead the flock of God are actually “guiding” the flock of God rather than “lording over” them. The co-workers and elders should guide the saints in church affairs and in spiritual matters. As such, the saints should follow them. Although we use the phrase being subject to authority, such terms should be avoided as much as possible. Many people have misused the book Authority and Submission by Brother Nee. They assumed a leadership position to exalt themselves and then used the book to control other people. Such an understanding is altogether erroneous. I hope the brothers will always remember that there must not be a hierarchical concept involving “superior” and “subordinate” members in the church.
Second, we should strive to avoid organization in the church. Sometimes we use the pretext of “making arrangements” when, in fact, our arrangement is just a front for organization. This is not to say that there cannot be arrangements in the church, but it is better to avoid them. For example, if we want the brothers and sisters to take part in cleaning the meeting hall, there is a practical need for one or two persons to help by assigning tasks. However, we should not form an “organization” out of this need. In the past the elders have appointed some to the cleaning service, which has given the elders the way to select some brothers and sisters to do cleaning and to make them “little soldiers.” This kind of atmosphere and feeling should be eradicated. At the most the elders should inform the brothers and sisters that the meeting hall needs to be cleaned and that they feel that Saturday or the Lord’s Day would be most suitable. Then whoever is available can come together to clean. This is more meaningful than hiring someone. When the brothers and sisters come together, someone should allocate the work so that there is no duplication of work, and nothing is left unclean. There should not be organizational arrangements; everything should be done in spirit and in life.
Third, we also need to pay attention to the relationship between the elders. For example, if there is no harmony in a small church with three or five elders, there will not be fellowship in a spirit of harmony when deciding certain matters. This will be a very unpleasant situation. In a normal situation the elders’ meeting should be very strong, and the elders should not discuss or decide matters outside the elders’ meeting. It is not proper for elders to administrate the church without a strong elders’ meeting, while discussing and resolving matters in private. It is improper for a brother who has a suggestion to seek the agreement of other elders in private. Even considering church matters over the phone is not good. The elders must have a regular elders’ meeting.
When the elders come together, they should first pray. The elders can make a list of items for fellowship so that everyone can speak concerning these matters after praying; there is no need for someone to chair the meeting. The brothers should bring every matter into fellowship before the Lord. Not a single matter should be neglected; they should not simply ask if everyone agrees, but rather, they should have a thorough fellowship on every matter. Furthermore, the items that have been fellowshipped should not be announced or implemented in a loose manner. At the meeting the elders should decide on whether the items that have been fellowshipped should be announced, when the announcement should be made, who should make the announcement, and so forth. We need to pay attention to these matters.
There should be a record of the elders’ meeting that includes the date, place, agenda items, content of fellowship, and so forth. For items on which there is unanimous agreement, there should be a record of who will make the announcement, at which meeting the announcement will be made, who will carry out the matter, and so forth. The elders should be proper and systematic when administrating the church. If some things happen after an elders’ meeting, the elders can wait until the next meeting to make a decision. If the situation is urgent, another meeting can be convened. In summary, when the elders consider a matter, the decision should not be made by just one person, nor should someone simply inform others in order to control the situation. Such a way is not proper; such an administration has no weight.
In order to build up the elders’ meeting, the elders need to have fellowship and a spirit of harmony. Then the church in their locality will be strong. If the elders do not have sufficient fellowship and lack harmony, a local church cannot be strong. This is a lesson that the elders need to learn.
In a church as large as the one in Taipei, the elders in each hall must have fellowship and care for more than just their own hall. Others need to see that the elders are not just taking the lead in their hall but in the whole church. Therefore, the elders must take the lead in a hall on behalf of the whole church, rather than taking the lead in a hall just for the sake of their own hall. The elders in different halls should be in harmony with one another and fellowship with one another. In practice, such fellowship may be limited by practical considerations, but the elders should still strive to have contact and fellowship with one another. For example, when they are considering a particular matter concerning their hall, they can call the elders in other halls and ask them how they would handle a similar matter. Asking in this way will make things clear. The elders should not say, “This is a matter concerning our hall. Why should we ask others?” They should not have this kind of attitude; the elders need more fellowship with one another. Sometimes they can call brothers who have many years of service in the Lord. Since these brothers have served for many years and have experienced many things, they will be able to provide some help. In summary, the elders should have much fellowship before making decisions on matters. Decisions that have not gone through fellowship should not be announced in a loose way.
In these days of advanced communication, it is no trouble for brothers from any place to fellowship over the phone. Not having fellowship is a great loss. The elders in Taipei should fellowship with one another, and there should be more fellowship and phone calls between the elders in Taipei and those in Kaohsiung. This principle applies to other places as well.
