The elders have to spend time on this point also. They cannot be loose. You have to know the condition of all the ones who have come alive, their heart toward the Lord, their education, their background, their finances, their family, and their relationship with those around them. Even their physical strength, their health, and their mind must all come under your consideration. In order to bring people into the service, you have to be like a foreman. Not only do you have to call together the workers, but you must have the blueprints, the places to work, and the arrangements for the work. You have to consider the kind of people to send to a certain place and the kind of arrangements that need to be made. Please imagine how much strength, time, and energy it takes to do this! This is the church's administration.
From the spiritual point of view, you still have to look to God very much to inquire concerning His will and to consider how matters should be handled. You have to consider what needs to be done first, what kind of arrangements you need to make, and what kind of people you should bring in. You must not only look to the Lord yourself, but fellowship with those who are serving together with you. There are many things which you cannot see through by yourself. For example, if you want to bring a brother into the service, not only do you have to fellowship with the elders, but you must ask those who are frequently in touch with this person. You have to find out through whom this person was saved and who has been in touch with him all the time. You have to ask about their feeling concerning this person. You have to be thorough to this extent before you can be safe.
I want the brothers and sisters to realize that this kind of work is not at all wasted. When you bring one such person into the service, you are actually rendering much unspoken influence to the ones who have helped him to come to salvation and the ones who are in frequent contact with him. When you do this, the church will become living. It is not your teaching, exhortation, or encouragement to such a one to be living; that is useless. It is your working. When one by one the people become living, the church will be filled with the spirit of service.
During the time from 1940 to 1945, when I was in the administration of the church in Chefoo, I often had my coat pocket full of papers; it contained all kinds of lists. On one list was the schedule for the whole church, what the church should be doing during those days. On another list were the items that needed to be done according to that plan. Still another list enumerated all the items needed. Still another list had all the places needed, and another list, the kind of people needed. On more lists were all the names of the people. Whenever I had time, I would match the names with the needs. Perhaps when I woke up in the morning, I would suddenly feel that a certain person was not suitable. I would immediately mark this down and make the correction. This correction would result in a vacancy. I would immediately look for another person from the list. If I could not find one from the list, I still had to look for one among the brothers and sisters.
Brothers, the arrangement of the service must be done in such a way before it can be weighty. You cannot lightly say, "Let us bring someone into the service." Neither can you make an announcement, saying, "Brothers and sisters, come and serve!" If you do this, those who are led in this way will not have respect for you. They would feel that you who bear the responsibility are too light and loose. You must be like King Solomon inviting the Queen of Sheba to come and see. When the queen saw his orderly arrangement of matters, her heart was full of respect. With some people, regardless how high their worldly position is or how much achievement they have in education, when they enter into the service, they spontaneously become very respectful. You must command the respect of others. Otherwise, how can they take your leading? By doing this, you are opening up a way and paving a path for others to enter into God's riches.