Apostles that Paul and Barnabas, for example, ‘appointed elders … in each church’ (Acts 14:23) which was brought into being by their missionary endeavours. James takes it for granted that his readers will recognise the place of the local church and its leadership. The New Testament as a whole always assumes that Christians living in the same locality will have regular fellowship, meeting together as a company of believers (1 Corinthians 1:2; 14:23; 2 Corinthians 1:1; 1 Timothy 3:15). The instinctive