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Watchman Nee

Watchman Nee: Encyclopedia - Watchman Nee

Watchman Nee (倪柝聲 pinyin: Ní Tuòshēng;, 1903-1972) was a citizen of the People's Republic of China who became a Christian in 1920 at the age of 17 and began writing in the same year. In 1921, he met the British missionary M. E. Barber, who was a great influence on him. Through Miss Barber, Nee was introduced to many of the Christian writings which were to have a profound influence on him and his teachings. In 1928, Watchman Nee settled in Shanghai where he based his own speaking and publication work, the Shanghai Go ...

Watchman Nee, Paul Wei, Shang-Jie Song, John Sung, Wang Ming-Dao, Chinese Independent Churches

Watchman Nee: Encyclopedia - Watchman Nee

Watchman Nee

Watchman Nee (倪柝聲 pinyin: Ní Tuòshēng;, 1903-1972) was a citizen of the People's Republic of China who became a Christian in 1920 at the age of 17 and began writing in the same year. In 1921, he met the British missionary M. E. Barber, who was a great influence on him. Through Miss Barber, Nee was introduced to many of the Christian writings which were to have a profound influence on him and his teachings.

In 1928, Watchman Nee settled in Shanghai where he based his own speaking and publication work, the Shanghai Gospel Bookroom, which published books by Watchman Nee and others, as well as some Chinese translations of English-speaking authors - most notably the Christian teacher and writer T. Austin-Sparks, with whom Nee had a very close relationship fostered during his significant time at the Honor Oak Christian Fellowship Centre on Honor Oak Road in London, England.

Through the labour of Nee and his colleagues, local assemblies were raised up all over China and among other Chinese-speaking communitites in the Far East. Some of Nee's co-workers in this work later became known in their right outside of China (ie - Stephen Kaung, Witness Lee, Faithful Luk, Simon Meek, and others).

In 1952, Watchman Nee was imprisoned by the Chinese government for his faith. He remained in prison until his death twenty years later. Watchman Nee's writings on matters of the individual Christian life have been a source of inspiration to Christians throughout the world, though his writings on the local churches--which he considered to be central to his ministry--have been largely ignored by mainstream Christianity. His most popular work is The Normal Christian Life.

His English name seems to be a literal variation of his Chinese name. 柝 (pinyin tùo) is a Chinese watchman's knocker or plaque, sounded to mark the hours of night. 聲 (pinyin shēng) means sound.