How the Living Stream Ministry got started

[Unsure]

Thank you for this!

Were things really like that back then? Seems surreal... Now everything's a sales pitch for the Ministry. Only the children's meeting is still safe in my locality, but for how long?

(yes, I'm still alive; not much has changed since I dropped outta here in August. Just took some time to reconsider my views, but still have not reached a conclusion in favour of the LC.)

[aron]

Originally Posted by Unsure

Thank you for this!

Were things really like that back then? Seems surreal... Now everything's a sales pitch for the Ministry. Only the children's meeting is still safe in my locality, but for how long?

(yes, I'm still alive; not much has changed since I dropped outta here in August. Just took some time to reconsider my views, but still have not reached a conclusion in favour of the LC.)

Unsure, either we live in a random and meaningless universe, or God has placed you there for a reason. If you are struggling with LC strictures, rest assured that many of your neighbours are also. God has promised that to the degree you care for and shepherd others, to that very degree He'll care for and shepherd you.

And one day, in the midst of your caring and shepherding and feeding others, a great door will open for you. A door that no one can shut.

I know it's a lot to tell a teenager to "be still and wait on God", but you can do it. One day at a time, He'll get you through this season. He is always in charge. "His mercy endures forever" and "He never sleeps nor slumbers". He will lead you on.

[JJ]

I didn't come into a TLR "local church" until 1978. But did a lot of reading of LSM books, including all of the "Life Studies", and got "TLR history lessons" from a number of saints who had been in TLR since the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Nell's account is consistent with my understanding of how LSM operated from 1974 through 1985.

I'd add that from 1978 until 2,000 (when I moved away) my local church in Central California had a book room in its meeting hall that sold all LSM books and booklets based on Witness Lee and Watchman Nee's spoken ministries. Cassette audio tapes of Witness Lee's spoken "messages" going back to 1969 or 1970 could be "checked out" or purchased.

Watchman Nee books published by Christian Literature Crusade (CLC) were also sold. But, I was told LSM books had better translations than CLC's, and thus were a better buy.

By the late 1970's and early 1980's, The "Ministry Station Meeting" was conducted at the local church's meeting hall on Friday nights with spoken "messages" given by church elders (who rotated speaking duties) based on their "digestion" of Witness Lee's "Ministry Station Meeting" "message(s)" in Anaheim the previous weekend.

There were also 10 day "trainings" in mid-summer and mid-winter for those willing to pay $100 and go to Anaheim Ball Road hall. Thirty Life Study messages would be given by Witness Lee at each "training", continuing wherever he left off. Summer trainings were on New Testament books, Winter on Old Testament books. Winter trainings were moved to the new Irving, Texas facility in the early 1980's. Trainings were eventually shortened as Witness Lee's health and strength declined. Once he finished "Life Studies" of all Bible books, he went to topical or "deeper" Bible book studies with long, high sounding names including "Consumation of", Chrystalization Study", "High Peak". But, the content didn't change much. With time his teaching deviated more and more from the words Bible authors use, and increased bashing of "Christianity" and other churches and their leaders (though some of that was present from his first US messages). Scripture citations, initially read by "co-workers" before each message, at some point were no longer read first, but some might be read during the message, or a list given "on the chalk board" behind him.

Videos of training messages were made, and before the internet tapes were rushed by Greyhound bus to churches in the US, where "video trainings" were conducted in each church to saints who paid $50, or were "new ones" who were considered ripe for "coming into the church life" and didn't have the money.

During "trainings" video trainings pre-empted all church meetings except The Lord's Table Meeting and The Prayer Meeting in my locality. But, even those would be shortened so a tape could be watched if there was time.

I recall hearing "the Ministry Station Meeting is not a church meeting" some before 1980, but not after that.

While it may seem that Witness Lee and LSM "took over" "the local churches", but accounts of saints going back to the late 1960's and early 1970's I knew, the California local churches were very beholden to Witness Lee (with one exception I was aware of) from the beginning.

[Freedom]

Originally Posted by JJ

While it may seem that Witness Lee and LSM "took over" "the local churches", but accounts of saints going back to the late 1960's and early 1970's I knew, the California local churches were very beholden to Witness Lee (with one exception I was aware of) from the beginning.

Upon reading Nell's account, I was curious as to how the churches would so easily turn to fully embrace "the ministry" despite the initial efforts to make a strong distinction between the churches and LSM. It's interesting that some churches held "ministry meetings" in rented facilities in order to create a facade of seperatation between LSM and the church. When the people attending such ministry meetings would have also been almost entirely composed of church members, it becomes obvious that such a practice was a bit ridiculous and wasteful, but I digress.

It seems to me that the fact that everyone was so beholden to Lee from the beginning, was really the driving force behind various 'changes' that occured in the LC. Most of these things were not a matter of 'if', but a matter of 'when'.

[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.

[Indiana]

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.

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

[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by DonRutledge

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.

Thanks to the Internet and some older, faithful brothers and sisters from mainland China and Taiwan, we now know that this particular "change" Don speaks of was NOT the first time Witness Lee was involved in a usurpation of the Local Churches of the Recovery movement. It was probably at least the third time this kind of takeover by "the Ministry" took place. We know for a fact that by the 50s in Taiwan Lee was already hiring and firing elders and co-workers at his personal whim. Local churches were accepted or rejected based upon their acceptance of the person and work of Lee. Whole churches and even families were brought into turmoil and division, NOT over the very Word of God or the Gospel, but over the teachings, practices and personal authority established by one man - Witness Lee.

As a matter of fact, by the time Witness Lee hit our fair shores here in America, he had many decades of experience in taking supposed "genuine local churches" and placing them under the thumb of his "Ministry" - we gullible Americans were just his latest conquest. I am afraid that much of the freedom and supposed blessing we experienced in the beginning years was not much more than part and parcel of Witness Lee's "bait and switch" game - a game he had played and won a number of times before.

All this does not in any way discount, much less nullify, the genuine experiences of Christ, the love and fellowship we had among all the saints, or even the legitimacy of our mission to practice the oneness shared by all believers in any particular city. What may very well be started as a genuine move of God can quickly become a movement of men. What may very well be started as a genuine and biblical mission can quickly become the personal mission of a man and his followers, which in turn can quickly devolve into something Lee and his followers decried the most - an organization based upon the person and work, not of Jesus Christ, but of a mere man...in short...religion...the kind of religion that Christ is versus.
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