Church discipline - what happened?
29th Feb 2012
The Bible could not be clearer about the reality and necessity of church discipline. While it is right to expect Christians to be undergoing the process of sanctification, in a sinful world, from time to time there are people who are not growing to be more like Jesus in this way. And, sadly, there are some occasions when professing Christians rebel against godly behaviour.
1 Corinthians 5 is perhaps the clearest place that the Bible speaks to the need of discipline. The Corinthian church is proud of the sexually immoral behaviour of someone who professed to know and follow Christ. The church is told that some form of discipline is necessary both for the sake of the rebellious person (1 Cor 5:5) and also to protect the whole church from accepting, and ultimately engaging in the same kind of sinful behaviour (1 Cor 5:6).
The excommunication of the one professing to know Christ under such circumstances is hard, but necessary for the spiritual well being of all concerned.
Reflecting on this and other passages, I often ask myself the question: Have we gone soft on church discipline? Immorality and other sin is a reality in our churches. Sometimes there is repentance. Other times there is not. And yet, it seems that church discipline is rarely exercised, if at all. Here are 4 reasons why I suspect we don’t do well in this area:
1. Postmodernism – in a world dominated by postmodern thinking (and a good dose of Aussie tall poppy syndrome thrown in), leaders are generally stripped of their authority and authority itself is despised. Everyone’s views are considered equal, and leader’s feel the difficulty of acting with the authority that the Bible says they should have.
2. Pragmatics – our methods seek to win and persuade people. This, off course, is right (cf 2 Corinthians 5:11). We also know that involving people, generating ownership and inspiring people often produces better results. Even when we act in child protection issues, it is for the benefit of the whole Christian fellowship. But a result is that we find it difficult to rebuke and discipline those who need it.
3. Anglican structures – the current round of AGMs across our churches reminds us that a member of an Anglican church is anyone is baptised and has attended for 3 months. Defining ‘membership’ so vaguely like this makes it difficult for leaders to have a basis to rebuke and discipline people. People themselves have not agreed to submit to the benefits and responsibilities of membership, and pastors themselves are vague about who they should be caring for.
4. We don’t like it – enough said!
No doubt there are other reasons as well. I am just not sure that any of them are good enough.
The Rev Raj Gupta is the senior minister of Toongabbie Anglican Church, member of Standing Committee, and Mission Area Leader of the Parramatta Mission Area. He is also a partner with the 'Exploring Effective Ministry under God' team, and currently undertaking a Doctor of Ministry at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDs).
Comments (11)
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February 29, 12 - 9:47pmRaj,
Well said. Well written - especially re postmodernism and the immature nature of leadership today.
I agree with this, especially the crisis of authority. No one wants to be a leader but instead wants to be some community leader, equal to everyone, afraid of wielding authority for just ends. It is immature.
I will also say that we get the leaders we deserve, because on the odd occasion when church leaders do have the gumption to assert their authority, there are often critics waiting to pounce and draw on the latent Australian sympathy for the "victims" of authority, however deserving the victim is of a dose of discipline.
Robert -
February 29, 12 - 11:42pmI’ve been disciplined so many times in the context of the gathering that I’ve well and truly lost count. It happens in the hearing of the word – the word teaches me, it disciplines me.
I do remember one person gently restoring me when he pointed out the error of my ways when I kept not fulfilling my responsibilities as a Sunday School teacher, choosing athletics over faithfulness to the children.
Galatians 6: Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
All of us in Christ are to always be seeking the salvation of others. Whatever is required by any of us in our love for our christian brothers and sisters, we are to be spiritual, seeing our own sinfulness and seeking the salvation of others.
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March 1, 12 - 7:26amI also think we just need to grow some spine and show some gumption as a church.
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March 1, 12 - 11:51amSadly,both laity and church leaders need to be disciplined at some stage...Often in their geneuine endeavours to discipline both can make matters worse; even reprehensible. More pathetically, the same people because of their positional power often repeat the same mistakes over and over again.
In amongst our leaders and laity are not simply sinners, but what the Bible refers to as "wolves in sheeps clothing." The power they wield and abuse these people inflict is simply breathtaking, from child abuse and they get moved on, to accusing others in their parish of child abuse or some other reprehensible act falsely which destroys marriages, lives and parishes; all in the name of Jesus Christ of course. Then others who abuse their power and get one of the largest legal firms in Australia to teach a person with an ABI-Acquired Brain Injury, who was unable to get legal advice, a personal and legal lesson, over a matter the Church were completely guilty of; but covered it up rather than apologise and make restitution as the Bible says.
