明正德年間（1506-1521）以來大量興起的民間教派，如羅清（1442-1527）、殷繼南（1527-1582）、姚文宇（1578-1646）所統合的吃齋人教派，其實是在地方社會中提供宗教服務：包括處理生死大事、驅災祈福、娛樂及慈善互助的人群組織。是什麼「社會條件」促使這些民間教派形成？它的發展牽動哪些重大的歷史變化？這些非屬佛、道的民間教派，在常民生活中扮演何種角色？其所建立的「宗教家庭」，是否為地方社會「人群組織」結構性改變的關鍵因素？本文依序討論問題如下：首先，原生於北方的羅教如何轉變成流行於浙南、閩北地區的姚門教、老官齋教，乃至於之後的江南齋教？其次，這些民間教派的發展基礎與過程為何？最後，透過釐清姚文宇家族建立民間教派及發展過程，重新反省地方社會歷史發展與人群組織法則變化的相關問題。基於前人研究成果與實地田野調查，本文結合寶卷與族譜等民間文獻，還原浙江省慶元縣姚門教主姚文宇的家族歷史，並重新梳理明清以來中國東南沿海地區民間教派組織的發展過程，及其發揮的歷史作用。

The rise of sectarian cults was one of the most significant religious changes that happened in local society from late seventeenth century China. This article combines archival research and field work to reestablish a Qingyuan county based cult leader, Yao Wen-yu (1578-1646) and his family history, to explore the role of his vegetarian cult in Southeastern China, especially in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi provinces from the late 17th to the mid-19th century. This article suggests that in addition to spreading their teaching, the organization built by Yao and his followers actually offered various religious services, including group classical chanting, funeral mutual aid service, and charitable drive to serve the daily life religious needs of local society. Moreover, regarding societal changes since the late Ming dynasty, this article also argues that Yao’s local cult organization should be considered a “religion family” in local society, because their teaching and organization actually had built a fictive kinship organization to go beyond the traditional kinship organization’s limits to serve the people who chose to escape from their original family. By examining this period of Yao cult family and Late Ming to Mid-Qing history, this article sheds light on the dynamic, fluid community religious life in local society.