The Lord’s recovery advanced significantly in the twentieth century with the revelation that the universal church (Matthew 16:18), the Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:23), is expressed on the earth as local churches on the ground of oneness (John 17:21). We are captured by this vision.
The local church in Toronto was directly raised up by Brother Witness Lee, a co-worker of Brother Watchman Nee, who first visited Toronto in 1963. During his visit, Brother Witness Lee sought fellowship with a few noted Christian brothers if there were Christians in this city who met as a local church according to the vision of the ground of oneness. Realizing that there was not a group of Christian believers who bore the testimony of the ground of oneness in Toronto, in the summer of 1968, the saints, having seen the vision of the ground of oneness, enjoyed the first Lord’s Table, which testified to the oneness of the Body of Christ being expressed locally in Toronto.
Brother Witness Lee traveled to Toronto many times between the late ’60s and the early ’70s to give conferences and fellowship. In June of 1971, during one of the conferences held in the Glendon Campus of York University, over 20 seeking Christians were attracted by this ministry of enjoying Christ as our life and the church as our living. These dear saints began to migrate to Toronto and that strengthened the church life further.
Witness Lee initiated the original eldership of the church. His ministry not only established, but also sustained the church here.
The local church in Toronto participates in and enjoys the semi-annual trainings, the ministry station meetings, and publications put out by Living Stream Ministry. Other gifted brothers co-working with Brother Witness Lee supplied the church through many conferences in and near Toronto. The saints in Toronto endeavour to practice the universal fellowship with all the local churches around the world for the one unique expression of the Body of Christ.