The second condition is related to the administration of the church. The administration of the church must be suitable so that the brothers and sisters can function as members. If the brothers and sisters have not grown in life or have problems in regard to their growth in life and are unable to manifest their functions, they themselves will be held accountable. However, if the administration and practices of a local church do not allow the brothers and sisters to fulfill their functions, then the administrative system and practices are accountable. To say it mildly, the administration may restrict the brothers and sisters from functioning properly before the Lord; to say it more strongly, the administration may obstruct the work of the Holy Spirit.
According to my observation, brothers and sisters in small local churches usually have sufficient opportunity and a proper environment that enable them to manifest and develop their gifts, unless they do not have a heart for the Lord or sufficient growth in life. In a larger local church, however, it is more difficult to provide brothers and sisters with the opportunity and environment. In a large local church, such as the church in Taipei, there are so many brothers and sisters who love and pursue the Lord. For this we truly worship the Lord. Even if their growth is not up to standard, we cannot deny that they have a measure of growth. Generally speaking, however, only a few brothers and sisters fulfill their functions because the administration of the church has fallen short.
I dare not say that the administration in Taipei has been wrong, but my personal feeling is that perhaps the system may need to be adjusted according to the present circumstances. In the past, our numbers were small, and it was fine for us to be divided into six or seven districts. Now, although our number has increased, we continue to meet in the same number of districts. This has caused the church to gradually come to a halt, and we are unable to go on. This indicates that in the past few years the administration of the church has not been adequate to meet the present need and has been unable to provide the brothers and sisters sufficient opportunity to function. In other words, the administration and practice of the church life have somewhat restricted the spiritual functions and gifts of the brothers and sisters.
Without proper administration, the church in a big locality will lose the Lord’s presence and enter into confusion. Many saints may even be hurt and withdraw themselves. Hence, in order to maintain a local church in proper order and keep it on the right course, there is an undeniable need for proper administration. The Bible shows that there must be elders and deacons in a church in order for it to have an orderly and systematic administration (1 Tim. 3:1-13). However, we do not have a strict organization, nor do we have positions within the church. In this regard, I can testify concerning the elders in Taipei that every one of them has the intention to help the brothers and sisters. None of them has any intention of establishing a strict organization to control the brothers and sisters, and none of them has any ambition for position. All of them love the Lord and carry out the administration of the church in fear and trembling according to the Lord’s Word.
Many of us have served the Lord together during these past few years, and even though there have been some disorderly situations, they have been rare. All of us have the desire to serve and coordinate in an orderly and proper way. However, under our present administration, there is unconsciously a restriction that prevents the brothers and sisters from developing their gifts and carrying out their functions. We have been considering this matter for a period of four to five years, and we dare not make a decision quickly. Only recently have we begun to realize where the problem lies; that is, the size of the district meetings is too big.
The administration of the church should provide the brothers and sisters an opportunity to develop their spiritual gifts and carry out their functions as members. However, according to spiritual principle, the administration should also give the brothers and sisters some guidelines. In order to produce a good condition, we feel that a large church should be divided into smaller district meetings—the more the better and the smaller the better—until all the brothers and sisters have the opportunity to exercise, develop, and carry out their spiritual functions.