Watchman Nee, originally named Ni Shu-tsu, was an influential Chinese church leader and Christian teacher who lived from 1903 to 1972. He founded the local churches and wrote many influential books that contributed greatly to the spiritual foundation of today’s house church in China and Christian outreach.
Watchman Nee was born on November 4, 1903, in Swatow, China. His original name was Ni Shu-tsu, but later he changed his name to Watchman Nee. When Nee was 17 years old, he heard the gospel from a female missionary named Dora Yu. He accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior in 1920. After his conversion, Nee desired to be trained as a Christian worker. So in 1921 he went to study at a Brethren church school in Shanghai. While in Shanghai, Nee received much help and ministry from a British missionary named Margaret Barber, who introduced him to many Christian classics and became his mentor in the faith. After moving back to his hometown of Foochow, Nee began to preach and started more than 30 churches in that region.
In 1924, Watchman Nee met, fellowshipped, and worked with many of the famous Chinese Christian leaders of the time, including Andrew Gih, Wang Ming-tao, John Sung, and others. During this time, he was exposed to and influenced by many different teachings and practices of the Christian faith. Nee joined forces with Wang Ming-tao and began to preach extensively throughout China, especially throughout the coastal regions.
From 1932 onward, Watchman Nee’s ministry began to shift its focus from rural evangelism to building up and maturing believers in urban settings. Nee moved to Shanghai and established various local churches there. He traveled frequently throughout Asia, Europe, and North America, teaching the Bible and ministering. Many of his sermons and teachings were transcribed and published as books for wider distribution.
A few key highlights and milestones from Nee’s ministry career:
- In 1927, Nee took over editorship of Revival magazine in Shanghai. This allowed his writings to be published and distributed widely.
- In 1928, Nee released his first book, Spiritual Man. This was a foundational book that outlined man’s tripartite nature as body, soul, and spirit. It emphasized the need for believers to live by the spirit.
- In 1932, Nee established his first local church meeting hall in Shanghai at Hardoon Road (now West Yan’an Road). This was a landmark development as Nee began transitioning his ministry toward shepherding local churches.
- In 1942, Nee moved away from the denominational churches and fully embraced the independent local church model. This led to isolation from denominational groups.
- In 1949, Nee initiated trainings and conferences at various halls and centers to train full-time workers for the ministry. Hundreds of workers were trained during this time.
- In 1952, Nee was arrested and imprisoned due to ideological and ecclesiastical differences with the Communist regime.
Throughout his life and ministry, there were a few defining features and themes that characterized Watchman Nee’s teachings and practices:
- Local churches – Nee emphasized the development of local churches in city centers that were autonomous and independent of denominational control.
- Inner life – Nee stressed the need for believers to experience inner spiritual growth and living by overcoming the self to allow the indwelling Christ to live through them.
- Bible study – Nee encouraged serious study of the Bible, especially as a way to grow spiritually and know God’s truths.
- Spiritual authority – Nee taught about spiritual authority and submitting to church leadership as an important principle for the church.
- Christ as life – Nee emphasized Christ as the believer’s life and the solution to all problems. experiencing and living by Christ was key.
- Practical living – Nee taught practical ways for believers to live a holy life and experience Christ in daily living.
Here is an overview of some of Watchman Nee’s major teachings on key topics:
On Salvation:
- Salvation is not just forgiveness of sins but also deliverance from the power of sin
- We are saved not only for the forgiveness of sins but also for a life of holiness and overcoming sin
- Justification and sanctification cannot be separated – they go hand in hand in the complete salvation Christ provides
On the Christian Life:
- The Christian life is meant to be one of living by the divine life of Christ within us
- As believers we need to live by the spirit and not by the flesh or self
- Our old self has been crucified with Christ; we must therefore deny self daily to experience Christ’s resurrection life
- We fight the flesh not by willpower but by trusting in Christ’s life to overcome sin and live righteously
On the Church:
- The church is composed of all true born again believers who have received Christ
- Local churches should be established in cities, meeting simply in homes or meeting halls
- Each local church should be autonomous and independent, not controlled by any denomination
- In the church, there is no clergy vs. laity separation – each believer functions as a member of Christ’s body
On Leadership:
- Church leadership should be plurality of elders, not a one-man pastor system
- Elders are those recognized by the believers who exhibit spiritual maturity and meet the Scriptural qualifications
- The church needs to submit to the authority of elders for the testimony of the church
- Leaders should exemplify the life of a servant, not lord over God’s heritage
On the Bible:
- The Bible is inspired by God and the complete divine revelation for our salvation and Christian living
- We must interpret the Bible carefully according to context, compare Scripture with Scripture
- The Bible reveals divine principles which we much study, pray over, and receive divine revelation into
- God’s truths must be digested and assimilated into our inner being to become life and reality to us
On the Spiritual Life:
- A believer’s spirit needs to be strengthened through regular fellowship with the Lord
- Our mind needs to be renewed and transformed according to the Bible
- We grow spiritually not by being busy but through fellowship, prayer, and feeding on the Word
- Being filled in spirit is key to living a holy, overcoming, and fruitful Christian life
Watchman Nee wrote over 40 books and many articles, tracts, and messages during his lifetime ministry. Some of his most well-known publications include:
- The Spiritual Man – Nee’s seminal work on the tripartite nature of man and the need for believers to live by the spirit. First published in 1928.
