After an elder has helped a brother or sister to receive a burden, immediately he should take them along to learn to do the work. For example, when you help someone to pick up the responsibility of a district meeting, your duty is not yet finished. You must still help him to learn how to bear the responsibility of this district. You must show him in a practical way how to do the job. After he understands what you are doing, you have to ask him to do the same, while you are by his side to correct him. You have to take him along in the learning. This is what the elders have to do.
Brothers, let me repeat this: if every elder is willing to practice this, they will be busy every day; they will not find themselves having nothing to do. I can also testify that there is no work more effective than this work. This kind of work seems to be slow, but gradually, you will see the result. In half a year, a brother will be perfected by you. After another period, another brother will be perfected by you again. Five years ago, there might have been only three or five people working. After five years, it becomes thirty or fifty people working. The result will be abounding.
Unfortunately, not too many elders are taking others along to learn in this way. Brothers, if you are wise, you should adopt this way quickly. The result of our managing of the church proves that we have to change from our former ways.
Everyone knows that agricultural products always need improvement. The seed needs to be improved, the method of planting needs to be improved, and the harvesting needs to be improved. Only by improving can there be better results. It is foolish for a man to be stubborn, proud, and conservative. We must learn to improve. This is not to say that what I am sharing has reached the highest peak. No, I am only here to open the way. If you are willing to walk in this pathway, you will discover that you will learn many lessons. At the same time, the church you are managing will also take on a different form.
I want to mention one thing in passing: I hope that those among us, whether it is the elders or the workers, would be fully delivered from the Christianity way of doing things. The way of Christianity depends very much upon the preacher. Christianity likes to invite Dr. Chang to speak today and Pastor Wang to speak tomorrow. After a few days, another famous evangelist will be invited to speak. But what is the result of all these speakings? We can say that there is not much result. For this reason, I absolutely do not agree that any district meeting or local church should invite one co-worker to speak today and another to speak tomorrow. This is useless. Dear brothers, even if you have invited all of the co-workers to speak, and even if all of them have indeed come and spoken, you are still you; you have not changed. At most you have a few people saved, or more than that, you may have a few more people to love the Lord. But what use does this have? You can never see the building up of the church or the coordination of the church. To have the building and the coordination, there is the need for the responsible ones to labor.