BYLAWS

SECTION 7 – CHURCH DISCIPLINE

A. Reasons for exercising church discipline

1. Ongoing immorality (I Corinthians 5:1-2,11-13).

2. Arbitration of a dispute among believers (I Corinthians 6:1-5).

3. False teaching(Titus 1:11,13).

4. Divisiveness (Titus 3:10).

5. Persistent breach of their covenant vows (see Constitution, Article III).

B. Purposes of church discipline

1. For the disciplined member

a. To restore the member to fellowship with God and with the church.(Isaiah 59:1,2 Matthew 18:15 II Corinthians 2:6-11).

b. To help the member develop a sound faith (Titus 1:13).

c. To produce righteousness and peace in the member (Hebrews 12:11).

2. For the church

a. To maintain the testimony of the church (I Corinthians 5:1).

a. To demonstrate God’s approval of righteous living and to protect younger or weaker members from spiritual harm (I Corinthians 11:19).

c. To protect the church from God’s judgment (I Corinthians 11:31-34; Ephesians 5:3-7).

C. Procedure of church discipline (Matthew 18:15-18).

1. Go privately and gently attempt to restore by showing them their fault (Luke 17:3; Galatians 6:1).

2. Try again with two or three (mature, spiritual) others. To ensure confidentiality, we encourage the use of pastors and other elders. (Deuteronomy 19:15).

3. Invite the member to meet with the pastor and other elders. To protect privacy and avoid other difficulties, others will only be present by invitation of the pastor and other elders (“appearing before the New Testament church”was likely a much smaller group than a contemporary, special business meeting). The pastor and other elders in conference may:

a. Conclude there is no need for the process to continue.

b. Hear repentance and adopt a plan for restoration.

c. Quietly remove the member from serving in ministries within the church to allow the member additional time to receive ministry and reconsider.

d. Recommend the church reprove and dismiss the member. (The motion in writing should be plainly worded using the terminology of the reasons for exercising church discipline stated above. Details and information shared in confidence should remain undisclosed.)

4. Take the matter to the church (Matthew 18:17).

a. The pastor will announce, following the invitation of the morning worship service, that there will be a special, called, business meeting for a matter of church discipline (on the next Wednesday).

b. The moderator should request and confirm that only members are present.

c. The motion from the pastor and the other elders will be presented.

d. Members subject to church discipline will be allowed to speak to the motion, if they so desire.

e. As always, the moderator will determine the appropriateness (God-honoring) and the length of all presentations.

f. Since the meeting was announced, the members present will constitute a quorum. A two-thirds majority will approve the administration of church discipline.

D. Administration of church discipline (upon the approval of the church)

1. Loss of voting privileges and loss of the privilege of ministering in the name of the church.

2. Requests for transfer of membership would receive the following reply: John Doe did not leave our church in good standing. We cannot recommend him for membership in your church. The pastor of the requesting church may be briefed confidentially upon his request to allow a continuity of ministry toward repentance and reconciliation.

3. Requests for ministry references would receive a similar reply.

4. In the unlikely event of dismissal of a member, the Scriptures encourage members to prayerfully follow Biblical admonitions: Avoid associating with the one who has lost their membership through church discipline. If you encounter them in public, greetings should be genuinely polite and never unkind. While claiming to be a believer, they should be treated like one who is unsaved. With the exception of a member with a divisive spirit, the former member is permitted to attend services so as to be under the ministry of the Word, but is requested not to receive communion nor to attend events designed for fellowship among believers (Matthew 18:17; Romans 16:17-19; I Corinthians 5:5; 11:27-32; II Thessalonians 3:6,14-15).

SECTION 8 – RESTORATION
Any person whose membership has been terminated for any reason may be restored by majority vote of the church upon evidence of their repentance and reformation; or if on account of continued absence, reinstated to active membership upon satisfactory explanation. The pastor and other elders will provide a plan of restoration to positions of ministry and service.

First Baptist Church, Perryville, MD

10/10/04