Manual of Church Discipline

What would you think of a coach who instructs his players but never practices with them? Or a math teacher who explains a lesson but never corrects his students' mistakes? Or a doctor who talks about health but ignores cancer?

You would probably say that they are all only doing half the job. Athletic training requires both instruction and actual practice. Teaching requires both explanation and correction. Healing requires promoting health and combating disease. Right?

So what do you think about a church that teaches and practices discipleship but doesn’t practice church discipline? Does that make any difference to you? I suppose that seems normal to many churches, because every church teaches and practices discipleship, but so few practice church discipline. The problem is that making disciples without discipline is as absurd as it is for a doctor to ignore a tumor.

I understand why there is a reluctance to practice church discipline. This is a difficult issue for many reasons. However, such reluctance may indicate that we consider ourselves wiser and more loving than God. After all, God «disciplines those he loves»; and «scourges every son whom he receives» (Heb. 12:6). Do we know better than God?

God disciplines His children for their life, spiritual growth, and health: «for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness» (Heb. 12:10). Yes, it hurts, but it produces results: «No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby» (Heb. 12:11).

The fruit of righteousness and peace! This is a wonderful picture.

Church discipline ultimately leads to church growth, just as pruning a rose bush produces more roses. In other words, church discipline is part of Christian discipleship. Note that the words «disciple» and «discipline» are etymologically related. Both words come from the realm of education, which involves teaching and correction. It is not surprising that for centuries there has been a practice of speaking of «formative discipline» and «corrective (corrective) discipline.».

My goal in this article is to introduce the reader to the basics of corrective church discipline—the «what,» the «when,» the «how,» and a few words about the «why.».

What is church discipline?

What is corrective church discipline? Church discipline is the process of correcting sin in the life of the church and its members. It may mean correcting sin through a private meeting and a word of admonition. Or it may mean correcting sin by formally expelling the person from the church. Church discipline can be carried out in many ways, but its purpose is always the same—to correct a violation of God’s law among God’s people.

Not punishment, but correction, prophetic warning and foreknowledge

This correction of sin is not a punitive action or retribution; it is not an exercise of divine justice, so to speak. It is a correction, a prophetic warning, and a foreknowledge.

When I say it is correction, I mean that it is intended to help the individual Christian and the church grow in godliness—in becoming more like God. If a church member is prone to gossip or slander, another member should correct the sin so that the gossiper will stop gossiping and speak words of love instead. God does not use His words to hurt without cause; nor should His people do so.

When I say that church discipline is prophetic, I mean that it shines the light of God’s truth on error and sin to expose error and sin. It exposes the cancer in the life of an individual or of the entire church so that the cancer can be healed or cut out. Sin is a master of disguise. For example, gossipers often wear the mask of «godly concern.» The gossiper may think his words are wise, even caring. But church discipline exposes sin for what it is. It exposes sin to both the sinner and all involved so that all may learn and benefit.

When I say that church discipline is foreshadowing, I mean that it is a small picture of judgment in the present tense that warns of even greater judgment in the future (e.g., 1 Cor. 5:5). Such a warning could be nothing less than grace. Imagine a teacher who gave a student a passing grade on tests she had been failing all semester because he was afraid of discouraging her, and then unfairly dropped her from the class at the end of the semester. That would not be grace! In the same way, church discipline is a loving way of telling a person who has fallen into sin, «Be careful, there is even greater punishment waiting if you continue down this path. Please come back now.».

No wonder people don't like discipline. It's hard. But how merciful God is to warn His people of the great judgment that is coming, in comparatively small ways now!

Biblical and theological foundations

Behind church discipline stands one of the great projects of redemptive history—the project of restoring God’s fallen people to a place where they can once again reflect God, extending His beneficent and life-affirming rule throughout the world (Gen. 1:26-28; 3:1-6).

Adam and Eve were to reflect God, as was the kingdom of Israel. However, their refusal to represent God’s rule, driven by a desire to rule on their own terms, led to their expulsion from God’s garden. Similarly, Israel’s failure to keep God’s law and reflect His character to the nations led to their expulsion.

As creatures made in the image of God, we naturally bear witness to Him through our actions, like mirrors reflecting the object we are directed at. The problem is that sinful human nature distorts this image, like wavy mirrors at a fair. Because it is filled with lies, the world draws the wrong conclusion: if people lie, then God’s own words cannot be trusted. After all, if His creation is deceitful, then perhaps the Creator Himself is also?

Fortunately, one of Adam's sons, one of the sons of Israel, kept God's law perfectly, and it is He whom Paul describes as "the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15). Now those who are united to this only Son are called to bear the same "image" that we are learning to do through the life of the Church "from glory to glory" (See 2 Cor. 3:18; Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 15:49; Col. 3:9-10).

