Positional Statement Series Part 3: Concerning Church Discipline

Church Discipline can be found in Matthew 18:1-10. Matthew 18:15-20 (ESV) states,

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, takes one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

This is the Church Discipline policy. Church Discipline is a very tight issue that faces churches today. Church Discipline policies should be instituted when they are unruly. Here are the steps that I would do for a church discipline policy.

Step 1: Tell him his sin alone.

Step 2: Take some witnesses.

Step 3: Tell the Church.

Step 4: Treat him as an outsider.

This is the four-step process that I would enact when dealing with a person’s sin that affects the church and the individual. Going as an individually is better than immediately making that sin known to the congregation. Church Discipline is hard to enact because you love and care for all your church members and you are sad when you enact a church discipline policy.