Church discipline is not a popular subject. Mention the phrase and many people immediately think of harshness, judgment, or excommunication. Some imagine elders looking for faults or eager to punish those who stumble. In a culture that prizes autonomy and resists correction, discipline is often viewed as something negative and even unloving.
Yet the Scriptures present a very different picture. Biblical church discipline is not opposed to love. It is not primarily about punishment but about discipleship. It is the ordinary way Christ cares for His people, protects His church, and restores wandering sheep.
This is why our fourth membership vow in the RPCNA includes a promise to “respect the authority and discipline of the church.” That may seem like an unusual promise to make. Most people joining a church do not imagine that they will ever need correction. If correction becomes necessary, that is not the best time to begin explaining why Christ gave discipline to His church.
Matthew 18 in Context
The classic text for church discipline is Matthew 18. We remember Jesus’s instructions to go privately to a sinning brother, then to take one or two witnesses, and finally to tell it to the church, and its context matters.
Matthew 18 begins with the disciples arguing over who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus responds by placing a little child before them and teaching that true greatness is found in dependence upon God. He then warns against causing one of these little ones to stumble, pronouncing a severe judgment upon those who bring offenses into his church. After that comes the parable of the lost sheep, reminding us that the Good Shepherd seeks those who wander. Only then does Jesus explain how the church is to pursue a brother who has fallen into sin. God seeks, we seek.
The flow of the chapter is significant. Christ first teaches humility, then warns against causing believers to stumble, then pictures himself pursuing wandering sheep, and finally instructs his church how to pursue wandering believers. Church discipline is therefore not isolated from the ministry of Christ; it is one of the ways Christ continues his shepherding work through his church. It is a means of grace.
Even the well-known promise, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them,” belongs to this context. While applicable more broadly, Jesus spoke those words in connection with the church exercising discipline and making judgments according to his Word. Christ promises his presence as his church faithfully carries out the discipline of “binding and loosing.”
The Westminster Confession: A Biblical Summary of Church Discipline
The Westminster Confession of Faith devotes an entire chapter to church discipline (Chapter 30), and it serves as one of the clearest summaries of what Scripture teaches on the subject. Rather than presenting discipline as something harsh or authoritarian, the Confession presents it as one of the means of grace within the church.
It begins by reminding us that Jesus Christ alone is the king and head of the church. He has appointed a government in the hands of church officers, distinct from the civil magistrate (WCF 30.1). That distinction matters. The church does not possess the sword; it possesses the keys. Civil governments punish crimes against society, while the church shepherds souls according to the Word of God. Elders are therefore ministers, not magistrates. They have no authority to invent new laws or bind consciences where Scripture is silent. Their task is to minister Christ’s Word faithfully and exercise only the authority he has entrusted to them.
The Confession next reminds us that Christ has entrusted the keys of of the kingdom, doctrine and discipline, to the officers of his church (WCF 30.2). Those keys are exercised through the faithful preaching of the gospel and through biblical discipline. This is why discipline must never be exercised carelessly. The elders are called to speak ministerially, that is, as servants of Christ’s Word rather than magistrates over his people.
The next paragraph (30.3), gives five purposes for church discipline are listed: Discipline exists to:
1. Reclaim offending brethren
2. Deter others from similar sins
3. Purge the leaven that would infect the whole church
4. Vindicate the honor of Christ and his gospel
5. Prevent the wrath of God from falling upon the church
These purposes remind us that discipline is never about one individual, but the good of others and the glory of God. Discipline seeks the restoration of the sinner, the protection of the congregation, the purity of Christ’s church, and above all the glory of God.
Finally, the Confession teaches that discipline ordinarily proceeds in stages (WCF 30.4), there are levels of discipline. It begins with admonition (which we divide into admonition and rebuke). If repentance does not follow, stronger censures may become necessary, including temporary suspension from the Lord’s Table, and in the most grievous and persistent cases, excommunication. Even then, the purpose is never merely punitive. The goal remains repentance and restoration whenever God is pleased to grant it. Church discipline is therefore not the opposite of pastoral care; it is pastoral care.
Christ governs His church through his appointed officers. He has entrusted elders and pastors with the keys of the kingdom. He has given discipline for the good of his people and the honor of his name. And he calls his church to exercise that discipline patiently, wisely, and lovingly.
Discipline Is About Discipleship
The word discipline has acquired a negative reputation, but its root reminds us of something much richer. Discipline radically belongs to discipleship. A disciple is a learner, one who is continually being shaped into the likeness of Christ as a student of Christ.
Most church discipline never reaches the level of formal correction. In fact, perhaps eighty-five or ninety percent (my made up numbers) of discipline is simply Christians encouraging and challenging one another follow Jesus according to the Word. We see this every week in healthy congregations. Members encourage one another before worship. Families serve one another in times of need. Older believers counsel younger Christians. Friends ask difficult questions concerning the state of one’s soul. Brothers pray with brothers. Sisters encourage sisters. All of this is discipline in the best sense of the word. This is the 85 or 90% of discipline, which is preventative. And this is exactly what the New Testament envisions.
Paul exhorts spiritually mature believers to restore those overtaken in sin “in a spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1). Notice the emphasis. Restoration comes first. Gentleness characterizes the process. Every Christian should desire this kind of accountability because every Christian recognizes his or her own weakness. Someday I may be the one who needs another believer to come alongside me and say, “Brother, I’m concerned about what I’m seeing.” The same is true for you and your neighbor in the pew. Far from being harsh, this mutual care is one of God’s ordinary means of preserving His people.
