I. In the Universal Church

A. Only One Office—the Apostleship

Although the local church, with its many practical needs, has two separate offices, in the universal church only one office exists—that is, the apostleship. Witness Lee states:

In the universal church there is only one office—the apostleship. Paul refers to this office in Romans 1:5, where he says that he had received “grace and apostleship unto obedience of faith among all the nations on behalf of His name." (2158)

B. Only the Apostles Having the Position and Right to Appoint Elders in the Local Churches

According to Acts 14:23 and Titus 1:5, the apostles have the unique authority to appoint elders in the local churches. Witness Lee explains in the following passage that such a provision preserves the believers from the error of hierarchy.

Only the apostles have the position and right to appoint elders in the local churches. It is important for us to see this so that we may abandon hierarchy and any kind of organization. In the New Testament we see God’s way to establish the churches and to carry them on. God’s way is that in the universal church there is the one office of apostleship. This apostleship gives the apostles the position and right to appoint the elders for the administration of the local churches.

Acts 14:23 tells us that the apostles “had appointed elders for them in every church.” In Titus 1:5 Paul says, “For this cause I left you in Crete, that you might set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in each city, as I charged you.” We would emphasize the fact that “in each city” here compared with “in every church” in Acts 14:23 indicates that the jurisdiction of a local church is that of the city in which it is located and also that in one city there should be only one church. Because a church always covers the city, to appoint elders in every church is equal to appointing elders in every city. Therefore, to establish elders in every city is to establish elders in every church. If we see this, we shall be preserved, protected, restricted, and kept from making mistakes. In particular, we shall be kept from repeating the tragedy of the hierarchy. We must hate hierarchy and avoid it. (2158-2159)

Witness Lee outlines God's way to safeguard the church from hierarchy through the unique office of apostleship. Only apostles have the position and right to appoint elders to administrate the local churches. Since there is only one local church in one city, to appoint elders in every church is equivalent to appointing elders in each city. The jurisdiction of the city is the boundary of the local church. In this way the church is protected and preserved from the evil of hierarchy.