Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
Don Rutledge once provided Lee's ministry agenda from the Jan 1974 elders' meetings. It was a jaw-dropping laundry list which itemized the LSM takeover of the LC's.
Perhaps someone could find that and post it here. It answers many questions, and it signaled the end of the "local" churches.
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Don Rutledge, a former leader in Dallas, Texas was well-respected among church leaders, including Witness Lee, and wrote about the flourishing time in the sixties and early seventies when the churches were growing in life and numbers, and spreading. It was certainly a time of blessing on a path of receiving believers according to God’s Son alone.
That is, until the seismic shift in the direction of the churches occurred and wide-sweeping changes throughout “the recovery” set the churches on another path. And, the “local churches” of “the Lord’s recovery” would never be the same.
January 1974
DON RUTLEDGE: “
The turn away from the vision Witness Lee had regarding the practice of the local church life began in January 1974 at the very first special elders and co-workers conference. This is when the concept of the work began. Few of the saints realize the magnitude of effect this meeting had on the churches. With charts and statistics, Witness Lee and Max Rapoport came forth to launch the movement. It was boldly declared that the churches would use Witness Lee as the exclusive source of teaching and Max would serve as the coordinator to bring the various churches, with their elders, into a unified movement.
Two life-study messages a week were going to be given in Anaheim and ministry stations were set up in various cities to repeat the messages through designated brothers. Some smaller churches consolidated to the larger localities where there was a ministry station. The official list of twelve men who could give conferences was announced. Bi-annual trainings began that year. From that time on, the individual churches would be called to account if they were moving “independently.” In addition to coordinating the elders to act in a single direction, Max was charged to assist the various churches to be more effective with gospel preaching and outreach.
“He began to travel and, in particular, to meet with the elders. Those who would not be good movement men were pushed aside, if possible, or moved somewhere to be out of the way. On several occasions, Max told me that he was working
to bring the elders and churches into one coordination for the purpose of carrying out the burden of Witness Lee. He told me several times that only he could ‘put the whole thing together’.
"I am not attempting to call into question the motive of Witness Lee or Max. During this time, Witness Lee did some very good teaching and Max did some very good gospel work. But what did happen was that
the nature of the various ‘local churches’ changed from being local in administration and spontaneous in actions to being directed from a center with clear administrative leaders and directors.
“Things were definitely not the same. Some were saying the time of blessing has passed; or we changed our vision; or the moving of the Spirit left the churches; or teaching, doctrine, and methods replaced life.
“This time ended with a split between Witness Lee and Max Rapoport after a power struggle between them. Both had their followers, and Witness Lee won out. It was at this time, the time of becoming a movement that opened the door to Philip Lee and set the stage for the current Blending Brothers.
“After the split with Max, there was a pause in the development of the movement. Witness Lee began again to start up the movement consolidation in 1981.
He bought property in Irving, Texas and began making plans to strengthen the movement. Benson Phillips and Ray Graver of Texas began traveling to the churches to promote Witness Lee, his ministry, and the office. By 1984 the first round of law suits had been won. WL declared that the boulders were off the road and the “Lord’s Recovery” could proceed. In 1986 the final pieces were put in place.
The movement looked nothing like the early days of Elden Hall, Ohio, the Northwest or Texas or other places.” D. R.
There were more changes that took place that were of concern to Don and many others.
The Daystar debacle, sorry to say, was a catalyst for the changes which brought a stream of income into Living Stream's account for dealing with Daystar debt and financial security in the future which has given the current global authorities (blending brothers) healthy incomes and encouragement to carry on Witness Lee's name and ministry in spite of the hidden things of deviation, dishonesty and shame never dealt with by them in the Body.
At any rate, what Nell shared in the opening post I had never heard before concerning Texas. It is a glaring sign of departure from our Texas brothers who have carried on in the same direction to this day.
That is, they have relegated control of their local churches over to a centralized headquarters to a degree that places them in the category of ministerial churches, receiving people according to a man and a ministry, in the churches of Witness Lee.
http://www.twoturmoils.com/TwentyFiv...ntheNewWay.pdf