The Loving Work of Preventative Discipline
Hebrews 12 gives another biblical foundations for discipline. The writer reminds believers that the Lord disciplines those whom he loves. Earthly fathers discipline their children imperfectly, yet wise children learn to respect them. How much more should believers receive the loving discipline of their heavenly Father, who always acts for our good and holiness? God’s discipline is evidence of his fatherly love, not of his rejection. It produces “the peaceable fruit of righteousness” in those who have been trained by it.
God often accomplishes this fatherly discipline through ordinary means, including the ministry of his church. Likewise, Hebrews 13 reminds believers to obey those who rule over them because elders “watch for your souls.” Elders are not just administrators or organizational leaders. Christ has entrusted them with the spiritual care of his flock. They know the congregation. They pray for the people under their care. They counsel, encourage, admonish, and comfort as different situations require. Their goal is not to exercise power but to shepherd souls faithfully before God, knowing they themselves will one day give an account.
This is why preventative discipline is so important.
Our Book of Discipline speaks of preventative discipline as elders knowing their people well, praying for them consistently, and visiting with them faithfully. When members encourage one another and elders lovingly shepherd the flock, many larger problems may never develop. Much corrective discipline becomes unnecessary because ordinary pastoral care has already done its work.
Wisdom in Caring for Souls
One of my favorite passages in this entire discussion is 1 Thessalonians 5:14: ”We exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.” Notice that Paul does not tell us to treat every person exactly the same. The unruly require warning. The fainthearted need comfort. The weak require support. Every person is different, and wisdom is required to know what each soul needs.
Sometimes Christians assume that faithfulness means confronting everyone with the same tone and the same approach. Scripture teaches otherwise. Shepherding requires discernment One believer is rebellious and needs firm admonition. Another is crushed by discouragement and needs gentle encouragement. Still another has fallen because of weakness rather than defiance and needs someone to help carry his burdens.
This is true not only for elders’ pastoral care, but for every mature Christian. We are called to care for one another wisely, patiently, and lovingly.
Corrective Discipline
Of course, there are times when preventative discipline is not enough. Jesus gives the pattern in Matthew 18 as we began with. If a brother sins, the first step is private conversation. If he listens and repents, Jesus says, “You have gained your brother.” The matter is over. There is no need to publicize the sin or continue discussing it. Restoration has occurred.
If the person refuses to listen, one or two additional witnesses are brought into the conversation. Again, the goal remains restoration, not escalation. Only if there is continued refusal to “win your brother” does the matter come before the church, that is, before the church acting through the session.
This orderly process reflects both justice and love. Scripture consistently requires two or three witnesses before serious accusations are established. Moses taught this principle. Jesus affirmed it through the woman caught in adultery. Paul applied it. The church is never free to ignore biblical standards of justice simply because accusations are emotionally charged or things seem obvious.
Justice matters because souls matter.
Why Discipline Matters
The Reformers famously identified three marks of a true church: the faithful preaching of the Word, the right administration of the sacraments, and the faithful exercise of church discipline. Why was discipline included alongside preaching and the sacraments?
Because holiness matters.
Our Book of Discipline, like the Westminster Confession before it, summarizes several biblical purposes for discipline. It seeks to reclaim wandering believers, deter others from similar sins, preserve the purity of the church, uphold the honor of Christ, maintain the truth of the gospel, and prevent God’s displeasure from resting upon His people.
History repeatedly demonstrates the consequences of abandoning this responsibility. Churches that cease correcting error rarely remain faithful for long. False teaching spreads. Moral compromise increases. The gospel itself gradually becomes obscured or disappears. The “Old Mothers” of American mainline Christianity stand as examples of this fact. Without discipline, “candlesticks” are removed. Christ warned the churches in Revelation that he could remove their lampstand if they refused to repent. A congregation may retain its buildings, its history, and even its denominational name while losing the the blessing of Christ, even becoming “synagogues of Satan.” Discipline matters. Discipline, therefore, is not opposed to the church’s mission. It protects it.
Healthy church discipline must always combine justice with mercy. Our Presbyterian system reflects this in an excellent way. Elders are not free to invent procedures or exercise arbitrary authority. They are bound by Scripture and by constitutional processes that seek to ensure justice for everyone involved. One of the great strengths of Presbyterian government is that disciplinary decisions may be reviewed by higher courts. Sessions answer to presbyteries, and presbyteries answer to synod. If mistakes are made, appeals or complaints are possible. These layers of accountability exist because Christ’s church values justice as well as holiness.
The goal is never simply to reach a verdict. The goal is to reach a just verdict.
The Church Caring for One Another
When most Christians hear the words church discipline, they think immediately of excommunication. In reality, excommunication is extraordinarily rare and should be. Long before discipline reaches that point, countless conversations have usually taken place. Members have prayed. Friends have pleaded. Elders have visited. Admonitions have been given. Opportunities for repentance have been extended again and again.
Most discipline never becomes public because, by God’s grace, most discipline succeeds long before formal censures become necessary. When we step back and consider the big picture, we discover something beautiful. Church discipline is simply the church being the church. It is members encouraging one another toward holiness. It is spiritually mature believers restoring those who stumble. It is elders lovingly watching over souls entrusted to their care. It is Christ continuing his shepherding through the ordinary life of his people.
Rather than fearing or disparaging church discipline, Christians should be grateful for it. A church that lovingly corrects, patiently restores, faithfully shepherds, and carefully follows the Word of God is not an unsafe space. It is one of the safest places a believer can be. For there, under the care of Christ the Chief Shepherd, his people learn together what it means to follow him in holiness, humility, and love.
Written by Dr. Nathan Eshelman