From the Church of “Meetings” to the Church of “Relationships”
Verses:
John 15:8 In this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so you will become My disciples. John 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another even as I have loved you.
Excerpts:
This means that when the responsible ones cannot meet together with the ones they are caring for, they can connect by phones and WeChat daily and weekly to supply, maintain, and strengthen that group relationship. The saints can also use phone and WeChat to supply, maintain, and strengthen the group relationship. Brothers and sisters all learn from patterns. When they see everyone doing things, they will follow to take this way. In this way, the system of the entire church will gradually and slowly turn and change until the church becomes a church of “relationships” and not a church of “meetings.” However, as yet we do not see such a condition! This is to change the system. Actually, this is to spend more time emphasizing, building, and strengthening this new system, and there will spontaneously be a leaning, developing, and building in this direction.
Concerning the district meetings meeting once a month, if we are unable, it is not a problem to meet once every two months. Nevertheless, we still have the district meetings; but in daily living there should be the constant connecting to build the organic relationship. This is to say that there is no question that the local church is one church in one locality, but the one church in one locality does not necessarily mean having weekly meetings. Even sometimes the Lord’s table meeting can take place in the middle of the week. Therefore, to practice the new system is not to demolish and dilute the old system that is presently practiced, but to put a greater part of our energy on the new system, that is, to build, strengthen the framework of “relationships.” This framework of “relationships” has layers just as the physical body has layers and every layer is organic.
Once there is a change in the system, what follows will be the practice: door-knocking, gospel preaching, home meetings, drip-dispensing online, and so forth will automatically come into place. In this way, the entire church life will advance and be built up and strengthened in the direction of the new system. In other words, the new system has its framework, but it is not of the former framework. Presently in Mainland China there is already this framework, and it will be more so in the future. (Open Letter by Bro. Andrew Yu, February 11, 2020)
The church in Zamboanga 