After the apostles establish a local church, they appoint elders to take care of the church and to take the lead, and appoint deacons to serve and to handle business affairs in the church as well. At the same time, they teach the saints to function in the meetings and to preach the gospel fervently outside the meetings. Up to now, we can see that there is the universal church, and there are the local churches; there are the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the shepherds and teachers, and there are the local elders, deacons, and functioning ones. Now we come to consider the relationship between the apostles and the local churches. The apostles have their work, and the local churches have their respective administrations, management, service relating to business affairs, and various functions. What should the relationship be between these two? We need to see the proper administration of God’s New Testament economy from the revelation in the Bible.
First, the Bible shows us that the local churches are produced by the work of the apostles. The apostles and their work are the source of the local churches. Therefore, in the New Testament the apostles always have the ground to speak to and teach the church in a given locality.
The Bible also shows us that once the apostles have established a local church, they then turn it over to the elders for them to oversee and take the lead, to the deacons for them to serve and handle business affairs, and to all the saints for them to function and to preach the gospel to save sinners. Therefore, every local church is independent. Not one church is in the hands of the apostles nor under their direct oversight, but every church is in the hands of the local elders, deacons, and all the saints. If they all would walk according to the teaching of the apostles, then the apostles would need to help them only in the positive aspects. If the behavior or actions of a local church have deviated from the truth, if there are sinful situations or confusion, then the apostles have the ground to step in to speak to them and correct them.
Such a relationship was clearly illustrated in the church in Corinth. It must have been that, after the apostle had preached the gospel, taught the truth, and established the church, he also appointed elders and deacons and handed the church over completely to the local elders, deacons, and all the saints. But not long after Paul left, there were problems including divisions, fornication, and idolatry in the church in Corinth. Then the Apostle Paul had to speak to them, teaching and even warning them, saying, “Shall I come to you with a rod...?” (1 Cor. 4:21). This strongly proves that after the apostle had handed the church over to the local elders, deacons, and all the saints, he still had the ground to speak and teach, yet not in the way of direct oversight. When there was someone in the church in Corinth who committed fornication, the apostle said, “Remove the evil man from among yourselves” (1 Cor. 5:13). He did not say to wait for him to come so that he could remove that person himself. He did not have the position to exercise oversight directly, but he had the position to teach them. There is a difference. It does not mean that the apostles cannot intervene in the matters of the local church, nor does it mean that they exercise direct oversight in the matters of the local church.