Handbook of Church Discipline: A Right and Privilege of Every Church Member
Ebook
Overview
This is a handbook for pastors, elders, and all Christians who want to see how Scripture presents the process of discipline that should operate in the Christian community. It was written in response to the various concerns that threaten to tear apart marriages, families, friendships, and congregations--concerns that call for a biblical approach to discipline that can heal fractures, restore right relationship, and ensure the health of the church. Developed around the five corrective steps found especially in Matthew 18:15-17, this book helps church leaders deal with the sorts of problems that require the church’s disciplinary response. Charting a course that combines discernment with appropriate action, this simple, readable handbook can have a profound effect on the community of believers.
Top Highlights
“Incidentally, since the unrepentant person whose membership in the church has been terminated is said to be ‘removed from the midst,’ some think that he is not to be allowed to attend the worship services of the church. That is a wrong reading of the passage. What Paul means is that he is removed from the care and discipline of the church; he is no longer to be considered a member of the organized church.” (source)
“Thus, discipline is not, as many have thought, simply the negative task of reading troublemakers out of the church. Rather, first above all, it is God’s provision for good order in His church that creates conditions for the instruction and growth of the members. Discipline has a positive function.” (source)
“The implication of this biblical requirement to seek additional help in order to reclaim an offender is that Christians must never promise absolute confidentiality to any person.” (source)
“What then does one say when asked to keep a matter in confidence? We ought to say, ‘I am glad to keep confidence in the way that the Bible instructs me. That means, of course, I shall never involve others unless God requires me to do so.’ In other words, we must not promise absolute confidentiality, but rather, confidentiality that is consistent with biblical requirements. No Christian can rightly ask another for more than that.” (source)
“No, any offense that doesn’t get between us and the one who committed it—does not need to be raised. But anything that creates an unreconciled state between us and another must be brought up and dealt with. That is to say, any matter which is carried over to another day, any matter which makes you feel different toward that person for more than a passing moment, any matter that throws love’s covers off must be brought up.” (source)
Product Details
- Title : Handbook of Church Discipline: A Right and Privilege of Every Church Member
- Author: Adams, Jay E.
- Publisher: Zondervan
- Publication Date: 2016
- ISBN: 9780310535478
Jay E. Adams A.B., B.D., S.T.M., Ph.D. (1929-2020) served as a pastor, church planter, denominational executive, seminary professor, author, and lecturer. He taught homiletics at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and was the Director of Advanced Studies at Westminster Seminary in California. He was the founder of the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF), the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (formerly NANC), and the Institute for Nouthetic Studies (INS). He was the author of over 100 books including the best seller Competent to Counsel which launched the modern biblical counseling movement. He was the recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor awarded by the State of South Carolina.