In every locality all the responsible brothers (those who are elders and overseers) should have an overseers’ meeting every week. You can give this meeting any name. You may call it the overseers’ meeting or a shepherding meeting. This is the time for the responsible brothers to pray together and to receive the brothers and sisters. This is something they must do.
I know of a certain church (not in China) where the responsible brothers decided to meet for a whole day once a week. Starting in the morning, everyone brought his food and labored together to pray and consider every item of the things in the church.
Perhaps we may not have that much time; then at least once a week the leading brothers should meet together for half a day or a few hours.
During the first half of the meeting (perhaps after lunch from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00, 3:00, or 4:00 p.m.), the elders should close their doors and not care for anything else but the affairs of the church. Seriously consider and arrange things before God and discuss them item by item. Sometimes you can also have discussions like those in 1 Corinthians 14 to fellowship the light that you have received. However, do not make decisions based upon your discussions. In the Bible there are discussions in order to deal with things, but discussion is for seeking light and not for making decisions. Discussion is to discover facts and lay them out but not for making decisions. During that time the brothers should discuss, consider, and pray over all the things item by item.
During the second half of the meeting, set aside a time to receive brothers. You should wait there whether or not brothers come to see you. We must by all means set aside time to receive the brothers and sisters. This will be helpful to the work and to the church.
At the same time you workers should stand beside the elders and be with them. In that day or half day, you should be with them and watch them. There are things you need to tell them. Their light attitude should be corrected. Their attitude should be proper. Remind them that they are dealing with spiritual matters. When people come to ask questions, teach the elders how to answer and how to explain. In the beginning you may answer when some brothers come to ask questions. After those brothers leave, tell the elders why you answered in that way, why you said it in those words, what scriptural basis you have, and what feeling you have. In some cases you may need to rebuke a brother who comes. When that brother leaves, you need to tell them why you rebuked him. After a period of time, let them handle it and sit back and watch.
We believe that when everyone serves, this is the church. The church service is the service of the Body. It is not a matter of two or three persons serving, but the whole church serving. Therefore, when you go out to work, it would be a big mistake if you could not cause all the brothers to come forth to serve. When you go out, you may lead many to be saved and bring them into service, yet if you cannot produce a few reliable brothers to bear the responsibility of the church, your going out will be a total failure. I hope that when you go out this time, you will be very busy. But do not be busy in an ordinary way, because there is much work you have to initiate. There is a great amount of work for you to do. It is all before you. One item of this work is to produce a few responsible brothers in each locality. By no means should you work in a way that only you yourself know how to bear responsibility, yet you are not able to help others do so.
The principle of the church is that the Lord Jesus put Himself in the twelve, the twelve in the three thousand, and the three thousand in tens of thousands. You put yourself in many responsible brothers, the responsible brothers in many brothers and sisters, and many brothers and sisters in many sinners. You should continue to spread in such a way. Perhaps when you come back to Kuling after many years, you will have grown spiritually. But if you cannot reproduce your growth in three, five, eight, or ten brothers, I will recognize this as a grave failure in your service.
Therefore, you should cause the elders of the local churches to be capable of bearing responsibility. Paul did not leave Titus in Crete and Timothy in Ephesus and tell them to return after they established elders. Rather, he told them to set up elders and to teach and train the elders how to be proper elders, helping them to an extent that they could bear responsibility before God. Then the way was opened.
Therefore, I hope that from now on you will be very busy. I hope that no one will be lazy. A lazy person is useless. Always put yourself in the midst of the responsible brothers and help them to the extent that they can bear responsibility. However, your own spiritual condition must be more advanced than theirs. Otherwise, you will not be able to meet the need.
I hope that you brothers can properly deal with this matter of the responsible brothers and train them properly. Pay attention to the aspect of responsibility and oversight step by step.