Local churches are to be the places on earth where the nations can find people who more and more truly reflect God. As the world observes the holiness, love, and unity in local churches, it will better understand what God is like and give Him praise (e.g., Matt. 5:14-16; John 13:34-35; 1 Pet. 2:12). Therefore, church discipline is the church’s response when one of its members fails to do the will of God by violating and failing to represent His holiness, love, or unity. It is an attempt to correct the distorted images that arise in the life of the body of Christ, almost like cleaning the stains of dirt from a mirror.

Specific texts

Jesus gives local churches the authority to discipline their members in Matthew 16:16-19 and 18:15-20. The authority of the keys to bind and loose on earth, first mentioned in Matthew 16:18, is given to the local church in Matthew 18:15-20, which we will discuss in more detail below.

Paul describes the processes of church discipline in several of his epistles, including 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 2:6; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 5:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; 1 Timothy 5:19-20; 2 Timothy 3:5, and Titus 3:9-11.

John mentions discipline in 2 John 10. Jude seems to be talking about discipline in his epistle in verses 22 and 23. Many more examples could be given. In fact, church discipline is what Jesus and the biblical writers are referring to whenever they call upon their listeners to correct sin in their lives together.

When should the church practice discipline?

When should the church practice discipline? The short answer is when someone sins. However, the answer may vary depending on whether the discipline is informal or formal church discipline, to use Jay Adams’ distinction between private conflicts and public church conflicts.

Any sin, whether serious or minor, can be a cause for personal rebuke between brothers or sisters in the faith. This does not mean that we should rebuke every sin committed by a church member. Rather, any sin, regardless of its magnitude, can be a subject for loving conversation between two Christians in a private setting—depending on discretion.

However, when it comes to sins that require formal or church-wide discipline at the level of the entire community, this issue should be approached with particular caution.

Bible lists

Some theologians of the past have offered lists of when formal (church-wide) discipline is appropriate. For example, Congregationalist preacher John Angel James noted that five types of offenses should be subject to discipline:

1. all scandalous vices and immoralities (e.g., 1 Cor. 5:11-13);
2. denial of fundamental Christian doctrines (e.g., Gal. 1:8; 2 Tim. 2:17-21; 1 Tim. 6:3-5; 2 John 10-11);
3. inciting hatred and divisions (Titus 3:10);
4. failure to fulfill the duty to support one's immediate relatives when they are in need (e.g., 1 Tim. 5:8);
5. unreconciled enmity (e.g., Matt. 18:7).

Such biblical lists can be helpful to a certain extent. Note that all the sins described are serious and have an outward manifestation. They are not simply inward sins of the heart; they can be seen with the eyes or heard with the ears. And in this outward manifestation they mislead both the world and other brothers and sisters in Christ about Christianity.

What such lists fail to take into account, however, is the large number of sins that Scripture never mentions (like abortion?). Furthermore, texts on church discipline may mention only one specific sin, such as 1 Corinthians 5, which deals with the sin of having intimate relations with one’s father’s wife, but of course Paul does not mean that churches should apply church discipline only to that sin. How should churches extend these examples to other sins?

External, serious and unrepentant

One way to summarize the biblical statements is to say that church-wide discipline is necessary in cases of outward, serious, and unrepentant sin.

• Sin must have an outward manifestation. It must be something that can be seen with the eyes or heard with the ears. Churches should not rush to discipline every time they suspect greed or pride in someone’s heart. It is not that sins of the heart are not serious. It is that the Lord knows that we cannot see each other’s hearts, and the real problems of the heart will eventually come to the surface anyway (1 Sam. 16:7; Matt. 7:17-18; Mark 7:21).
• Second, the sin must be serious. For example, I might notice a brother exaggerating the details of a story and then talk to him about it privately. But even if he denies it, I probably wouldn’t bring him up before the church. Why? First, something like the sin of embellishing stories is rooted in much more significant and invisible sins, such as idolatry and self-righteousness. These are the sins I want to discuss with him privately. Second, trying to solve every little sin in the life of the church is likely to cause paranoia and foster legalism. Third, it is clear that there must be a place in the life of the church for love, which «covers a multitude of sins» (1 Pet. 4:8). Not every sin needs to be pursued to the end. Fortunately, God does not do that with us.
• Finally, formal (church-wide) discipline is the appropriate course of action when sin is unrepentant. A person who has fallen into serious sin has been personally called to God’s commandments in Scripture, but he is unwilling to give up that sin. It seems that the person values sin more than Jesus. There is perhaps one exception, which we will discuss below.

