On the one hand, all the work everywhere is for the church. The workers are either there to establish a church, or there to edify and build up the churches. On the other hand, all churches everywhere should submit to the Lord's work. The churches should pray for the work and supply and fellowship with the work in financial matters. But one thing must be very clear. All the work of outreach is absolutely and one hundred percent in the hand of the worker and not in the hand of any local church. Any local church can only be responsible for the work in its own locality. For instance, in a certain locality the gospel work, the work of edifying the saints, and the work of visitation and teaching are all the responsibility of the local church. All workers who go there to work should submit to that local church. But the work of outreach, of pioneering, does not belong to any local church. The church in Taipei cannot send a brother to the church in Shindien to edify the church there. The Lord has not given the church the ground to do such a work. Only the commissioned apostles and the Lord's workers have the ground to do such a work of outreach. Works of outreach are in the hands of the workers. This is the relationship between the church and the work. If we know this, we will have a clear boundary when dealing with certain matters. Only then can we say such a matter belongs to the church and such a matter belongs to the workers and the work.

Sometimes an elderly or a considerably experienced co-worker may come to your place. The elders must be clear whether or not he is coming simply as a brother. Whether or not he has a gift to exercise here, and whether or not he has the burden or the leading to work here is a different issue. It is a fact that the administration of a local church is still in the hands of the elders. No worker, no matter how experienced or spiritually advanced he is, can be a substitute for the elders to bear the responsibility of the church.

In some places, because the elders are not clear about this boundary, when an elderly co-worker comes to the church, they would quickly hand over all their responsibilities. It is as if they are saying, "You are older, and you know how to take the lead; please take up the responsibility of leadership." Please understand that this is not an accurate concept. The apostle Paul never acted in this way. None of the apostles have ever acted in this way. It is a different matter if an apostle has the Lord's leading and stays for a longer time in a needy place, and then he also becomes an elder in that local church. But he can never take over the responsibility of the church in the position of an apostle and in the qualification of a worker. He can at most put himself as one of the elders and coordinate with the other elders in the qualification of an elder to bear together the responsibility of that local church. If the elders can learn to understand this boundary, the church will surely receive a great benefit.