Local Church Discussions - View Single Post - What is the boundary of the Local Church?

Evangelical · 02-10-2018, 08:37 PM

A church must have the Lord's presence but not every meeting/gathering is "a church", if that makes sense.

To summarise Lee's teaching, Witness Lee described the difference between a gathering/meeting and a church and does not confuse them as you have.

If you asked me what is the minimum size of a gathering or meeting I would say 2 or 3. If you say what is the minimum size of a church I would say more than that.

Two or three are sufficient for the church life but two or three cannot be a church if there are more than 3 believers in a city. I recall one of Lee's books in which he writes something to the effect that if a church is only 3 then is everyone an elder?

Clearly there are matters which can be resolved at the meeting level but weightier matters are resolved at the church level, the gathering of 12 or more. An example of this is Paul travelling to Jerusalem after his conversion. He could have stayed with his two or three companions but he decided to meet with the church.

Acts 21:17-18 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the believers welcomed us warmly. 18 The next day Paul went with us to see James; and all the church elders were present.

The "miniature of the church life" you mentioned is meant to convey the quality of a church, but we are talking about the quantity, it's size, and shape. But why is it called a miniature of the church life? Because it has only 4 people in it!

02-10-2018, 08:37 PM	#171
Evangelical Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 3,965	Re: Whose on First? A church must have the Lord's presence but not every meeting/gathering is "a church", if that makes sense. To summarise Lee's teaching, Witness Lee described the difference between a gathering/meeting and a church and does not confuse them as you have. If you asked me what is the minimum size of a gathering or meeting I would say 2 or 3. If you say what is the minimum size of a church I would say more than that. Two or three are sufficient for the church life but two or three cannot be a church if there are more than 3 believers in a city. I recall one of Lee's books in which he writes something to the effect that if a church is only 3 then is everyone an elder? Clearly there are matters which can be resolved at the meeting level but weightier matters are resolved at the church level, the gathering of 12 or more. An example of this is Paul travelling to Jerusalem after his conversion. He could have stayed with his two or three companions but he decided to meet with the church. Acts 21:17-18 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the believers welcomed us warmly. 18 The next day Paul went with us to see James; and all the church elders were present. The "miniature of the church life" you mentioned is meant to convey the quality of a church, but we are talking about the quantity, it's size, and shape. But why is it called a miniature of the church life? Because it has only 4 people in it!