- The Normal Christian Life – Classic exposition on experiencing Christ as one’s daily life and living. First published in 1957.
- Christ the Sum of All Spiritual Things – Presents Christ as the reality of all truths, experiences, and provisions for the Christian life.
- Sit, Walk, Stand – Teaching on the believer’s position and practice in relation to identification with Christ.
- The Release of the Spirit – Emphasizes the need to be filled in spirit and released to function by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
- Love Not the World – Exhorts believers to break free from the world’s contamination and be sanctified unto God.
- The Glorious Church – Teachings and vision concerning the local church, Christ’s Body.
- The Breaking of the Outer Man – Daily life applications concerning yieldedness, humility, purity, and obedience
In addition to his publications, Watchman Nee also delivered thousands of oral messages and sermons. Many of these have been transcribed and published in books after his death. His messages touched on a very wide range of biblical topics, exhorting believers to experience Christ, grow in life, and build up the church. Some popular message series included:
- Messages for Building Up New Believers (6 vols.)
- General Messages (2 vols.)
- Special Meeting Messages (3 vols.)
- Messages on the Book of Revelation (3 vols.)
- Messages on Prayer, Power & Work Burden (book)
Watchman Nee had a global impact and legacy in the 20th century house church movement in China. Some key facts about his influence:
- During his 30 years of ministry, Nee saw local churches established in many major cities in China
- Nee developed close to 300 full-time co-workers and trained several hundred during the 1940s
- It is estimated over 700 local churches with 70,000 members existed when the Communists took over in 1949
- Nee’s writings and teachings continued to influence the underground house churches when Christianity was banned in China
- Today, estimates are that there are between 10-70 million believers in China, many impacted by Nee’s ministry
Despite his popularity and influence, Watchman Nee’s ministry also encountered controversies and criticisms:
- Nee claimed his teachings were revelations directly from the Holy Spirit, which some argued lacked biblical grounding
- Some opposed Nee’s church practice of praying for personal guidance directly from God
- Others criticized Nee’s authoritarian leadership style and the level of control he exercised
- In later years, Nee was implicated in allegations of misconduct in relationships with female followers
- Some opposed Nee’s practice of receiving financial support while serving the churches full-time
In general, Nee was a contextualizer seeking to develop a Chinese expression of the church indigenously, which led to tensions.
In 1952, at the age of 49, Watchman Nee was arrested and imprisoned for his faith by the Chinese Communists. He remained in prison until his death 20 years later on May 30, 1972. Nee never married and passed away unmarried without any children. Some details surrounding his imprisonment and death:
- Initially held under house arrest for interrogations from 1952-1956
- Formally arrested and sentenced in 1956 to 15 years imprisonment
- Imprisoned at Kuan-tien Prison in Shanghai in very poor conditions
- Died suddenly under mysterious circumstances from an unknown illness in 1972
- The Chinese government did not notify Nee’s relatives or the local church of his death
Despite 20 years of imprisonment, solitary confinement, and hard labor, Watchman Nee never recanted his faith in Christ.
In summary, Watchman Nee was an influential Chinese church leader that impacted generations of believers in China and beyond with his teachings on experiencing Christ in the Christian life, building up the local churches, and learning to live by the divine life within. He emphasized the practical experience of Christ as life for daily living and the building up of the church as the Body and Bride of Christ. Nee overcame much persecution and suffering in his lifetime to stand faithful as a servant of God. Though imperfect, Nee contributed enormously to the spread of biblical Christianity in China in the 20th century.