Church Discipline Policies for MVCC

The subject matter of this document is difficult to address. There are intense emotions and potentially large consequences when policies of church discipline and restoration are implemented. Before such policies and procedures are implemented there must be careful research, a course of study that spans the breadth of the Scriptures, constant prayer, a sharpening of understanding between the brethren, and, above all, a humble spirit that seeks the Lord’s glory and will in the writing process. It is hoped that the presence of these qualities results in a product that balances truth and grace just as our Lord Jesus did during His time here on earth. Above all the aforementioned qualities, there must be a core attitude of love that emanates from the heart so that every aspect of the discipline and restoration process has the best interests of the Lord, the church, and the individual believer in mind at all times (I Peter 4:8).

Church discipline and restoration are consistent with the purposes of the Church: revealing God’s holiness and glory (Ephesians 3:10), bringing believers toward maturity (Colossians 1:28, Ephesians 4:13), and protecting the reputation of the Lord and His Kingdom as they are portrayed by His church (I Corinthians 11:22). Church discipline and restoration are to be viewed as a part of the maturation process as it ministers to those within the body of Christ who are dominated by or are struggling with an area of sin so that they may experience healing and growth. 

It should be noted here that church discipline at Mountain View Community Church (MVCC) applies to church members and those willing to voluntarily place themselves under MVCC’s discipline process for the purposes of restoration. All references to believers in this document assume membership or voluntary submission on the part of the person under discipline and restoration.

James 5:19-20 My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. NIV

The purpose of this section is to provide clarity and guidelines for the disciplining of believers, by the church, for those who have fallen into sin. This statement itself requires some clarification. The following definitions will help to further define the nature and scope of this section of this document:

Initial Definitions of Terms

“Believers” – Refers to any person who professes to have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Acts 5:14; 1 Tim 4:12). It signifies those who have exercised saving faith in the Person and work of Jesus Christ and who, as a result, have obtained a position as being a part of God’s family "in Christ" (Romans 8:1; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 1:3; etc.). As for determining who is a believer and who is not, it should be noted that it is not the position of the Church or any individual to judge another individual’s salvation status, instead the Church must operate on the basis of the confession of the individual (Romans 10:9-10).

“Discipline” - To train by instruction and through consequences (1 Corinthians 9:27). The biblical concept of discipline has both a positive side (instruction, knowledge, and training) and a negative aspect (correction, punishment, and rebuke). Those who refuse to submit to God's positive discipline by obeying His laws will experience God's negative discipline. Chastisement is another term often used in conjunction with discipline. Chastisement is the administration of punishment for the purposes of restoration. It usually refers to punishment administered for the purposes of: education, instruction, and training (Job 4:3; Psalms 6:7); corrective guidance (II Timothy 2:25); and, discipline, in the sense of corrective punishment (Proverbs 22:15; Hebrews 12:5-11; Revelation 3:19).

“Sin” – Can be defined as “lawlessness” (1 John 3:4) or transgression of God's will, either by omitting to do what God's word (law) requires or by committing what it forbids. The transgression can occur in thought (1 John 3:15), word (Matthew 5:22), or deed (Romans 1:32).”[i] For the purposes of this document, however, the type of sin referred to is of a type that is deemed by the Church to be egregious (serious in action and potential consequences), public (openly affecting others in the Body of Christ to some degree), and rebellious (a transgression willfully and knowingly committed, and without repentance) as judged by the shepherds of the Church.

The Origins and Basis for Discipline

The concept of church discipline originates with the fact that the Lord Himself disciplines His people (Hebrews 12:6). The Lord has delegated the disci­pline of the church family to the Church itself (I Corinthians 5:12-13; II Corinthians 2:6).  Discipline is further based on the character of God (1 Peter 1:16; Hebrews 12:11). In The pattern of God’s holiness, His desire for the Church to be holy is an important reason for the necessity of church discipline. A failure to exer­cise disci­pline in the church evidences a lack of awareness of and concern for the holiness of God, His Church, and His people.  Church discipline is to be patterned after the commands of Scripture (1 Corinthians 4:6). There are numerous passages of Scripture that both command and present us God’s directives on the how, why, when, and where of church discipline. Failure to exercise this responsibility demon­strates a lack of obedience (I Corinthians 5:1-13; Matthew 18:17-18; Titus 3:10; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; I Timothy 5:20; Galatians 6:1).  Another reason for the necessity of church discipline is the testimony of the Church in the world (I Peter 4:13-19). The world observes the behavior and life of the Church and its members. When the Church or its members act no differently than the world, its credibility is lost (1 Peter 2:11-18; 3:8-16; 4:1-4).

