Quote:
Originally Posted by Indiana
Excerpt from Speaking the Truth in Love by J. Ingalls -- Summer Training and Elders’ Meetings in Anaheim July 1988
The summer training began in Anaheim on June 29th and covered the first part of Leviticus . . . Following the training Brother Lee called for two elders’ meetings to be held on Saturday morning, July 9th. There were approximately four hundred elders and learning elders present. Brother Lee gave two messages: in the first he spoke on God’s administration and addressed the matters of "autonomy" and "federation". This was a very clear reference to the things I had spoken regarding the local administration of the churches, warning against the dangers of church affiliation or federation, which lead to central control and denominationalism. Brother Lee believed strongly that my stress on local administration would lead to the independence of all the local churches. As a matter of fact, I never once in all my speaking used the word "autonomy." But in Brother Lee’s own publication, The Beliefs and Practices of the Local Churches, the word "autonomy" is used positively two times.
I believe Brother Lee felt that, by my speaking, his concept of all the local churches moving and acting as one body under his leadership was threatened. Therefore, he fought against the imagined devil, autonomy, in every conference of his for months to come, referring to it as a wind of teaching brought in by the sleight of men to fabricate a system of error. The word "federation," which I did indeed use, offended him greatly. He believed I was classifying all the local churches under his leadership as a federation, whereas he insisted they were the "organic Body of Christ." He began to use the word "organic" frequently. I wish the churches were so organic. We were witnessing so much that was absolutely inorganic among the churches, things that were rather organizational and exhibiting signs of a hierarchy, for example in the FTTT. Therefore, I warned the saints against a kind of federation. Actually, I used the word "affiliation" much more, which is a milder form of federation, but nonetheless fraught with perils. The local churches had surely become an affiliation.
We had seen that in church history, whenever the Lord had raised up groups of His people for His testimony, they had persistently degraded into denominations; and the first two signs of this degradation were unfailingly: 1) the affiliating of the groups under a central leadership; 2) the establishing of a central training center, where their full-time workers could be educated and equipped to serve in their sphere of fellowship. When these two steps had eventualized, they were well on their way to becoming just another denomination, however advanced in the knowledge of truth they were. It was more than obvious that we in the local churches had taken those identical steps and were going down the same road. Should we remain silent?
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Wow! I believe I read John's book many years ago, but don't specifically remember this part - I think it was just all too overwhelming to me at the time. (I spoke to John on the phone too.)
I am thankful to the Lord on a personal note as well, and a little amazed at His timing concerning our family. That summer was the exact same time the Lord gave me a job in the middle of the California desert, and we moved away from the Columbus fellowship. It is yet another example of Him preserving me in an outward way! (arranging situations so we didn't get sucked in to harmful things) As things in TLR were quickly sliding toward denominationalism, He simultaneously got us the heck out of "Dodge." My my my. This occurred at exactly the same time as this huge elders meeting, in the summer of 1988. My spirit is amazed at His timing!
This may be about the same time the saints, who would eventually move to Scottsdale, parted with the central authority. I will have to ask.