Living Stream Ministry
Encyclopedia
Living Stream Ministry founded in 1968 by Witness Lee
, is a non-profit corporation based in Anaheim, California
, within the Local churches (affiliation). It publishes and distributes Witness Lee's literature and multimedia and the Recovery Version of the Bible
, distributing it through affiliate Bibles for America
, and producing the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee radio program. With respect to the Local Churches, it runs several full time training centers across the globe, and hosts and plans major conferences and training sessions. It also mediates conflicts within churches, provides financial support, and trains their elders. Litigation is handled through its affiliate, the Defense and Confirmation Project. LSM has been a member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
since 2002 and of the Christian Booksellers Association since 1981.
Living Stream Ministry provides video tapes, audio tapes, and printed spiritual materials, which it distributes through Local Churches and their bookstores. The ministry also supports broadcasting programs that broadcast ministry messages. These include the Life-Study of the Bible, a thirty-minute radio program composed of excerpts from the works of Witness Lee. This program, which began production in 1996, is currently broadcast in three languages to more than 100 radio stations.
LSM distributes complimentary copies of the Recovery Version New Testament
through Bibles for America
, Bibles for Australia, Bibles for New Zealand, Bibles for Canada, and related organizations.
The Living Stream Ministry has a total amount of $54,654,000 in net assets and $7,421,000 annual revenue in 2003, and $59,116,000 net assets, $17,622,000 annual revenue in 2007 according to MinistryWatch statistics.
, the Defense and Confirmation Project, et al., as well as various local churches in support of each one's respective mission.
In 2006, Titus Chu and his core supporters were removed from fellowship ("quarantined") for refusing to adhere to LSM's one publication policy. In 2009, Dong Yu Lan and his supporters were also quarantined for not submitting to one publication.
, Fuller Theological Seminary
, and Answers in Action director Gretchen Passantino. As of 2002, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
(ECPA) has also accepted Living Stream Ministry as a member with full voting rights. There has also been criticism of the organization's legal tactics; Living Stream Ministry sued Harvest House Publications
for defamation and $136 million dollars in damages after an entry on the Local Churches movement was included in Harvest House's Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions. In January 2007 an open letter was signed and posted online by more than 70 theologians and pastors from seven countries asking the church to repudiate controversial statements by Witness Lee and to cease resorting to litigation as a means of settling disputes. In February 2007, the editorial section of Living Stream Ministry responded to their letter with a statement entitled A Brief Response to 'An Open Letter to the Leadership of Living Stream Ministry and the Local Churches'.
Witness Lee
Witness Lee was a Chinese Christian preacher associated with the Local Churches movement, and the founder of the Living Stream Ministry. He was born in the city of Yantai, Shandong Province, China, in 1905, to a Southern Baptist family. He became a born again Christian in 1925 after hearing the...
, is a non-profit corporation based in Anaheim, California
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
, within the Local churches (affiliation). It publishes and distributes Witness Lee's literature and multimedia and the Recovery Version of the Bible
Recovery Version of the Bible
The Recovery Version is a study Bible published by Living Stream Ministry, used primarily in the Local churches.The primary translation of the Recovery Version is in English, and there are also partial and complete editions in other languages, including Chinese , Indonesian , Spanish , Portuguese ,...
, distributing it through affiliate Bibles for America
Bibles for America
Bibles for America is a non-profit organization that distributes complimentary copies of the New Testament Recovery Version and other Living Stream Ministry publications in the United States...
, and producing the Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee radio program. With respect to the Local Churches, it runs several full time training centers across the globe, and hosts and plans major conferences and training sessions. It also mediates conflicts within churches, provides financial support, and trains their elders. Litigation is handled through its affiliate, the Defense and Confirmation Project. LSM has been a member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
The is an international non-profit trade association whose member companies are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide...
since 2002 and of the Christian Booksellers Association since 1981.
Mission statement
The Living Stream Ministry publishes the works of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, providing the authoritative and definitive collections. The writings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee focus on the enjoyment of the divine life and on the building up of the Local Churches. Its purpose is to promote the teachings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, and to prepare, select, and distribute information of all kinds which may be useful for the growth of spiritual life among Christians.Living Stream Ministry provides video tapes, audio tapes, and printed spiritual materials, which it distributes through Local Churches and their bookstores. The ministry also supports broadcasting programs that broadcast ministry messages. These include the Life-Study of the Bible, a thirty-minute radio program composed of excerpts from the works of Witness Lee. This program, which began production in 1996, is currently broadcast in three languages to more than 100 radio stations.