All three factors were present during my first experience with church discipline. The man in question was a good friend and running partner. However, neither I nor the church was aware that he was living a lifestyle of sexual sin, at least not until he told me about it over lunch. I immediately asked him if he knew what the Bible said about such activities, and he said he did. However, he said that he had made peace with God on this matter. I urged him to repent. Others later came to him with the same appeal. But he told us all, «God has no objection to it.» After several months of such discussions, the church officially expelled him from its membership. His sin was serious, unrepentant, and had a clear outward manifestation. It was misleading others both inside and outside the church about what it meant to be a Christian. The church spent several months reaching out to this man. We loved him. We wanted him to turn from his sin and realize that Jesus was more valuable than anything this world could offer. However, it was clear almost immediately that he had no intention of repenting. He was determined. Given a choice between his sin and the Word of God, he chose sin. So the church took official action.

How should the church practice discipline?

How should the church practice church discipline? Jesus provides a basic outline in Matthew 18:15-17. He tells his disciples:

«"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. If he does not listen to them, tell it to the church; but if he does not listen even to the church, let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector.".

Notice that the conflict begins between two brothers, and its resolution should only extend as far as is necessary to achieve reconciliation. Jesus describes this process in four steps.

Four basic steps

1. If the problem of sin can be resolved between two people on their own, then the case is closed.
2. If the problem cannot be resolved, the offended brother should bring two or three others, so that «at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established» (Matt. 18:16). Jesus uses this phrase from Deuteronomy 19, where in context it is intended to protect people from false accusations. In fact, Deuteronomy calls for «thorough investigation» when there is doubt about a crime (Deut. 19:18). I believe that Jesus also wants Christians to care about truth and justice, which may require due diligence. Two or three witnesses should be able to confirm that there is indeed serious and obvious sin and that, in fact, the sinner is unrepentant. Hopefully, bringing in others will help either bring the sinner to his senses or help the offended one see that he should not be so offended. Both of these steps may take several meetings, depending on what the parties feel is appropriate.
3. If the intervention of two or three does not resolve the matter, the offended party should report it to the church (Matt. 18:17a). In our church, this is usually done through the pastors, since the Lord has provided the church with pastors to oversee all the affairs of the church (1 Tim. 5:17; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 5:2). The pastors announce the name of the one accused of a manifest, serious, and unrepentant sin. They give a very brief description of the sin itself, one that is not likely to cause others to stumble or cause undue embarrassment to family members. This is usually followed by two months for the congregation to reach out to the sinner and call him or her to repentance.
4. The final step in church discipline is excommunication, which effectively means exclusion from the Lord’s Supper: «And if he refuses to listen to the church, let him be to you as a heathen man and a tax collector» (Matt. 18:17b). He is to be treated as one outside the people of God, one who has no right to partake of the Lord’s Supper (although he will probably be invited to continue attending church meetings; see discussion below). In our church, this step is taken after two months have passed and the person refuses to forsake his sin. Two months is a tentative time frame, of course, and is simply a baseline schedule that corresponds to the regular gatherings of church members. In any particular situation, the church may decide to speed up or slow down this process.

Why should the discipline process be slowed down or sped up?

Sometimes the process of discipline needs to move more slowly. For example, when a sinner shows some interest in dealing with his sin. It is necessary to consider not only the nature of the sin but also the sinner himself. Different sinners, to put it simply, require different approaches. As Paul teaches: «Admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient toward all» (1 Thess. 5:14). Sometimes it is not immediately clear whether a person is indifferent to his sin or is truly weak.

I remember working with a brother who had fallen into addiction. For a while I was unsure whether he was simply making excuses for his moral failings or whether his soul was truly weakened, warped, and scarred by years of sin, making it much more difficult to break free. The answer to these questions should affect the pace of the discipline process.

Sometimes disciplinary processes need to move faster, which may mean skipping one or two of the steps described by Jesus in Matthew 18. Two obvious biblical reasons for speeding up the disciplinary process are: I. Division in the church II. Public scandal (i.e., sin that distorts the church’s witness to Christ outside the church itself).

Regarding the first category, Paul says: «A man who is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject him» (Titus 3:10). It is not entirely clear what process Paul had in mind. However, his words indicate that the church must respond quickly and decisively to divisive people for the sake of the unity of the body.

An even quicker process is described in 1 Corinthians 5, where Paul urges the church to immediately expel a man who commits a public, scandalous sin—a sin that even the non-Christian community would not approve of. In fact, Paul doesn’t even command the church to warn the man in case he repents. He simply says, «Hand such a man over to Satan» (1 Cor. 5:5a).

Why bypass the issue of repentance and not give the man a second chance? It is not that Paul is not interested in repentance or second chances. He commands the church to expel this man so that «his spirit may be saved in the day of [our] Lord [Jesus Christ]» (1 Cor. 5:5b). Of course, Paul is open to the man rejoining the church if he truly repents (see 2 Cor. 2:5-8). But the point is that his sin is publicly known and makes a public statement about Christ. Therefore, the church must respond with an equally public statement to the world: «This is unacceptable! Christians do not do that!»

