Article7: Discipline
Section 1: Introduction
I. Every member of the church is accountable to the church and liable to its discipline (1 Cor. 12:12-27; 1 Thess. 5:12-15; Heb. 3:12-13; 10:24-25). Mutual submission to one another 13 (Eph. 5:21) and to the elders whom the Lord has set over His church (1 Pet. 5:5) is intended by the Lord to result in the sanctification of each individual member and of the whole body of the church collectively.
II. Church discipline becomes necessary when heretical doctrine or disorderly, immoral, or scandalous conduct appears among the members of the church. Whenever feasible, an effort must be made to correct error, resolve difficulty and remove offense through private counsel and admonition before more public steps are taken (Gal. 6:1; James 5:19, 20). The principles given to us in Matt. 18:15-16, Rom. 16:17-20, 1 Cor. 5:1-13, 2 Thess. 3:6-15, 1 Tim. 5:19-20 and Titus 3:10 must be carefully followed and appropriately applied to each case of corrective discipline. In some cases public admonition or public repentance may be warranted (Matt. 18:17; 1 Tim. 5:20). In extreme cases excommunication from the membership of the church may be necessary (Matt. 18:17; Rom. 16:17-20; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 1 Tim. 1:20; Titus 3:10). All the members of the church are obliged to submit to and enforce the decision of the church in its acts of discipline.
III. Since the church is a spiritual and religious institution, the punishments (2 Cor. 2:6) inflicted by the church are spiritual. They may include public verbal reproof (Matt. 18:17; 1 Tim. 5:20), social avoidance (Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 5:9-11; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14), suspension from the Lord's Supper and/or other privileges of church membership (1 Cor. 5:11) as well as excommunication (Matt. 18:17; 1 Cor. 5:13). They are intended to produce repentance through a sense of sorrow and shame (2 Cor. 2:7; 2 Thess. 3:14). The church has no right, however, to confiscate goods, revoke conjugal rights, or inflict corporal punishment of any kind. Nevertheless, a member guilty of criminal actions may be delivered to the civil authorities according to the rule of Scripture (1 Pet. 4:15).
IV. The goals of corrective discipline must always be the glory of God, the welfare and purity of the church (1 Cor. 5:6) and the spiritual restoration of the offender (1 Cor. 5:5; 2 Cor. 2:5-8; 1 Tim. 5:20). For these reasons all church members should pray earnestly for God’s gracious, restorative blessing upon all who are disciplined.
Section 2: Public Reproof and Repentance
Public reproof consists of a pastoral effort before the gathered church to call an impenitent member to repentance for sin too blatant to be dealt with in an exclusively private manner. Public repentance may be necessary to deal with serious sin even where there has been private repentance. The elders may, therefore, require such a member to publicly confess his repentance before the church. The elders may administer public censure whenever in their judgment public misconduct (Gal. 2:11-14; 1 Tim. 5:20), patterns of sin (Titus 1:12, 13), or serious doctrinal error (Titus 1:10-13) pose a significant threat to the godliness, unity, or testimony of the congregation. Those who humbly receive public censure, own and confess their sin and manifest a transformed life (Prov. 28:13) shall be publicly commended for their godly repentance (2 Cor. 7:7-11). If within a reasonable period of time public censure is not heeded, further discipline will be imposed.
Section 3: Suspension
I. The Bible teaches that it is ordinarily necessary before proceeding to excommunicate someone from the church to exercise the preliminary step of suspension (Matt. 18:15-17; Rom. 16:17-20; 2 Thess. 3:6-15). This step is graciously designed by God to prevent the necessity of 14 excommunication by an intensified call from the church to repentance. Suspension consists in the withholding of some or all of the privileges of church membership depending on how serious the situation may be. In all cases of suspension, the offending person is still to be regarded as a brother in Christ and as a member of the church.
II. To be valid, an act of suspension must have the approval of two-thirds of the members voting. In the interest of maintaining a climate of holiness and peace, and in the interest of preventing the premature disclosure of a member’s sinful conduct, the elders shall have the right, at their discretion, to impose a temporary suspension of no more than three months.
III. Suspension is required for a stubborn, private offender (Matt. 18:15-17); a person guilty of divisive teaching or behavior (Rom. 16:17-20; Titus 3:10); a disorderly person (2 Thess. 3:6-15); a scandalous sinner who has brought open reproach upon the name of Christ, but whose repentance is still in question; and one who shows contempt of church discipline by absenting himself from the meetings of the church, or refusing to meet with the elders so that a matter may be investigated (Matt. 18:17; Num. 16:12, 20, 23-27).
IV. If suspension is blessed by the Lord to bring about true repentance on the part of the offending person, the suspension will be lifted and his privileges happily restored. If, however, after a reasonable period of time the person is not brought to true repentance, the elders will recommend to the church that the one suspended be excommunicated according to the procedure outlined in Section 4 of this Article.
Section 4: Excommunication
I. In addition to the excommunication of those who have been previously suspended and have not manifested repentance, some expressions of sin (ethical or doctrinal) are so scandalous, gross and heinous in their nature that preliminary actions such as public reproof and suspension are inadequate. In such cases, the guilty member may be immediately excommunicated by the church (1 Cor 5:1-4). This severe measure is to be employed only when both aggravated lawlessness is discovered and there are no hopeful signs of repentance. This measure is designed as a means of grace to purge the lawbreaker of his lethal attachment to sin through a sincere and enduring repentance (1 Cor 5:5; 6:9-11). The elders, therefore, having made earnest but unsuccessful efforts to bring the offender to true repentance, shall report his impenitence to the church and recommend that he be excommunicated.
II. All acts of excommunication must be decided by the gathered church (Matt. 18:17; 1 Cor. 5:4; 2 Cor. 2:6). To be valid, an act of excommunication must have the approval of two-thirds of the members voting.
Section 5: Restoration
Since one crucial purpose of church discipline is to restore a fallen brother, it is the duty and privilege of the church to forgive and to restore to full membership a suspended or excommunicated member who gives satisfactory evidence of his repentance (2 Cor 2:6-8). This shall be done in a duly convened business meeting of the church by two-thirds of the members voting.