Church discipline

I don't think we've had a Sunday at our church where the word "grace" hasn't been mentioned. Every message we deliver is clothed in the message of God's grace, forgiveness, and mercy - even in those stories where God's wrath causes devastation. Some are uncomfortable and critical about our single-minded focus especially as it relates to "some" people in our church who participate in socially unacceptable sins including homosexuality, adultery, etc. Then, there are those sins that we tend to consider "lesser" sins like divorce and re-marriage, tattoos, gluttony, pride, etc. Scripture instructs church leaders to indentify, address, and - if neccessary - discipline those who choose to attend church despite their decision to live in sin.

When it comes to sin in church, there is a crowd that is very focused on the importance of church discipline. When someone sins, the accused becomes susceptible to excommunication (as instructed by the Apostle Paul). Unfortunately, I think that too much emphasis is placed on what church leaders are supposed to do and who they are supposed to target. The process has a predictable pattern...

Collect information.
Find scriptural basis to form the basis for church discipline.
Have a meeting with the sinner and determine how things can be made right.
Over time, determine if they've changed and if they haven't, show them the door.

I believe that the Bible is clear about church discipline but I also think the Bible is clear about what relationships are supposed to look like.

My problem isn't the "what" or "who".
My problem is the "how".

Too many leaders are anxious to hammer sinners but fail to spend time teaching people about their identity in Christ. When people understand how they are viewed by God, they are transformed and in so many cases, I've seen lives change for the better. Does sinning stop? Not completely. However, as people change, they learn more about offering themselves as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).

I don't propose to have this issue figured out. These are just some thoughts in the journey...

* I think we need to look inward and address the "why" question. What drives our desire to confront? Is it because of our love for people and want to share God's Message of grace in the face of sin? Or, is it because we think we have the market cornered on right and wrong and we want people to change based on our understanding of scripture?

* Are we going to talk to them about their behavior in terms of right and wrong or in a way that we will lovingly help them see that their bad behavior is really just a misguided way to get perceived needs met apart from Christ? In other words, define the goal - to cause them to change how they act or to help them see Jesus as the answer and to come to the place where they trust Him as their life source?

* Are we addressing people in a judgmental tone or with an attitude of grace and love?

* Are we willing to engage people in conversation about their view of sin. I have found that as people begin the journey, they want to "dance" - not debate. Tone and attitude are so important when it comes to having conversations with people about their personal lives. If we use the Bible as a hammer, people run and don't come back.

* What sins are we willing to confront? Do we only address the "big" ones (as defined by today's evangelical community) or all of the sins listed in scripture?

* Have we earned the right to discuss sensitive issues or are we just on a mission of "seek and destroy"?

* What about us? Do we easily see the sins in other people's lives and stand ready to confront those while either being blind to our own sins? Do we minimize our sin? Are we willing to let someone confront us?

Discipline can be done in grace but so often, it's carried out in a penal environment. As in the life of Jesus, we can blanket everything in grace - especially in sensitive situations where people can feel like they're being pressed into a corner. Our Savior wasn't that type of teacher and leader.