The United States is a strong nation, and its national policies are not made in a sloppy manner. When the Senate is discussing a certain matter, they carefully study the matter. They have a Library of Congress that contains all kinds of information. There is even a large Chinese section in the Library of Congress with many who translate Chinese information into English. When a senator needs information about a leader in mainland China, all the information related to this leader’s birth, youth, education, publications, and past accomplishments, as well as his policies, can be provided within half a day. Hence, given the rich source of information, a senator can speak on matters concerning the United States and China in a systematic way that is based on full information.
If a senator’s knowledge is limited, he has the authority to ask someone to provide the information. Consequently, discussions at the national level are thorough, and a Senate resolution is very weighty. The United States is a strong nation because of how it makes its policies. In principle, the administration of the church in Taipei should be the same. In order for things to be done in an appropriate manner, the elders must have a proper process for discussion. The word of more than one elder counts, and no elder should always have the final word. There is a need for discussion because without discussion there will be no sense of direction when a decision has to be made.
We must absolutely practice the administration of the church through all the elders. If there are nine elders, there should not be one who is taking the lead, while being supported by the other eight. Rather, the nine elders are equal, and each one has the same duty to fulfill. If one of the elders has not spoken, no decision should be made. No decision should be made until everyone speaks, in order for the decision to be thorough and proper. The nine elders should be like nine pillars firmly upholding the church. Every elder should be clear about what the church is doing.
Today the world has become smaller, and the Lord’s recovery has spread across the six major continents of the world. Thus, there should be more fellowship. It is easy to call from Taipei to New Zealand or to call from Germany to Taipei in order to have fellowship with one another about things, such as the condition of the church, the practice of the small groups, and other matters. Nevertheless, it is not appropriate to engage in idle talk over the phone. In summary, we need to do more than just talk about the Body and the one new man; we need to position ourselves in the reality and practicality of these spiritual terms. We should not be one way in doctrine and another way in practice. When we speak concerning the one new man, we should live out the one new man; when we speak concerning the Body, we should live out the Body. What we speak should be what we are.
There is no hierarchy among us. There is no one who is higher, and there is no one who is subordinate. However, we are in contact with each other, and this contact should bring in fellowship. When we arranged for some to be elders in each hall and for some to take the lead in various types of spiritual service in the church in Taipei, there was insufficient fellowship between those who were taking the lead in each type of service and the elders. Previously, in our practice the co-workers, elders, and deacons were doing the same work: an elder would do the work of a deacon, a deacon would do the work of an elder, and a co-worker would do the work of an elder. We must be very clear, however, that a co-worker is a co-worker, an elder is an elder, and a deacon is a deacon. The co-workers are not elders or deacons. The co-workers are solely responsible for the spiritual aspect of the church.
According to Acts 13:1, there were some prophets and teachers in the church in Antioch, and they focused on doing the spiritual work in the church in Antioch. Moreover, there were also elders and deacons in the church in Antioch. Based on this principle, we arranged for the work to advance in the small groups, in the gospel in the homes, community, and campuses, and in the children’s meetings. These all involve spiritual work. As the elders do not have time to do such work, the co-workers should carry out the work; however, when the co-workers carry out the work, they are not under the control of the elders.
The co-workers are not a group of laborers hired by the church in Taipei. They are those who bear the spiritual side of the work, just as the prophets and teachers in the church in Antioch. At the same time the co-workers should not forget that they are bearing the spiritual work of the church in Taipei. Hence, they cannot lose contact with the church. For example, as they are bearing the spiritual work, they may need some money to take care of practical things, and this money should be provided by the church. Since this involves fellowship related to finances, the co-workers must maintain good contact with the elders.
For example, the co-workers should develop a quarterly, semi-annual, or annual budget for expenditures related to the university campus work and bring this budget up for fellowship at a meeting with the elders. Both the elders and the co-workers, who are bearing the spiritual responsibility, should be present because some of the discussion concerns spiritual aspects. If there are sisters who are involved in the work, they can observe but should not participate in the meeting when the budget is being discussed, because the work is being borne on the shoulders of the brothers. The brothers should bring their burden to the elders’ meeting for corporate discussion. At such a meeting, the brothers who are serving on the campuses may present a budget for consideration by the elders. Then the elders need to discuss and fellowship whether such an expenditure is necessary. Although the work is spiritual, the decisions related to practical aspects belong to the church. Hence, the decision needs to be made by the elders. When discussing matters, there should not be only one person who speaks, while the others remain silent. At the elders’ meeting, we must pay attention to how we put forth a proposal, how we discuss the proposal, how we make a decision, and how we execute a decision. Given that the church in Taipei is so large, the elders at the elders’ meetings must act in a proper way.