LSM distributes complimentary copies of the Recovery Version New Testament
Recovery Version of the Bible
The Recovery Version is a study Bible published by Living Stream Ministry, used primarily in the Local churches.The primary translation of the Recovery Version is in English, and there are also partial and complete editions in other languages, including Chinese , Indonesian , Spanish , Portuguese ,...
through Bibles for America
Bibles for America
Bibles for America is a non-profit organization that distributes complimentary copies of the New Testament Recovery Version and other Living Stream Ministry publications in the United States...
, Bibles for Australia, Bibles for New Zealand, Bibles for Canada, and related organizations.
The Living Stream Ministry has a total amount of $54,654,000 in net assets and $7,421,000 annual revenue in 2003, and $59,116,000 net assets, $17,622,000 annual revenue in 2007 according to MinistryWatch statistics.
Additional activities
Living Stream Ministry conducts various conferences and trainings throughout the year for churches in the Lord's Recovery. It offers the Full Time Training in Anaheim, a two-year program whose purpose is to "foster living, functioning, overcoming members of the Body of Christ for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose." The Ministry also "donates funds to other 501(c)(3) organizations," such as Bibles for AmericaBibles for America
Bibles for America is a non-profit organization that distributes complimentary copies of the New Testament Recovery Version and other Living Stream Ministry publications in the United States...
, the Defense and Confirmation Project, et al., as well as various local churches in support of each one's respective mission.
One Publication
In 2005, the blending co-workers in the Lord's Recovery issued a statement designating LSM as the one publisher for the local churches as a means of preserving the integrity of the New Testament ministry of Witness Lee and Watchman Nee, which is "crucial for the practical oneness among the local churches". In response, there are some who have questioned the biblical validity of LSM's "practical oneness" approach.In 2006, Titus Chu and his core supporters were removed from fellowship ("quarantined") for refusing to adhere to LSM's one publication policy. In 2009, Dong Yu Lan and his supporters were also quarantined for not submitting to one publication.
Opposition and Support of Living Stream Ministry
Because of Living Stream Ministry's prominence within the Local Churches as the publisher and promoter of the Recovery Version of the Bible as well as Witness Lee's ideas, the publisher has played a significant role in defending and responding to some of the controversies surrounding the movement. Living Stream Ministry affirms that Lee's teachings are part of the Christian tradition, which a growing number in the evangelical community have confirmed over the past decade. Statements of support for the movement have come from figures and institutions within evangelical Christianity such as the "Bible Answer Man" Hank HanegraaffHank Hanegraaff
Hendrik "Hank" Hanegraaff also known as the Bible Answer Man is an American author, radio talk-show host and advocate of evangelical Christianity. He was born in the Netherlands and raised in the United States since childhood. He is married with 12 children...
, Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary
Fuller Theological Seminary is an accredited Christian educational institute with its main campus in Pasadena, California and several satellite campuses in the western United States...
, and Answers in Action director Gretchen Passantino. As of 2002, the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
Evangelical Christian Publishers Association
The is an international non-profit trade association whose member companies are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide...
(ECPA) has also accepted Living Stream Ministry as a member with full voting rights. There has also been criticism of the organization's legal tactics; Living Stream Ministry sued Harvest House Publications
Harvest House
Harvest House Publishers is Christian publishing company founded in 1974 in Irvine, California, United States and is now located in Eugene, Oregon, United States...
for defamation and $136 million dollars in damages after an entry on the Local Churches movement was included in Harvest House's Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions. In January 2007 an open letter was signed and posted online by more than 70 theologians and pastors from seven countries asking the church to repudiate controversial statements by Witness Lee and to cease resorting to litigation as a means of settling disputes. In February 2007, the editorial section of Living Stream Ministry responded to their letter with a statement entitled A Brief Response to 'An Open Letter to the Leadership of Living Stream Ministry and the Local Churches'.
Official sites belonging to the Living Stream Ministry
- Living Stream Ministry Website, includes information about conferences and training
- Full Time Training
- Bibles for America
- Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee Radio Broadcast
- Defense and Confirmation Project
- Living Stream Ministry Online Publications
- Lebensstrom e.V., Distributor for Living Stream Ministry in Germany, Austria, Switzerland
- A Brief Response to 'An Open Letter to the Leadership of Living Stream Ministry and the Local Churches' - An answer to the 'open letter' linked to below.
Non-LSM Resources
- Statement from Harvest House Publishers - This statement describes from Harvest House Publishers' point of view why they included the local churches movement entry in their book, which led to the lawsuit
- An Open Letter to the Leadership of Living Stream Ministry and the "Local Churches" - A letter signed by over 70 prominent evangelicals urging the movement to "disavow or withdraw controversial statements" made by Witness Lee.
- Summary Profile. MinistryWatch.com's profile on Living Stream Ministry as a religious charity. Retrieved December 13, 2006.