If those who are guilty across denominations are allowed to get away with the things they do, are not disciplined, continue to destroy lives and we as observers or who are charged with doing the right thing, living with integrity,protecting the innocent, the wronged, the most vulnerable in our communities, to save face, reputations in parishes and denominations;it will be God that avenges but Christlike Leadership is what God asks of us!
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March 1, 12 - 11:58amLinked to #3, there is a link to the proliferation of denominations. Until the first major split in the 11th Century, there was only one church community per town. If you were excluded, there was no other fellowship to belong to. Now, you can choose between at least 10 others down the road. So, the discipline of exclusion intended to bring repentance just shifts the problem to a different fellowship.The churches that can do discipline effectively are those with stronger requirements for membership (e.g. Brethren) and those with a more centralised hierarchy (eg Catholic and Orthodox), since being excluded has a higher price.
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March 1, 12 - 9:33pmThanks Raj, that's a helpful critique, but can I add a 5th: We don't know how to do it! Is church discipline a rebuke? Excommunication (what does that mean today anyway?)? Withholding communion (are we even allowed to do that?)? Asking them to not attend Bible Study groups? Not eating in their home, or our home? Asking them to step down from responsibility? Not treating them as a beliver (how do you do that anyway?)?.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. -
March 1, 12 - 9:52pmAndrew makes a good point about what does it mean when there are so many Protestant denominations.
Marcus: good questions. Do we shun? -
March 2, 12 - 12:43amHi Raj,
great article. I do have to agree with Marcus in #7 though. To often we hear semons about how to lead Christ filled lives but not how to correct someone who has strayed. I think one thing that should be kept in mind is that whatever we do, we do in love. If it is not done out of love then we fall victim to it being done for other reasons.
One last point I think we need to recognise is that I believe we struggle to Excommunicate/shun/rebuke because we don't trust in God. We don't trust in faith that if that particular person is saved (and is just struggling at that point in time), God will show them the way back in whatever way he sees fit. Sometimes time away is what someone needs to see that what they have missed in simple fellowship of other believers.
I also agree with Robert in #4, we need to grow a spine in todays society. A spine that is lead by wisdom and grace. -
March 2, 12 - 4:51amRaj,
With people being more mobile, there is more choice and with that it easy to adopt a consumer attitude to church. A church is not one where you are a member or where you belong, but one where you choose to attend, and if you are made accountable for something, you can leave and choose another church.
Another reason we don't like it is because our culture prizes individualism. We rightly emphasize personal and individual conversion by grace through faith, however over the course of the latter part of the 20th century, it appears (to me at least) that the Western church is forgetting that although we are saved individually, we are saved in order to be the people of God. It is no wonder why so many Christians find the whole notion of church disciplineto be a no-go zone for the same reason that church membership is a no-go zone. Because both imply accountability, and we prize individuallity over community and at the same time long for it.
Yet desiring Community on individual terms is an awful paradox.We are saved individually to be a community.
This topic Raj reminds me of something that Carl Trueman (from Westminster Theological Serminary) said:
I think church discipline is a problem. I'm not sure that the church has ever come to terms with the invention of the car. How do you exert proper restorative pastoral discipline in a situation where somebody can just get in their car and drive to the next town if they don't like your church?
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March 9, 12 - 12:06amI think church discipline is a problem. I'm not sure that the church has ever come to terms with the invention of the car. How do you exert proper restorative pastoral discipline in a situation where somebody can just get in their car and drive to the next town if they don't like your church?
Answer: Let them go. If they refuse to be disciplined then you don't want them in your congregation. Let God deal with them.
My wife's mother once had a conversation (over 30 years ago now) with the minister of the Methodist/Uniting church she went to. Asking him why he only talked about love and didn't teach the hard stuff, he replied that he would lose half the congregation. She then asked which half did he want.
Part of the issue with church discipline- in addition to the shallow theology many churches seem to have - is the "personlisation" of the Bible. Instead of being seen as directions or exhortations to a congregation (i.e. 3rd person plural), they are taken as being directed to them as an individual. As such they see it as a personal rather than a corporate issue.
That's part of the problem of the church in Australia being largely middle class, I suspect; middle class morality has tended to usurp christian holiness. -
March 12, 12 - 12:15amHi Raj
Two other problems perhaps -
- we don't see discipline being exercised against those in leadership in the Anglican Church in other places around the world who are in clear breach of the Bible, so what should we discipline for?
- the threat of legal action (having thought about disciplining someone publicly, but slander, libel threats are real - and we know some of the court cases).
