3 Steps to Church Discipline [Disciplined Disciples]

—PJ King

Disciplined Disciples is a series which serves as an introduction to the practice of church discipline.

Previously, I split church discipline into two categories, formative and corrective, and briefly discussed formative discipline. This week, I will discuss the process of corrective discipline.

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Corrective discipline among church members is essential to the function of a healthy church. Based on certain assumptions, we know that the New Testament’s teachings on Christian discipline should be properly interpreted as church discipline. With this in mind, read the model Jesus offered for us to follow:

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Matthew 18:15-17)

When Christians think about church discipline, we typically think only in terms of the public expression of the practice. However, without the first steps that Jesus laid out, effective church discipline is nearly impossible. Most Biblical church discipline really takes place in the messy one-on-one or few-on-one encounters.

The passage in Matthew specifically references times when "your brother sins against you." However, church members are not limited to addressing only sins committed against them. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul commands the Corinthian church to discipline a man whose private sin was made public. Additionally, in Galatians 6, Paul urges the church to restore those who are caught in any transgression. With these passages in mind, I would argue that the process described by Jesus is valid not only for those who have sinned against you but also for those whose sin has become known to you.

How are members supposed to know about other members' sins? Throughout my Christian life, I was taught to participate in "accountability groups" or to have an "accountability partner", where I would meet with people I knew and we would discuss our sins. Maybe I was doing it wrong, but I never found them to be particularly effective. I think the major fault in that system is that it is based on the partners actually telling the truth! I don't know about you, but if I'm sinning, I'm not usually willing to admit it. Of course, accountability systems can work, particularly in cases where your sin habits are already known, but I can't endorse them as the catch-all for discipline.

I think the best way to know each other in such a way that sins are also known is to live in community with other church members. For us, that means being in each other's homes and refusing to put up a façade. It means not saying that everything is fine when it isn't. It means allowing ourselves to be known by some close friends to the extent that they can immediately call us out when we're doing something wrong. Keep in mind, though, that we are to lovingly confront someone about his sin, in a peaceable spirit which is earnestly seeking that he grows in likeness to Christ. Sometimes all that is needed is a short correction or an invitation to brotherly discussion. We are not to offer correction out of criticism or harsh judgment with a "holier than thou" attitude. We sharpen each other out of love.

Long before a member can be confronted by the whole church body, he should be confronted by those who know him best. Only when members know each other intimately enough to identify sin can this take place. The beauty of the first steps is that, when successful, they preclude the need for public discipline.

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Next week, I will discuss the purpose behind the practice of church discipline.

What questions do you have about the Biblical commands to practice church discipline? Leave a comment below.