A Local Church Having No Separate Administration

In Acts 14:23, the apostles appointed elders in every church, while in Titus 1:5, Paul directed Titus to appoint elders in every city. This striking parallelism attests to the scriptural truth that there exists only one eldership, one administration for the one local church in each city. In an accompanying footnote to Titus 1:5 in the Recovery Version study Bible, Witness Lee comments:

These words, compared with every church in Acts 14:23, indicates not only that the jurisdiction of a local church is the city in which it is located but also that in one city there should be only one church. The eldership of a local church should cover the entire city in which that church is located. Such a unique presbytery in a city preserves the unique oneness of the Body of Christ from damage. One city should have only one church with one presbytery. This practice is illustrated, beyond any question or doubt, by the clear pattern in the New Testament (Acts 8:1; 13:1; Rom. 16:1; 1 Cor. 1:2; Rev. 1:11) and is an absolute prerequisite for the maintaining of proper order in a local church

(Witness Lee, Footnotes, 1012)

This scriptural limitation tests the genuineness of a group which claims to be a local church. Witness Lee explains:

In a particular locality there may be a group of Christians who have no special name, special practice, special teaching, or special fellowship. However, they may still have an administration separate from the church in that city. If so, that group is a sect. In addition to the local church in a city, an independent group may come into being that in nearly every respect is the same as the church. But that group may still insist upon having a separate administration. This is like having two city halls in the same city. But there should be just one city hall in a city. If there is more than one, it is a sign of division. If a group of Christians has truly seen the ground of unity, they will say, “We cannot have a separate administration. We must have one administration with the church that is already in this city.” As long as there is a city hall, it is impossible to have another one. If you insist upon a separate city hall, you are a division.

(Witness Lee, Spirit and the Body, 213-214)

Witness Lee reiterates the same point elsewhere, making the further point that the size of a local church should never warrant the existence of more than one administration or leadership for that particular local church:

No matter how many believers there may be in a particular church, the church in that locality must be under one leadership with one administration. The city of Anaheim has one mayor and one city hall. But the city of New York, which is vastly greater than Anaheim, still has just one mayor and one city hall. If the city of New York had more than one mayor, it would be a sign that the city had been divided. Although there were tens of thousands of believers in Jerusalem (Acts 21:20) and although they met in various homes, they had only one set of elders. There was still just one leadership, one administration.

(Witness Lee, Young People's Training, 193-194)

The above quote by Witness Lee brings to the forefront two crucial points. First, the biblical example set by the local church in Jerusalem demonstrates the feasibility and practicability of having a singular leadership within a local church numbering even in the tens of thousands (Acts 21:20). Second, Witness Lee asserts, rightly, that the presence of multiple independent and competing centers of government in a local church or in a city is an undeniable sign of division among the believers in that city.

It is easy to lament the present state of Christian disunity and pay lip service to the necessity of reform, but to actually submit to the biblical injunction to be subject to the singular administration in the local church may prove more difficult. Pride impelled Satan to challenge the singular Authority in the universe and assert himself as a rival authority; our submission to God's deputy authority within the local church likewise tests our spirituality. God in His wisdom and sovereignty, has clearly mapped out in the New Testament not only the guidelines but also the restrictions governing the practice of the genuine local church life. We repeat the New Testament prescription: one administration for one local church in one city. May we all receive mercy to be captive to the word of God in order to practice what the Bible teaches concerning the administration of the local church.

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