It is worth noting that in 1 Corinthians 5, there was no doubt about whether the man was a sinner. That was an unquestionable fact. However, if there is doubt about whether sin has occurred, even if it is a scandalous sin, the church should take the time to conduct a thorough investigation, as Jesus requires in Matthew 18. For example, the church should not discipline someone for embezzlement (a publicly scandalous sin) based on hearsay, only to have the secular courts dismiss the case three months later due to lack of evidence.

So, what two factors might cause a church to expedite the discipline process? A church might find it appropriate to move more quickly when: I. there is an immediate threat to the unity of the church body II. there is a sin that could cause great harm to the name of Christ in society.

There is no exact formula for determining when one of these lines is crossed, so the church does well to appoint a few godly ministers to oversee such difficult matters.

Visitation and Restoration

Church members often ask whether a person who has been disfellowshipped and banned from partaking of the Lord’s Supper can continue to attend the weekly church meetings, and how they should treat that person during the week. The New Testament addresses this issue in several places (1 Cor. 5:9, 11; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14-15; 2 Tim. 3:5; Titus 3:10; 2 John 10), and different circumstances may require different approaches. However, the guidance given by the elders in my church can usually be summarized in two main points:

• Unless the presence of an unrepentant person is a physical threat to the people, the church should welcome him hospitably and kindly into its weekly meetings. There is no better place for that person than to sit and listen to the preaching of the Word of God.
• While family members of a person being disciplined should certainly continue to fulfill biblical responsibilities regarding family life (e.g., Eph. 6:1-3; 1 Tim. 5:8; 1 Pet. 3:1-2), the church members' relationship with such a person should change significantly. The interaction should not be characterized by casualness or friendliness, but by purposeful conversations about repentance.

Restoration in the church community occurs when there are signs of true repentance. What true repentance looks like depends on the nature of the sin. Sometimes repentance is clear and unambiguous, as in the case of a man who left his wife. For him, repentance means returning to her, simple as that. Sometimes, however, repentance is not about completely overcoming sin but about showing a new determination to fight it, as in the case of a person caught in a cycle of addiction.

Obviously, the issue of true repentance is complex and requires great wisdom. Caution must be balanced with compassion. It may take time for repentance to manifest itself through its fruits, but it should not be rushed (see 2 Cor. 2:5-8). When the church decides to reinstate a repentant person into its fellowship and at the Lord’s table, there should be no period of probation or membership of some second «grade.» Rather, the church should publicly declare its forgiveness (John 20:23), affirm its love for the repentant person (2 Cor. 2:8), and celebrate (Luke 15:24).

Why should the church practice discipline?

When a church begins to practice church discipline, it often encounters real-world situations that are complex and lack a clear «case study» in Scripture to help it understand the many circumstances. It will not always be clear whether formal church discipline is necessary, how long the processes should take, whether the guilty person has truly repented, and so on.

As the church and its leaders work through these difficult issues, they must remember that the church is called, first and foremost, to guard the name and glory of Christ. Essentially, church discipline is about the reputation of Christ and whether the church can continue to uphold the oral profession of someone whose life grossly distorts the image of Christ. The sins and circumstances of the sin itself will vary greatly, but this is the one question that should always be at the forefront of our church’s thinking: «How does this sinner’s sin and our response to it reflect the holy love of Christ?»

After all, caring for Christ's reputation means:

1. To care for the welfare of unbelievers. When churches do not practice church discipline, they begin to become like the world. They become like salt that has lost its saltiness and is no longer fit for anything except to be trampled underfoot by men (Matt. 5:13). They are no longer a witness to a world lost in darkness.
2. Care for other church members. Christians should strive to look like Jesus, and church discipline helps to keep this holy image clear. Every time a formal act of discipline occurs, church members are reminded of the importance and seriousness of their personal lives. As Congregationalist James so well observed:

«The advantages of discipline are obvious. It turns back backsliders, exposes hypocrites, spreads wholesome fear among the church, adds a new incentive to watchfulness and prayer, clearly testifies to human weakness and the consequences of sin, and publicly testifies against iniquity.»1.

3. Caring for people who have fallen into sin. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul knew that the most loving course of action was to expel a person from the church «so that his spirit may be saved in the day of [our] Lord [Jesus Christ]» (1 Cor. 5:5).

Why should the church practice discipline? For the good of the person who sins, the good of unbelievers, the good of the church, and the glory of Christ. Remembering these basic purposes will help churches and ministers move from one difficult situation to the next, knowing that God's wisdom and love will prevail, even when our human wisdom and love are imperfect.