What Is Church Discipline and Why Is it Important for Churches Today?
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When Christians think of church discipline, our thoughts often go straight to sin, its rebuke, and corrective measures. But church discipline is much more grounded in the process of discipleship than we readily realize. To explain, Jesus is not only our Savior but He is also our Lord. Because He is Lord of all (Acts 10:36), true Christians are to become more and more like Him (Romans 8:29), and that process of discipleship includes discipline. Christian discipleship includes two kinds of discipline: formative and corrective.
Formative discipline can be likened to the salt Jesus speaks of in Mark 9:50. Salt has historically been, and continues to be, used as a preservative due to its ability to prevent decay in substances to which it is applied. Pastor Mark Dever adds, “Formative discipline is a preventative measure. It includes the positive, direct teaching of biblical truth through sermons and Sunday school lessons. It also includes modeling godliness and mentoring new believers.” Do you see how the “salt” of formative discipline protects a believer from the decay wrought by false teaching and other sins?
Corrective discipline is used when problems occur, and within a bunch of sinners (as we all remain), frequent trouble is not unusual. Pastor Dever explains, “It can include contradicting, challenging, rebuking, and excommunicating a member for unrepentance or erroneous teachings.”
The topic of church discipline can be contentious, however. Unless a church has a clearly written and accessible disciplinary procedure in their constitution/handbook, contention is not only possible, it’s probable. Healthy churches implement a corrective discipline process according to the Lord's example, and they acknowledge its positive outcomes. If ungodly behavior isn’t controlled, it creates dissension and disrupts church unity. This could tempt church leaders to neglect discipline, as nobody appreciates rebuke, especially when made known to the church. Ignoring essential discipline within a church, however, undermines its Christian witness and slanders Jesus’ name to both believers and nonbelievers.
The Lord God knows the hearts of men, including our identity as sinners and our ongoing inclination to sin. For healthy churches, church discipline is an integral part of the discipleship process. Jonathan Leeman says corrective discipline is “the part where we correct sin and point the disciple toward the better path. To be discipled is, among other things, to be disciplined. And a Christian is disciplined through instruction and correction, as in a math class where the teacher teaches the lesson and then corrects the students' errors.” Therefore, we can say church discipline is either instructive (which should be ongoing) and/or corrective.
What Does the Bible Say about Church Discipline?
Most of us don’t desire to be rebuked. But the Lord Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:15-17 how church discipline is supposed to operate. The Bible is gracious and clear about discipline, and the hallmark verse about God’s righteous discipline is Hebrews 12:7-9: “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them. Shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?” Here, our Father gives the meaning behind discipline.
For the benefit of those who oversee His church, the Lord Jesus spelled out the manner and practice of church discipline in Matthew 18.
In vv. 3-5, Jesus alludes to what we read in the Hebrews passage when He speaks of one humbling himself like a child. And we know that to discipline others and accept it requires humility.
As we read on in Matthew 18, the parable of the lost sheep (vv. 12-14) flows right into Christ’s discourse on discipline, for a lost sheep is a metaphor for one who’s sinned and needs corrective discipline. If a sheep is permitted to continue in its course away from the shepherd, it will (1) fall into harm itself and/or (2) lead other sheep to harm. Elders oversee their flock of Christians and they are accountable to our Chief Shepherd (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:2-4). They are to be on guard for those members who are veering away from the main flock and into sin.
Verses 15-17 encompass the Lord’s command about discipline to the church. We are to exemplify discipline just as we model all the other Christlike qualities with which the Holy Spirit imbues us. This key passage regarding church discipline, “Now if your brother sins, go and show him his fault, between you and him alone; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every act may be confirmed. And 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 the Gentile and the tax collector.”
If at any time the person genuinely repents, they should seek counsel and begin the restoration process. We need to remember that as the church, we are all to keep a close watch on each other (Galatians 6:1-2; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 12:25). Our elders are there for oversight and counsel in these matters.
But because we also recognize formative church discipline as encompassed within the discipleship process, strong, biblical teaching will help grow the church in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The greater our growth in Him, the greater the acknowledgement and acceptance of both forms of church discipline.
What Were the Reasons Why Church Discipline Was Practiced in the Early Church?
First and foremost, church discipline was practiced in the early church because Christ demands it for the order of the church and to protect His name.
The Apostle Paul recounts necessary disciplinary practices against specific issues in a number of passages (although this list isn’t exhaustive):
- 1 Corinthians 5-sexual immorality, harboring a sinner with inaction, boasting
- Galatians 6:1-anyone caught in sin
- Ephesians 5:11-evil deeds
- 1 Thessalonians 5:14-unruly (disruptive) behavior
- 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15-disobedience, stealing, laziness, gossip
- 1 Timothy 5:19–20-unrepentant sin
- 2 Timothy 3:5-imposters (people faking true faith)
- Titus 3:9–11-following foolish controversies and genealogies, strife, conflicts, divisiveness
- The Apostle John tells us in 2 John 10 to refuse fellowship with one who doesn’t follow biblical teaching.
