Although for the past forty years we have emphasized preaching the gospel, edifying the saints, and leading them to pursue spirituality, we have been commissioned by the Lord to recover the testimony of the local churches. For this reason, we should focus our work on large cities. However, this does not mean that we will not work in smaller cities. We will still include them, but our focus should be on large cities. The assignment of the co-workers depends on the importance of the work. Places that are of greater importance will require more co-workers, and smaller places will not need as many co-workers.
Because Taipei, Taichung, and Tainan have the most schools, the work must focus on these three places. In addition, it is also necessary to establish a good testimony of the local church in large cities such as Keelung, Hsinchu, Chiayi, and Kaohsiung. Some saints can meet and serve only in small cities because of the location of their work or their home. These saints hope that a co-worker could join them and strengthen them. At present, this will not be possible because there are local churches in many places, and every place needs to be strengthened. Furthermore, there is a great need in East Asia. The testimony of the Lord’s recovery in East Asia is crucial, and we cannot neglect it. We must leave the local brothers to bear and uphold the responsibility for the smaller cities. Perhaps the co-workers can visit various cities from time to time, or a conference or training can be held by several cities in order to render them some help.
We have fellowshipped previously that taking the co-workers out of their localities will not solve our problem. We need to change our concept and the system. If our concept and our system are not changed, it will be useless to remove the co-workers. Our strategy will be to focus on large cities, to strengthen the students’ work, and to take care of the need overseas. The co-workers do not need to be removed from the local churches in the large cities. They should stay in these cities but not replace the saints. They must lead the saints to serve and thus produce some capable ones. The co-workers should begin with the elders. In local churches where there are no elders, the co-workers should work to produce elders. In places where there are elders, the co-workers should strengthen the functions of the elders by leading the elders to advance and learn more. Under no circumstance should the co-workers pick up the responsibilities of the elders. If the co-workers do not strengthen the testimony in the large cities, the elders will not be able to adequately meet the need. The local elders are busy with their jobs. They have the heart to serve, but their time and energy do not allow them to care for the many needs. There is a great need for co-workers to strengthen the work in the large cities. But the co-workers must not replace the elders or the responsible brothers.
The co-workers should strengthen and lead the elders in the service with the goal of perfecting the saints. The result of such work will be that the responsibilities of a local church will be borne by the elders and the saints. In addition, every co-worker should set aside a few months to travel, either overseas or to other places in Taiwan, in order to help other local churches. This will resolve the matter of taking the co-workers out of the local churches. While they are in Taiwan, the co-workers with a greater capacity and whose function is more manifested should render help to large local churches in order to strengthen the testimony in the churches. However, the co-workers must never replace the saints; instead, they should lead the saints and serve with the saints. The co-workers should not direct the affairs of a local church and should not use the elders to carry out the directions of the co-workers. This is not the way that we should serve. Rather, the local elders should manage the affairs of a local church, and the co-workers should support the elders by helping and strengthening them in order to perfect the saints.
According to our experience, preaching the word from place to place is not beneficial to strengthening the testimony of the local churches and does not facilitate the building up of the church. In order to build up a local church, we must pour our whole being into it. A brother serving in Taichung must be so involved that he knows the needs in Taichung. He must dive into the work there; he cannot spend his time preaching the word in different places. He cannot hold a conference this week in one local church, preach the gospel for two weeks in another local church, and then spend two weeks in another local church. Such activity is of little use in strengthening the testimony of the local churches. Brothers who are able to work in various local churches should not take this way. If a co-worker wants to help a local church, he must put his whole being into the work there. In order to render true help to a local church, he must know the situation, and in order to know the situation, he must spend a few months there. To hold a conference and then leave is similar to being in Christianity and holding revival meetings. These activities are not focused on the building up of the churches. Sometimes they even damage the church.