When I was in college, I had a professor who had previously been a full-time pastor. In a discussion on ecclesiology one day in class, the subject of church discipline came up. Our professor told us that in the church he had led as pastor that he would contact the former church of anyone who sought membership in his church who had not recently moved to the area to ensure that no one was seeking a new church to avoid the discipline of another church. When asked how other churches responded, he told us that more often than not, the pastors of other churches seemed to be annoyed to have to take the time to answer the question.
What do you think? Have evangelicals neglected church discipline? Do you think churches should practice church discipline? Have you seen it work effectively? If so, what should it look like? What solution (if any) is there to the problem of enforcement?
In the earliest period of church history, questions were raised about whether any sins committed after one's baptism could be forgiven. Many in the early church believed that they could not, and this led to many, including the Emperor Constantine to receive baptism only when death seemed imminent. Eventually, the idea of penance and restoration to the church became more prevalent. Starting as a way to readmit those to the Church who had renounced the Christian faith or in some other way betrayed the church in the face of Roman persecution, over the next several centuries, a system grew up where one could enter the order of the penitents, carry out a penance that would often last several years, and eventually re-enter the church. While this was originally only permitted once in one's lifetime, eventually a system of confession and penance rose for all kinds of sins whether grave, mortal sins or venial sins.
In the pre-Reformation church, church discipline was universal. Harper and Metzger point out that if one was excommunicated in that period of time it was universal. After the Reformation with the fracturing of Protestantism, they argue evangelicals often respond to church discipline (when it is even carried out) by simply going to the next church down the road.
Essentially, Harper and Metzger identify two key problems. First, they note that although the New Testament is clear that churches do need to carry out discipline at times, the lack of specifics as to how this is to be done often results in churches neglecting this mandate. Second, they note that because of the fragmentation within evangelicalism, church discipline is easily ignored. Those who find themselves under discipline can simply go to the evangelical church down the street.
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Doesn't the reformation view of imputation of Christ's righteousness and our total depravity contribute to the lack of church discipline? If I am still a total sinner who cant help myself but am given Christ's righteousness in return for faith, than what motivation do work at gaining victory over my sin? Why would I need to go through discipline?
The internet monk asked a related question this week on his podcast:
"If evangelicals are not addressing the sinful behavior of people within their own congregation (cohabitation among unmarrieds, premarital sex among teens, etc.), than isn't it a bit strange to be spending so much time addressing the behavior of homosexuals no where near their church?"
I thought it was a good challenge. It's far easier to discuss such matters in the abstract, but much more difficult to practice and live out in the messiness of real relationships with real people.
The real problem is lack of true community relationships. How can "the church" discipline someone with whom there is no relationship? Not to infantilize Christians, but if I might use parenting as a metaphor... A parent cannot effectively discipline a child with whom there is no relationship. The relationship of love, respect, and caring is the foundation of discipline. Also, God disciplines those he LOVES. A church, or even people within the church, cannot presume to "discipline" someone until they have established a loving relationship with that person. It is my experience that many, many people have a shallow relationship with "the Church" in general, and few intimate, community-like relationships with the individuals who make up the church. How then, can any discipline take place?
Focusing on building true community, a web of loving relationships, should be the first concern of church leadership. Discipline can follow.
I currently serve in church leadership and am not at all satisfied with how we handle conflict. Having recently been part of asking someone to not come back to our church until they were willing to meet certain conditions, I have had to deal with those who were close to the individual question how we could do such a thing if we're a church about loving others (part of our mission statement that gets used against us when it's convenient). Church discipline is hard because the Church is part of the larger culture in which people do not want to take responsibility for their actions. We're also a consumer culture, so if I don't like your decision, I can take my marbles and go elsewhere. Or, like other unhealthy folks, I can stay in the church and wreak havoc. Since it is prescribed in scripture, I believe it is something that should be practiced, but how to do it and do it well, is the question. Not only does it require great prayer and discernment, it takes strong leaders who are willing to back up their actions and take an incredible amount of heat. In the end, we must be more dedicated to protecting the flock then cow-towing to a few vocal critics. Otherwise, we let the other side win.
Handling conflicts and church discipline clearly figure in both Jesus' words (Matt. 5, 7, 18, etc.) and in Paul's (T's example of 1 Cor. 6, plus 1 Cor. 5, Gal. 6, etc.). The goal of any discipline is restoration of relationships. Church leaders too frequently have their own stuff that they're hiding from others, and many have no accountability partners to continue maturing in Christ through their own valleys of darkness and temptation. Peacemaker Ministries (www.peacemaker.net) was formed out of Christian attorneys and the Christian Legal Society's concern that bringing our conflicts into secular courts harms or destroys our testimony to those who watch, and within the participants. Their training arm, the Institute for Christian Conciliation, teaches biblical conflict coaching, mediation, arbitration, church conflict intervention, and marital mediation, for attorneys, pastors, and peace-loving laity. Although many leaders at PM/ICC are complementarian and I'm egalitarian (!!), we respect one another's integrity and Christian witness.
I sit on a board of a local conciliation ministry (using ICC-trained bibilical conciliators) and we've all witnessed the power of Christ through loving discipline and the Word. Yet, it never ceases to sadden us how many Christian leaders and their congregants don't have the faith to believe that God is still God in/through the fires of conflict, so they cut and run, or attack, or slander, or hide, or lie, or give up. Christian leaders need to model a different way, the path Christ took through conflict - fearless truth-telling and loving grace.
Love includes discipline. Love without discipline and a call to holiness is an unholy desire to be liked and approved according to the flesh. Bonhoeffer's book, Life Together, clearly spells the consequences of those who form community on any other foundation than Christ alone. The fruits of the Spirit cannot be fully formed in the flesh.
I've personally witnessed how a major denomination preferred secular mediation over Christian mediation even when a secular business GM (a friend) asked specifically if they'd prefer the Christian mediation/arbitration, another major denomination's judicatory's flippant dismissal of their own Constitutional disciplinary procedures, and pastors/leaders who laugh at the Bible and their denominational documents when approached to handle conflict appropriately.
But, I've also witnessed healing and restoration in families, in Christian ministries, in marriages, among Christian business partners, and even between folks who'd been defrauded and those who'd committed fraud. God reigns!
The church misses such an incredible opportunity to confront our own sins openly, to become the living, walking, and dancing words of Romans 5:1-5, to testify through our own weaknesses how strong God is to heal the wounds, build us, unify and restore us, if only we won't avoid conflict and run away from discipline.
We sorely need more leaders who humbly model this courage and faith in Christ, so that church members may have the path to follow! There are quite many, but we need *lots* more!
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