The Purposes of Church Discipline

Discipline brings glory to God and extends the influence of its members into the world.  It restores, heals, and builds up believers struggling with sin (Matthew 18:15; II Thessalonians 3:14-15; Hebrews 12:10-13; Galatians 6:1-2; James 5:20).  It produces a healthy faith that has sound doctrine (Titus 1:13; 1 Timothy 1:19-20).  It sets an example for the rest of the body and promotes Godly fear (I Timothy. 5:20).  It protects the church against the destructive conse­quences that occur when churches fail to carry out church disci­pline. A church that fails to exercise discipline ex­peri­ences loss of purity (1 Corinthians 5:6-7), loss of progress (Revelation 2:5 and 3:16), and loss of purpose (1 Peter 1:14-16; 2:9-15).

The Spirit of Church Discipline

All disciplinary action is to be administered by those in the church who are spiritual, walking by the Holy Spirit, and growing in the Lord (Galatians 6:1). Discipline must be done in a spirit of humility, gentleness and patience, with circumspect attitudes so that those who are administering the discipline are not tempted as well (Galatians 6:1-2; II Timothy 2:24-25). Discipline must be administered without favoritism or partiality (I Timothy 5:21). 

Those who continue to live rebelliously in sin are to be admonished, warned, and appealed to in love (I Thessalonians 5:14-15; I Timothy 5:1-2; Ephesians 4:15; II Timothy 4:2).  Admonish­ing is the responsibility of every believer in the Body of Christ (Colossians 3:16). The purpose of admonishment is to indicate to the offender that their sin has dishonored the Lord and has resulted in disruption in the unity or witness of the Body of Christ. A primary goal of admonishment or church discipline is the restoration and reconciliation of a member of God’s family to fellowship (II Thessalonians 3:14-15, I Corinthians 5:5) and ministry.

Reasons for Church Discipline

Great care must be exercised in the administration of church discipline.  Scrip­ture, not opinion or positions on debatable matters, must be the guide for determining sin.  Discipline should be administered only when a professed believer’s conduct is unmistakably out of line with the prescribed behaviors of Scripture and is therefore, negatively impacting the testimony and unity of the church (II Thessalonians 3:6-15).  Scripture instructs us to administer discipline when there are difficulties between members (Matthew 18:15-20), when a divisive or factious person is causing divisions in the church (Romans 16:17-18; Titus 3:9-11), when a person falls into immoral conduct (e.g., incest, immorality, cove­tous­ness, idolatry, abusive speech, drunkenness, swindling, gossip or those who spread dissension) (I Corinthians 5:1, 11; II Thessalonians 3:10-15), and when a person is spreading false teaching (I Timothy 1:20; II Timothy 2:17-18). 

The Procedures for Church Discipline

Matthew 18:15-20 “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’   17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” NIV

Step One 

Any believer who becomes aware of the need for admonishment in another believer’s life must first seek private correction and/or reconciliation with the offender (Matthew 18:15). Admonishing requires preparation. The believer who is considering admonishing another must bring the matter before the Lord in prayer before the confrontation takes place in order to seek wisdom and ascertain whether they have pure motives and heart in the matter (James 1:5; Matthew 7:1-5; Galatians 6:1-2).  Those who would seek to admonish another must make sure that the offense calls for disci­pline (Romans 14:1-4). Gossip and/or talking to others about the person is unbiblical. Until the sinning believer has been sought out and talked to privately one should refrain from talking to others concerning the situation (Matthew 18:16). The offending person must be guarded and protected from rumors and possible gossip (Proverbs 11:13).  There may be times when one might seek out godly counsel concerning a situation (to discern if admonishment is indeed in order) without revealing names or specifics. The caution against gossip, however, remains a priority.

Step Two

It is good for the believer who seeks to admonish to express their genuine appreciation for the other person to demonstrate that they are genu­ine­ly concerned about the other person’s welfare. Only after genuine concern and love has been established does one bring up the matter of concern. In some situations, the sin is apparent and there is no question, but those admonishing must allow for the possi­bility that they have misjudged or have wrong in­formation.  It is imperative to listen to the other person’s side of the story and seek the facts in the in­terest of truth and fairness (Proverbs 18:15, 19:2).  If it is clear that the person is in error and they fail to respond with repentance, let them know that, accord­ing to the instructions of Scripture (Matthew 18:16), the next step in the process is to have others from the church hear both sides of the issue and discern whether further action is necessary.

