Church Discipline in the WSJ
Friday's edition of the Wall Street Journal carried an article in its Weekend Journal section on church discipline. The article primarily focuses on a divisive case from a small, independent Baptist congregation in rural Michigan. The article is available from the Journal's web site, at least temporarily. Read it here.
The practice of church discipline, when practiced, is usually based on the application of Matthew 18:15-20.
The church in which I am a member does practice church discipline according to this passage. The process is always overseen by the elders who govern the church, and the pastor does not have the authority to remove someone from the fellowship apart from the agreement of the elders, and it is doubtful that the elders would take such a step unless they were unanimous in the conviction that breaking fellowship was necessary. In more cases than not, the sinning brother or sister repents of their transgressions and is restored to full fellowship before it ever comes to the point of bringing their sin before the congregation. That, in fact, is the goal of the entire process; not to make a spectacle of a sinner, but to restore them to fellowship with God and with the Body of Christ. There have been only a couple of instances over the last 15 years or so in which someone was removed from our fellowship because of an unwillingness to repent of a besetting sin.
Does your church practice church discipline according to this passage? How is it handled?
The practice of church discipline, when practiced, is usually based on the application of Matthew 18:15-20.
If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst. (NASB)
The church in which I am a member does practice church discipline according to this passage. The process is always overseen by the elders who govern the church, and the pastor does not have the authority to remove someone from the fellowship apart from the agreement of the elders, and it is doubtful that the elders would take such a step unless they were unanimous in the conviction that breaking fellowship was necessary. In more cases than not, the sinning brother or sister repents of their transgressions and is restored to full fellowship before it ever comes to the point of bringing their sin before the congregation. That, in fact, is the goal of the entire process; not to make a spectacle of a sinner, but to restore them to fellowship with God and with the Body of Christ. There have been only a couple of instances over the last 15 years or so in which someone was removed from our fellowship because of an unwillingness to repent of a besetting sin.
Does your church practice church discipline according to this passage? How is it handled?
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