The Recovery of the Local Churches

The Local Church in Foochow, China

The recovery of the truth and practice of the local church through Watchman Nee began in 1922 in his hometown, Foochow, China, where he and some others began to meet as the local church in Foochow. Ten years later a local church was raised up in Witness Lee’s hometown, Chefoo, China. Witness Lee explains:

The first church established in the Lord’s recovery was raised up in 1922 in Foochow, Brother Nee’s home town. After I was saved in 1925, I came in contact with Brother Nee through his writings. His writings helped a number of us to see the mistakes of the denominations. We came to realize that although we held to the Lord’s name, the gospel, and the Bible, we had to drop many other aspects of organized Christianity. Under the leadership of Brother Nee, we studied church history, biographies, and all the important spiritual and doctrinal writings. Through our study we gained a detailed knowledge of Christianity. Gradually we came to discern those practices we should adopt: immersion, eldership, practical holiness, the proper Pentecostal spirituality. Those who visited our meetings were often troubled by the fact that they could not categorize us. To some we appeared to be like Baptists, but to others we resembled the Presbyterians or the Plymouth Brethren.

(Witness Lee, Genuine Ground, 141)

In another place, Witness Lee details the beginning of the local church in Foochow:

The practice of the church life among us started in 1922, two years after Brother Nee was saved. The first local church was established in his hometown, Foochow, in southern China. He and some other young Christians saw that Christianity had deviated from God’s way as revealed in the Bible. Not more than ten of them began to meet in a sister’s home, but after two years, something very negative happened. The husband of this sister became a popular evangelist among the Chinese Christians. He met a missionary of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Shanghai named Mr. Woodbury. Mr. Woodbury was a man of God, but he was in the denominations. He advised this brother to be formally ordained so that he could be invited by all the so-called Christian churches. An appointment was made for Mr. Woodbury to come from Shanghai to Foochow to ordain this brother.

(Witness Lee, History of the Church, 57-58)

Under this vision, the believers in the local churches have endeavored to leave all the division evident among Christians today and simply meet purposely as the church in their city. This practice of the local church was pioneered by Watchman Nee and several others in Foochow, China in 1922. Following their lead, thousands of believers have begun to meet as the local church, the church in their city, and as a result, hundreds of local churches have been raised up throughout the earth.

Main

The Reformation

The Moravian Brethren

The Plymouth Brethren

A New Beginning

Watchman Nee’s Calling

Watchman Nee’s Revelation

Watchman Nee’s Care for the Local Churches

The Local Church in Foochow, China

Witness Lee’s Revelation

The Spread of the Local Churches

Bibliography

Links