Step Three

If the one-to-one conversation did not have a satisfactory result and, in the view of the believer called to give admonishment, sin persists, one or two other impartial parties (Matthew 18:16) will be called upon to discern the correct course of action after hearing both sides of the issue (either exoneration or a second call to repentance). These two “witnesses”, in the view of MVCC, should be as Elder or Deacon, qualified individuals (I Timothy 3:1-9, Titus 1:5-9) who will therefore be able to render mature, biblical, and wise decisions regarding the matter. The witnesses will practice the same concepts as outlined in step two above in assessing the situation. If the witnesses determine that repentance is indeed called for, they too, out of love will call the offending believer to repentance and offer to help them in the process of restoration (see part two of this document for the restoration process). This second call to repentance comes with a warning that there are further steps to pursue out of love and concern for the individual’s restoration (Titus 2:15; 3:10).

Step Four

If the witnesses have come to the conclusion that a call to repentance is called for, and the offending believer chooses not to repent, and it is agreed that sin persists, the matter is to be taken to the church body for further deliberation and final discernment (again exoneration or a third call to repentance) (Matthew 18:17). At MVCC, representatives of the body (the ruling body or Pastoral staff as appropriate) are called upon to pronounce the judgment of the church body. If the presence of sin is affirmed by the representatives of MVCC, then church discipline is to follow. Since the offending party refuses to repent, church discipline may consist of; removal from leadership, and/or ministry, and/or fellowship with the church. The offending believer at this point becomes a potential candidate for restoration in the future.

Step Five

Having diligently performed the previous four steps, an individual who has been deemed to be in rebellious sin must be disciplined by the Church. This discipline, as noted above, may come in several forms. Such cases require that the Church be informed (Matthew 18:17). At MVCC, informing the Church consists of informing the ruling body, entering the discipline in the church record, and if deemed appropriate by the church leadership, public disclosure to the congregation in a manner that “speaks the truth in love.” Should the individual later repent and seek restoration, that too, requires the informing of the church ruling body, an entering into the record of the individual’s repentance and the beginning of the restoration process. At the time the restoration of the individual is deemed complete, a third informing of the ruling body, entering into the record and if appropriate, public disclosure is in order. This should be done with great joy and grace since this is the goal of all church discipline and restoration (II Corinthians 2:6-11).

What is Entailed in Church Discipline?

When church discipline is considered there are many questions and practical implications to be considered. At MVCC, church discipline is limited, but powerful. Removal from ministry and fellowship seems to be the scope of discipline the Lord has conferred upon the Church when disciplining a member of the Body. The practical nature of that discipline is defined below:

Removal from Church Leadership 

If those given the authority and responsibility of making a final decision on the matter of discipline so decide, then the individual will be relieved of ministry leadership and commensurate responsibilities (I Timothy 1:20; II Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 3:10). Ministry leadership is defined as: “A ministry position in which an individual has authority over other members of the Body of Christ.” This includes team leadership, teaching positions, and leadership positions which are involved in decision-making within any ministry in the Church.

Removal from Ministry Positions 

If those given the authority and responsibility of making a final decision on the matter of discipline so decide, then the individual will be relieved from positions of ministry service and commensurate responsibilities (I Timothy 1:20; II Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 3:10). Ministry positions are defined as: “A position in which an individual offers service of any sort to the church and others in a way officially affirmed and defined by the church.” This includes team membership, membership on service boards or committees, and any other positions which are involved serving the Body of Christ.

Removal from Fellowship 

If those given the authority and responsibility of making a final decision on the matter of discipline so deem, then the individual will be relieved of fellowship and commensurate privileges (I Corinthians 5:1-13). These privileges include but are not limited to the following: 1) Official membership at MVCC; 2) Voting privileges at MVCC; 3) Sanctioned taking of communion at MVCC (I Corinthians 5:11); 4) Loss of building use privileges at MVCC; and 5) Attendance at official MVCC functions (worship services and other church functions) if the ruling body so decides for safety or other reasons (I Corinthians 5:12-13).

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It is an earnest prayer that those who enter into this ministry (a serious and weighty process) would be filled with God’s Spirit, wisdom, and discernment. One of God’s greatest desires is to maintain the purity and holiness of His church. Church discipline is a difficult but necessary part of that call to purity. Like a parent disciplining their child, church discipline hurts the hearts of those disciplining, as well as those being disciplined. Such hurt is a good indicator that discipline is being administered in love as it should be. May the Lord be pleased with MVCC’s effort to fulfill His purpose in this matter.