Introduction
This post continues our walk through the proposed constitution and bylaws. This series aims to draw attention to specific details in the documents and provide an opportunity for questions and feedback. See the first post in this series for more information.
Today, we are going to address Bylaws Article 1, Sections 3–4 titled "On Church Discipline" and "Reaffirmation & Termination of Membership." Download the proposed constitution at this link to follow along.
Maintenance required
Last time, we examined the theme of church membership from the perspective of entering into membership (qualifications, the process for joining, etc.). The aim of these processes is to encourage meaningful membership at Sojourners Church. Because church membership is vital for all followers of Jesus, we must be clear on what it is and how we enter into membership.
But membership does not remain rich and meaningful on its own. Because we live in a fallen world and lead busy lives with many cares, membership unmaintained will degrade into just another mailing list we belong to. How many of us have memberships in things we don't even remember joining? I paid $20 for a lifetime membership to REI five years ago, and I don't even think about it until I get my annual coupon.
Meaningful church membership requires maintenance. And God has given us a means of maintenance in the scriptures: church discipline.
Church Discipline
Church discipline often gets a bad rap, because we view it only as punitive discipline. But we must understand that church discipline is both proactive and reactive. We know that "believers are directed to not 'continue in sin' and sin in the Christian's life is to be confessed and forsaken." This is true for all of us all the time. To sin, confess our sin, and repent and turn from our sin to Jesus is the normal Christian life. A repentant sinner needs proactive church discipline to help them live with godliness. In that case, church discipline is like the road sign that says "SLOW"—be careful, it's icy here. Proactive church discipline is fellow believers helping one another confess and forsake sin and pursue righteousness. So in that sense, church discipline happens constantly.
But church discipline can also be reactive and reformative. We practice reactive church discipline when professing believers are "in persistent, unrepentant sin...." To sin and refuse to recognize or forsake sin that sin calls for more direct and sometimes forceful church discipline. In those cases, church discipline is like the sign at the edge of the cliff that says "STOP!"—the aim is to save someone from utter disaster. It's this more direct and forceful, reactive church discipline that is addressed in Article 1, Section 3.
Reactive church discipline can be both private and public. Normally private admonition proceeds public admonition (Matt 18: 15–17). It can also be formal or informal. It may take the form of private admonition from the elders or public warnings to the person and the congregation. It may even go as far as removal from church membership—the most drastic form of church discipline.
When we welcome someone into membership, one of the things we are saying about them is: "You seem to be bearing fruit in keeping with repentance. You say you are a Christian, and we agree and support your testimony." Conversely, when we remove someone from membership, we are saying: "You are acting in a way that calls into question your claim to belong to Christ. Your sinful actions and refusal to repent mean we are no longer willing to say that we agree with and support your testimony." This is a hard, but necessary thing to do. Thankfully, we have been given a clear warrant from scripture to do such things (Matthew 18:15–17; 2 Thessalonians 3:14–15; 1 Timothy 5:19– 20; 1 Corinthians 5:4–5).
The goal of church discipline is always restoration. Our tenor in church discipline should follow Paul's admonition in 2 Tim 2:24–26: "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." In church discipline, we aim for the holiness of the individual, the instruction in godliness of other Christians, the purity and witness of the church, and ultimately the glory of our Holy God.
It is clear from these aims and from experience that church discipline can go rightly but often goes horribly wrong. Much Spirit-given wisdom is needed to practice church discipline in a God-honoring way. Pray with me that God would give such wisdom to Sojourners Church. And pray that we would all be built up and strengthened in the faith, to be able to flee from sin and pursue grace-given righteousness.
Reaffirmation & Termination of Membership
One of the goals of this constitution process is making our Membership Covenant (discussed last time) both more accessible and more meaningful. To encourage us regularly to reflect on our promises to one another as members, we are going to implement yearly membership reaffirmation. The actual process for reaffirming membership is simple and straightforward. This reminder will be helpful in keeping these things at the front of our minds the rest of the year. We also plan to use our membership covenant regularly in corporate worship to remind one another of our promises.
The proposed constitution also has clear language for ending membership at Sojourners. Just as we want to bring people into membership well, we also want to help them leave well. Frequently, transferring to a different church involves slowly fading away from one church and fading into another. That is neither healthy nor helpful for God's people. We recognize that for a variety of reasons God may call us to one church for a season of life and to a different church at a different season. We want to encourage folks to be all-in to the membership and mission wherever God is planting them. Leaving well and clearly helps that transition.