How Church Discipline Guards the Purity of the Church
Steven Lee
Pastor for Preaching & Vision
Dear North Church,
One of the most perennially misunderstood aspects of church life is the concept and practice of church discipline. It often connotes “excommunication,” which sounds old-fashioned, mean, and unkind. Growing up, I never saw church discipline practiced. It was a foreign concept, and I imagine that is the case for many of us.
I want to share about church discipline in anticipation of our July Quarterly Strategy Meeting. The elders plan to present two cases of church discipline to the members in attendance to vote on, barring significant repentance and change between now and July 27.
First, what is church discipline?
Church discipline is the process of correcting sins within the church family among members who have covenanted with one another. These members have agreed to our Member Affirmation of Faith and uphold our Member Covenant together. Most church discipline is informal, personal, and private. When done well, most of us never hear about 99% of the church discipline that takes place. This happens when a man admonishes his fellow brother for indulging in pornography or drinking in excess. A woman gently corrects a fellow sister for her bitterness or gossip. A pastor exhorts a congregant to put off sinful anxiety or anger. This takes place within families, among small group members, between Sunday school class members and spouses, and from parent to child.
The church is designed to encourage each other to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel (Eph 4:1; 1 Thess 2:12). We are to “exhort one another every day … that none … may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb 3:13).
Yet, there are times when informal and private admonishment lands on deaf ears. The individual is unrepentant, persists in sin, and refuses to stop. In such a situation, we walk through the process outlined in Matthew 18:15–20. If the individual still refuses to repent when confronted by a fellow brother, several other witnesses, and even the elders of the church, the situation is to be told to the church (Matt 18:17). If the individual persists in sin, they are then to be removed from church membership. In some exceptional cases involving blatant or scandalous sins, the individual is to be removed immediately (see 1 Corinthians 5).
In these exceptional cases, the individual is showing that they prize their sin more than Jesus. To guard the purity of the church, we remove this individual from the church’s membership and fellowship. This is often where we get the language of excommunication. What does it mean to treat the individual as a Gentile and a tax collector? In this context, it means that our interactions with this individual are not to be characterized by the warmth and love that normally characterizes fellowship among believers. Instead, we call this individual to repent, and we grieve their sin and hard-heartedness. Believing family members should seek to maintain the relationship, yet the tenor of the relationship will undoubtedly be affected.
Second, why should a church practice discipline? Jonathan Leeman writes in The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love:
Church discipline, fundamentally, is about the reputation of Christ and whether the church can continue to affirm the profession of someone whose life risks maligning it. The sins and the circumstances of sin will vary tremendously, but one question must always be in the forefront of our minds: “How will this sinner’s sin and our response to it reflect the holy love of Christ?
In other words, church discipline seeks to uphold the purity of Christ’s church, to expose unrepentant sin, to warn of imminent judgment so the backslider might return, and to ultimately save the individual so that they will turn and repent of their sins. Church discipline is a loving act commanded by Christ. Additionally, church discipline seeks to protect the flock from false teaching and to guard against sin spreading like an infectious disease (2 Tim 2:17).
Much more could be said about church discipline. If you’d like to read more, I recommend the book Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus by Jonathan Leeman. In the meantime, join me in praying for the unnamed individuals to repent of sin and to throw themselves upon the mercy of Christ. Let me also encourage members to mark their calendar to gather with us on July 27 at 5 pm for our Quarterly Strategy Meeting.
May this sobering topic warn us not to grow weary or fainthearted in our struggles against sin. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus Christ, the founder and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2–3).
With hope,
Pastor Steven