After a decision has been made concerning a matter, the proposal should be put into practice if the elders feel that the proposal is feasible and that the church is able to meet the financial need. If they feel that the amount is too large, it can be reduced, but the matter must be implemented after a decision has been made. The implementation of a decision should be passed to the church’s main business office, not to one hall. This is because in order to carry out the spiritual work concerning the gospel on university campuses, there is no need for the co-workers to meet with the elders of every hall to receive the funds that have been designated through the fellowship. It is sufficient to coordinate with the main business office of the church in Taipei. This does not mean that the elders who are in charge of the main business office can make their own decisions. Rather, they should execute the decisions that were made at the elders’ meeting.
Practically speaking, we should not budget three hundred thousand dollars but spend five hundred thousand dollars. Rather, we should follow the decision of the meeting as to how much to spend in a month and in a year. Only this will result in a way that is harmonious and a way that does not create problems. Even after a decision has been made, it is not proper for the brothers engaged in the campus work to ask for money in a pro forma way. The key to carrying out the work lies in fellowship, whether it is fellowship before or after a decision has been made. If face-to-face fellowship is not possible, the brothers should at least make a phone call to inform the elders when the funds will be needed and how much so that the elders can prepare and make the necessary arrangements. This is the proper attitude and the right way to fellowship. Asking for money without giving notice may cause inconvenience to the serving ones and create new problems. The co-workers should pay attention to these matters involving coordination.
In the past small practical matters were often a source of unpleasantness. If such matters are discussed among the brothers and sisters, it will be unbecoming and improper. Therefore, even though there is no organization among us, all our activities should be organic, and everyone should feel pleasant and happy. When outsiders talk about us, they should recognize that the church is truly respectable and excellent. This should be our testimony. We each have a function, and we each have a place, but we must keep in contact and fellowship.
Furthermore, the brothers should never care about gaining a position for themselves. They should not think, “If I become an elder, I must be the first elder, and if I cannot be first, I must be second.” May the Lord remove such a concept. We should have only the concept of laboring diligently, abounding in the work of the Lord, and not caring for position or for individual gain.
The elders should not have a concept that they should care only for their locality or that those who are gifted in speaking should be in their locality. Such a concept is improper and should not exist. The elders should not take the lead in a locality just to care for the church in their locality but rather to lead the church in their locality for the sake of the Body; the elders should use the persons and materials in their locality with thanksgiving. If the church in one locality needs the help of a brother in another locality, the elders should not hold on to him; instead, they should be willing to give in completely on this matter. If a certain brother is needed, the elders should have fellowship with the brother, and if the brother has a burden, they should let him go. The elders should not care about gaining a position for themselves or competing for something on behalf of the church in their locality. In administrating the church, they need to have a heart that cares not only for the church in their locality but for the Body.
When an elder serves in a hall, he should not bear responsibility for just that hall but rather for that hall on behalf of the church in Taipei. If there is a real financial need in his hall, he can present it at the corporate elders’ meeting, and if the elders feel that there is no need to spend so much, then he should not spend so much. This is not a matter that he needs to argue about. We are not just for ourselves, for our hall, or even for our local church. If we all have this kind of spirit, there will surely be blessings among us.
Furthermore, we should not make comparisons among the churches. We are all human and surely know about human weaknesses. The Lord Jesus is a man, and He knows all the human weaknesses. If someone says that Taiwan is not as good as the United States, we may feel ashamed, but if someone says that the United States is not as good as Taiwan, we may secretly feel happy. However, the brothers and sisters in the United States will be unhappy. This is a real situation because we all have natural feelings. Any feeling that comes out of our natural being should be dealt with. If these natural feelings are not dealt with, our hands will not be clean with regard to the work of the Lord. Then everything that we touch will become unclean. We should treasure all the churches; all the churches are the same.
In summary, we should not care about gaining a position for ourselves. We should not seek for benefit on behalf of our hall or our church or even care about the Lord’s recovery in just our own country. We should have a broadened view fixed on the Lord; everything should be for Him. If we keep this principle, we will be saved from many troubles.
Question: In a village near our locality we have a group of brothers and sisters meeting together, but no elders have been formally appointed. Without appointing elders the situation may become disorderly. How should we help them in the matter of administration?
Answer: If you are located close to this locality, you can help them. Although they do not have elders in name, there surely are some who are bearing more responsibility. When Brother Nee wrote the book The Normal Christian Church Life, he stated in the preface that he did not want people to view the book as a set of rules to obey. It is true that elders are appointed by apostles, but sometimes the apostles may be too far away, may not have the time, or may have other reasons for being unable to take care of appointing elders. Thus, there is no need to be overly rigid in practice. However, in principle, there are a few brothers in that locality who are leading based on their measure of life. These ones should be given more responsibility. This should be the proper condition.
It would be good if two or three persons who bear more responsibility could help them. It is natural for weaker ones to receive help from stronger ones and for stronger ones to support the weaker ones. We should not turn the practices in the Lord’s recovery into rules. There are no such rules in the Bible. We can see from the book of Acts that there were not any rules. The trouble today is that there are too many rules in degraded Christianity. We must not fall into rules.
