Church Discipline

Introduction:

  1. Need for discipline
  1. Scriptural admonition
  2. Practical admonition

B. History of discipline

  1. Paul confronted Peter (Gal. 2:11)
  2. Early church practiced discipline
  3. Up through the 19th century church discipline was a common practice
  1. Def. "Confrontive and corrective measures taken by an individual, church leaders, or the congregation regarding a matter of sin in the life of a believer."
  1. 4 reasons Why Churches Don’t Discipline
    1. Fear of outcome
      1. Church split
      2. Mud-slinging
      3. Being misunderstood
    2. Ignorance of Procedures
    3. Prefer to Avoid problems
      1. When you tolerate sin, ultimately, the people who are sensitive to sin are the ones to leave. So, in avoiding the issue in order to "keep" the offender, you will often lose the best people.
      2. "It will take care of itself"
      3. Hope it will go away without doing much harm
      4. "No need to rock the boat"
    4. It doesn’t do any good
      1. If carried out improperly
      2. Does work on some occasions
      3. Its a matter of obedience
  2. 4 Major Categories for Discipline
    1. Violations of Christian love private offenses against a brother or sister (Matt. 5:23-24)
    2. Violations of Christian unity (Rom. 16:17; Tit. 3:10)
    3. Violations of Christian "law" breaking NT ethical codes Gal. 5:19-21; 1 Cor. 5:11; 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Mk. 7:21-22; 2 Tim. 3:1-5)
    4. Violations of Christian truth doctrine (1 Tim. 6:3-5; Tit. 3:10; 2 John 7-11)
  3. Purpose of Discipline
    1. To turn about (2 Thess. 3:14)
    2. Produce healthy faith (Tit. 1:13)
    3. Encourage Spiritual healing (Heb. 12:10-13)
    4. Restoration (Gal. 6:1-2)
  4. Steps in the Discipline Process (Matt. 18:15-17)
    1. Private reproof
    2. Private conference
    3. Public announcement
    4. Public exclusion
  5. Miscellaneous Considerations
    1. The ultimate goal for practicing church discipline is to restore the offender, not punish the offender (Matt. 18)
    2. The appeal should be made with respect for the individual, not in a harsh, condemning fashion (1 Tim. 5:1-2)
    3. The process for discipline differs slightly when it involves the leadership of the church. (1 Tim. 5:19-20)
    4. Our attitude toward the offender should be one of love and brokenness, not disgust and hatred.
    5. Information given or shared in private should be kept in the strictest confidence
    6. Trial by telephone, gossip, spreading the dirt is unacceptable behavior
    7. The public step can often be done without first mentioning the individual
    8. If you are "in the know" it is your responsibility to keep information in confidence.