The early church recognized the serious nature of church discipline. A 9Marks Ministry article explains, “Indeed, the early church disciplined members both for the propagation of false doctrine and lack of moral purity. It was common practice in the early days of the church to announce disciplinary judgments on Sunday in the context of the church service.”
What Does Church Discipline Look Like in Practice?
Because church discipline is first, formative, practices which promote unity in Christ include solid, biblical teaching and preaching (in the pulpit, in adult and young peoples’ Sunday schools, and in other Bible studies).
Corrective church discipline is a godly and right practice in a healthy church—one that follows the Lord Christ as closely as possible. Every church ought to have a plainly and clearly written procedure for corrective discipline, which should dispel issues of partiality or people-pleasing. The process of the church’s response to a member’s sin is as follows:
Revelation:
Every Christian sins, and not one of our sins lies hidden to the Lord or to ourselves (1 John 1:10). Every sin affects the Lord, us, and others, whether confessed tr not. When we recognize personal sin, the Lord tells us if we confess them to Him, “He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). We know when we have sinned against another, and we need to repent. Period. First to the Lord and then to those our sin has affected.
When the church discovers the sin of one of its members, the next step is taken.
Rebuke:
Our sins as Christians affect the church, and the church is to hold the sinner accountable. Following the Lord’s guidelines, the person to whom the sin was exposed is to go to the sinning person and lovingly confront them. Before we rebuke another for an exposed sin, however, we are to consider our sinful state and treat the offending party as a beloved brother- or sister-in-Christ. We are to go to them humbly and with great grace and mercy, just as our Savior shows us every day (Hebrews 12:14-15).
If the issue is resolved one-on-one, that resolution is finalized, and the restoration process should begin within the privacy of the two parties. If the sinning person refuses to repent, the next steps are followed until repentance is achieved or the person is removed from the church.
Repentance:
When confronted with our sin, our first action should be to confess, then ask forgiveness and repent—genuinely repent. Whether it’s before one other person or before the elders or the whole congregation, repentance is a must.
When a member does these things, it’s our privilege as the body of Christ to encourage them and help them get better. The elders are to have oversight in all matters in the church, and they will help with counsel to the sinner.
Restoration:
This is the best part, right? When a church is unified in Christ, we rejoice with the sinner who has been restored to a right relationship with the Lord and with the church. Discipline done properly according to the Lord’s command is a beautiful outworking of the church.
How Church Discipline Can Lead to Restoration and Growth
Both forms of church discipline will further the godly unity of a body of believers. Gospel-centeredness, humility, holy living, forgiveness, and love are but some of the hallmarks of a healthy church community. The Apostle Paul makes a profound statement to this effect in his epistle to the Ephesian church, “Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1-3).
Each member of the church guards the others in our walks with Christ, in prayer, and in encouragement. When a member is held accountable, it’s important they know they have not been singled out to fail. They have been brought before the overseers, the church, and the Lord Christ for corrective measures to restore them into a right relationship first with their Lord, then with His church. The Bible tells us we hold each other up (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) both for correction and edification.
As a result, the church sees the Lord working in and through each person who is involved in the matter. The Bible says, “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8), and, love, “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7). The strong witness to the church and to unbelievers will protect the church and will protect and make much of the name of Christ.
The Role of Church Discipline in a Healthy Christian Community
The gospel not only declares Jesus as Savior but it also declares Him as Lord. When a church practices discipline as prescribed by our Lord, it is acting in obedience to His command. Because we are sinners, we sin, and it’s best to have a formative and corrective disciplinary process in place at the outset of a church’s establishment.
When people seek to join a church community, it benefits the existing church to explain what being a church member entails. The local church is not a social club where attendance for one hour a week suffices. The church, because it’s filled with Christians, is a living organism in service and obedience to and for the glory of Christ, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). These are the people with whom we will spend eternity, and proper church discipline is part of our preparation for the best that’s yet to come.
A church which lacks discipline, however, lacks strong leaders who adhere to biblical standards. A church with no discipline will generate chaos instead of order that keeps it healthy and conformed to the Lord’s commands for His body. When a church and its leadership community seeks to please men instead of the Lord, trouble comes.
Pray for the overseers God has chosen to place in our churches. And remember and practice the Lord’s admonition to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus (2 Peter 3:18) and to hold each other accountable (James 5:16).
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