Question: How should the older elders in the church in Taipei function?
Answer: First, there are different definitions of old. Some people may be old even when they are very young, whereas others may be old in age but still be very young. I see myself as an old young person, and I often tell the young people that I am younger than they. However, I am not good at things that involve physical labor, such as moving chairs. Those of us who are older must confess defeat on this point, but we must not be old in our mind. Some people may be only in their thirties, but their mindset is fixed and cannot be changed. This is a difficult problem. On the one hand, as a person grows older, there are some things that he can no longer do. He may have the heart but not the strength to do them, and thus, he should give way to the younger ones. On the other hand, there is a real need for older persons in the church because they are usually more experienced.
Recently, the elders in charge of the main business office of the church in Taipei misunderstood my intention and thought that they should retire. According to my observation, the elders in the main business office are more important than the elders in any of the halls of the church in Taipei. The elders of each hall take care of matters concerning only their hall, but in a large church nothing can be done without some elders taking overall responsibility. This is an honest word. The elders in the main business office are in fact the “leading” elders, although we do not like to use the term leading, because in the past this term was understood that someone was installed as a king. Hence, we should try our best to avoid using this term. On practical matters, taking the lead means only to assume responsibility.
In such a large church we would have no awareness of many things without the elders in the main business office. For example, there was one instance where we had to provide hospitality for the elders from the central and southern regions, and the elders of the various halls did not know what to do. Moreover, there was not a hall that could accommodate more than a hundred elders. Thus, there was a need for the elders in the main business office to bear the responsibility. It is not that the church does not need the older elders but rather that the younger and older elders each have their own function. For example, to become president, a person should be at least fifty years old. This is related to life experience and perspective. The church needs older elders who can offer up their particular function in the house of God.
Take myself as an example. I am able to somewhat supply the churches everywhere, and even the churches over all the earth, in part because of my age. When I went to the United States, I was close to sixty years old, and I spent the next twenty years in the United States. Even though I was a Chinese man without a high academic degree and my English was not fluent, my experiences, perspective, and views concerning the world situation caused people to pay much attention to me. I do not know much about science, astronomy, or geography, but everyone respected me when I spoke about the Bible, spiritual matters, and the world situation. All these are related to life experiences.
The older elders are truly needed in the church, but they should not take advantage of their place as older elders. In other words, they should not desire any position or stick to their own ways, thinking that what they say should count. If an elder has such an attitude, he should step down. I hope that all the older co-workers and elders will not place themselves too much at the forefront. They should avoid taking advantage of their age but be always learning and giving opportunities for younger ones to come in.
For the sake of protecting my health, my wife often does not allow me to take any phone calls during a meal, because I have a stomach problem. However, I feel uneasy that it is difficult for brothers to reach me by phone. One time when I was having my meal, there was a phone call from overseas, and my wife told the person to call back in fifteen minutes. I felt uneasy and quickly took the phone. I did not want to give the brother the impression that it is difficult to contact me. Even if I have to delay my meal for an hour, I will answer a brother’s phone call. I always try my best to practice this.
All the brothers serving in the church should try their best not to take advantage of their age. We should remember that we have no position. Although we have divided the church in Taipei into more than twenty halls, this does not mean that we want the older elders in the main business office to retire from their work. Such a concept is completely erroneous. The most important thing that the elders in the main business office should do is to visit each hall to see how things are progressing. With their experience the older ones can help a certain hall that is not doing things well. However, their attitude should not be one of a “leader,” thinking that they have the authority to interfere with things.
The older brothers should not feel discouraged, thinking that they are no longer needed now that the church has younger elders. That is absolutely not the case. If all the older brothers are fresh, living, willing to learn, and willing to bear responsibility, I believe that the churches in Taiwan will be even stronger and more vital.
I am an older brother, but I do not give others the impression that I am blocking the way. Rather than blocking, I take the lead to press ahead. The church needs the portion of the older ones. If our senior co-worker, Brother Nee, were still around, I would be very happy. This is because I do not have any companion in the church in terms of knowledge of the truth and spiritual judgment, since almost all of you are younger than I. I say this to encourage the older brothers not to retreat but rather to press on, to become like a child, and to learn.
There is a Chinese saying: “Bend one’s back to the task until one’s death.” My children often ask me when I can take a vacation, and I say, “My vacation is to work.” The Lord did not give me the opportunity to take a vacation. If all the churches progress, I will take a vacation, and I will be happy. I must labor until I go to be with the Lord. I will not rest, because the burden is heavy. Even if ten persons were working for two lifetimes, they would not be able to finish this work, let alone just me. Therefore, I encourage the older brothers not to resign or retire and not to feel that they are not up to the standard. Everything is in the hands of the Lord, and He can make us strong. Whether or not the Lord wants to keep us is in His hands.
