“The “burden of the ministry” was that over the years the rate of increase had been decreasing, and a way must be found to preach the gospel and increase the numbers dramatically. This led to an inordinate emphasis on numbers and increase, with a great stress on budgets, goals plans, methods, and ways, coupled with predictions of millions being baptized over a period of several years and guarantees that if we would follow the prescribed way the numbers in the churches would be multiplied many fold. We listened to many messages and viewed many video tapes from Taiwan to this effect. Most of the churches, including Anaheim, dived into the burden with a very good heart to follow and obey, but the fervor was beginning to diminish and many saints were left languishing.”
– an excerpt from the book
ARPress is honored to publish Speaking the Truth in Love: A True Account of Events and Concerns Related to the Local Churches, 1987–1989 by John Ingalls and Stephen Isitt. This book is now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the ARPress website.
In the realm of Christian literature, few works resonate with the clarity and conviction found in Speaking the Truth in Love. Authored by John Ingalls, a seasoned elder and longtime co-worker within the Local Church movement, this book presents a candid, deeply personal account of spiritual turmoil, doctrinal concerns, and an unwavering commitment to integrity within the church community from 1987 to 1989.
John Ingalls was not a man prone to controversy. Known for his humility, gentleness, and dedication to the Word, he spent over two decades serving faithfully alongside Witness Lee, one of the most prominent figures in the Local Church movement. Ingalls was instrumental in the creation of the church hymnal and played a significant role in the early development of the Recovery Version of the New Testament, a major publication of the Living Stream Ministry. Yet, as circumstances within the movement shifted, so did his sense of responsibility to the truth.
Speaking the Truth in Love is not a polemic. It is a heartfelt testimony, written with the sobriety of someone who had “given everything” to the Lord’s recovery and was grieved by its direction. What began as concerns about leadership practices, unhealthy hierarchy, and administrative overreach eventually led to painful confrontations—and his resignation from a position he never wished to leave. Ingalls writes not from a place of bitterness, but from a burden for the integrity of the church and the well-being of the saints.
The book unfolds as a sequence of events and reflections during a critical period, marked by growing dissonance between ministry ideals and ministry practice. Through quiet, reasoned prose, Ingalls invites readers into his spiritual wrestlings and the collective efforts of several leaders to address troubling issues. He emphasizes transparency, prayerful fellowship, and a sincere desire to preserve unity, contrary to the charges of rebellion later leveled against him.
What sets Ingalls apart, and by extension, his book, is the absence of vindictiveness. Despite being ostracized, having his name removed from publications he helped shape, and seeing his ministry marginalized, John Ingalls never struck back. Those who knew him, like Albert Zehr, who contributed the book’s foreword, describe him as a man of rare nobility, whose love and conscience could not be silenced.
Though originally published in 1990, Speaking the Truth in Love has found renewed relevance in today’s church climate, where questions of transparency, authority, and spiritual health remain ever pertinent. The book serves not only as a historical account but as a living example of what it means to speak out in faith, even when the cost is high.
John Ingalls passed away in 2016, but his voice continues to echo. Through this testimony, he reminds readers that love and truth are not opposites, they are companions. And when paired with humility, they form a foundation strong enough to weather any storm.
For anyone navigating questions of faith, leadership, or personal conscience, this book offers not just a record of past events, but the steady hand of a friend who has walked the difficult road and remained faithful. It is the kind of book one doesn’t merely read, but receives, like a letter from someone who cares deeply, who doesn’t shout but simply shares, and then gently places the truth in your hands to hold as your own.
And perhaps that’s how John would have wanted it: quietly offering his story, in love, and trusting the Lord—and the reader—with what comes next.
Speaking the Truth in Love: A True Account of Events and Concerns Related to The Local Churches 1987-1989 by John Ingalls and Stephen Isitt is now available for purchase via ARPress Bookstore: