Living Stream Ministry / Local Church / Local Churches / Lord’s Recovery

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The movement colloquially referred to as the Local Church has been addressed a various Apologetics Index entries.

This page will serve as a central entry from which we point to research resources on the Local Church. Currently this is a partial entry, but links to various resources can be found in the entries listed below.

Note regarding this movement’s name:

While many apologetics and countercult publications refer to this movement by the name Local Church, the movement itself prefers the term local churches or Living Stream Ministry, it’s publishing arm.

What is the name of your church?
The local churches do not have a name. The only name we hold and honor is the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. To take any other name is to insult Him. The term “local church” is not a name; it is a description of the local nature and expression of the church, that is, the church in a locality. To print the words “local church” with capital letters is a serious mistake, for this gives the impression that our name is “local church.” Just as the moon is simply the moon regardless of the locality over which it is seen, so the church is simply the church regardless of the locality in which it is established. When the church was established in Jerusalem, it was known simply as the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), and in Antioch, the church was the church at Antioch (Acts 13:1). Likewise, the practical expression of the church in Anaheim today is simply the church in Anaheim. As local churches, we meet in the Lord’s name on the ground of genuine oneness.- Source: The Local Church — Beliefs and Practices (Official Local Church website)

Internally, members of this movement refer to it as “the Lord’s Recovery.”

Apologetics Index Entries

• Series of articles regarding the Local Church lawsuit
  The Local Churches’ failed lawsuit against Harvest House and authors John Ankerberg and John Weldon. Includes information about support offered to the Local Church by Hank Hanegraaff and Gretchen Passantino. Also includes, Why the Local Church was included in the Encyclopedia of Cults and New Religions — a good overview of the Local Churches’ problematic teachings.
• The Local Church — cult of Christianity supported by two ‘cult watchers’ More about Hank Hanegraaff and Gretchen Passantino’s support for the Local Church
• Analysis of Local Church statements regarding the Godhead by Alan Gomes
• The Local Church Information and research resources in the older regions of Apologetics Index.

See Also

• Open Letter

More than 70 evangelical Christian scholars and ministry leaders from seven nations have signed an unprecedented open letter to the leadership of the “local churches” and Living Stream Ministry.

• Essential doctrines of the Christian faith (and why doctrines matter)
• Research resources on the doctrine of the Trinity
• What is a cult of Christianity?

Find More Information

You can find more information about this movement by using ApologeticsSearch.com, where you can search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.

As the terms “local church” and “local churches” may return results for information that does not address this movement, we suggest using the term “Lord’s Recovery,” or “Living Stream Ministry.”

Tags: Living Stream Ministry, Local Church

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 •  This page was first posted: Jan. 29, 2009
 •  This page was last updated: Jan. 29, 2009
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