Church Discipline
March 2022
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Dear Friend in Christ,
This month’s TLO Disciple focus is Church Discipline.
In the waters of baptism, God claims us as his child, drowns our sin, gives new life through the forgiveness of sin, and grants daily renewal by the Holy Spirit. At times for many reasons, a believer might become inactive, not attending worship, separating themselves from the regular participation in Word and Sacrament. The manner of spiritual care given by a pastor and congregation is important in handling each situation when members become inactive. Always, the hope and prayer is renewal of faith, restored relationships within the congregation and once again a growing living faith in Jesus that is demonstrated in faithful use of Word and Sacrament and growing relationships with the members of the body of Christ.
Proper Church Discipline begins with every individual member of the Church. Just as each Christian is ready to receive new believers into the fellowship, each Christian rejoices when one of God’s children returns and is restored by Christ. Saint Paul wrote in Gal. 6:1, "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."
Matt. 7:1-5, warns believers against the danger of self-righteous and uncharitable judging. It is imperative that we first of all search our motives and seek prayerfully only the good of the brother or sister who is "overtaken in a fault." A Christian is to be free from unloving judging of others.
As children of God and members of the Body of Christ at TLO congregation, our church is dedicated to sharing the Gospel of Christ with a world lost in sin. Let us equally be dedicated to Church discipline, calling one another to repentance, speaking to one another in a spirit of gentleness, not wielding the double-edged sword of God’s Word to their disgrace or harm. Rather, if a brother or sister in Christ needs spiritual correction let every word be seasoned with the love, patience and peace that comes as a gift by the Holy Spirit. For a harsh verdict and a general disregard for proper loving spiritual discipline can harm the message of the Gospel in our midst.
In Christ,
Pastor James Kroonblawd
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FROM GOD'S WORD
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
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From Chatroom to Church
by Seth Hinz
Tom’s shadow hadn’t darkened a church door in 15 years.
Throughout those 15 years, the Holy Spirit had never stopped working in his life. But before he could even imagine returning to church, he had questions that needed answers.
Answers to those questions finally began to emerge late one night as he carefully typed each letter into his iPad: “What does Jesus say about … ?” Soon a red circle with a “2” shone out brightly. Two people had responded! He clicked. He read every word. And after a deep breath, he typed back.
A few months after this initial exchange, Tom entered church quietly. He sat in the fourth row from the back. During the first hymn, muscle memory pushed his mouth open to sing the words. Following the absolution, tears welled up in his eyes. The sermon was familiar, a story he’d heard countless times as a child about a father who came running when his son was still a long way from home. While the offering was collected, he waved at a child who was facing backwards. His chest swelled, and he stood taller during the benediction. After the service, he was greeted by an elder and a young couple. Before this, it had been half a year since he’d shaken someone’s hand. He left the building knowing he’d be returning soon.
Though Tom is fictional, his story feels familiar to many of us in a technological age. At its heart, however, this story is not about technology. It’s about connection. Read more of Seth's thoughts.
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FROM GOD'S WORD
If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Matthew 18:15-17
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What is the Office of the Keys?
The Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent.
Where is this written?
This is what St. John the Evangelist writes in chapter twenty: “the Lord Jesus breathed on His disciples and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” John 20:22-23.
What do you believe according to these words?
I believe that when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command, in particular when they exclude openly and unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation and absolve those who repent of their sins and want to do better, this is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself.
Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation, CPH 2017, p. 314.
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"The Greatest Is Love"
Dr. Kari Vo
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 1 Corinthians 13
We could see what was missing, but we didn't have the power or imagination to figure out what came next—what the healing should be. Only love could show us that. Only Jesus—love embodied.
1 Corinthians 13 is many things, but above all it is a picture of Jesus. It shows us our Savior as He is toward us—infinitely patient, never resentful or rude or cranky. It shows us His kindness—bearing insults and pain and constant frustration that goes with dealing with the human race. It shows Him doing all this with the overarching hope that we should be healed, should be saved, should come to the real, joyful, whole life that God intends for us as His people. And to that end, it shows us Jesus, giving away all that He had in order to become our Savior, to die and to rise for us—so that we might live forever.
THE PRAYER: Dearest Lord, draw us close to You and use us as instruments of Your love. Amen.
Read entire LHM devotion and find others here.
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U.S. Public Becoming Less Religious
Pew Research Center
Modest Drop in Overall Rates of Belief and Practice, but Religiously Affiliated Americans Are as Observant as Before
Is the American public becoming less religious? Yes, at least by some key measures of what it means to be a religious person. An extensive new survey of more than 35,000 U.S. adults finds that the percentages who say they believe in God, pray daily and regularly go to church or other religious services all have declined modestly in recent years.
But the Pew Research Center study also finds a great deal of stability in the U.S. religious landscape. The recent decrease in religious beliefs and behaviors is largely attributable to the “nones” – the growing minority of Americans, particularly in the Millennial generation, who say they do not belong to any organized faith.
See also: 2014 Religious Landscape Study – Pew Research Study: Adults in the Minneapolis Metro Area Click here
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Q & A
June 8, 2011
by Dr. Jerald C. Joersz
A member of my family (raised LCMS) will not allow his children to be a part of anything connected to a church. He wants them to “make their own decisions regarding religion when they are old enough to understand.” How can I approach him about this without causing resentment?
Your letter shows how much love and concern you have for this father and his family. When you go to him, assure him of how much you care. With gentleness and respect, invite him to share his reasons for his approach. It is hard to think of a better place to begin than St. Paul’s familiar . counsel in Ephesians 6: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (v. 4).
To fulfill our calling as Christian parents, we will need to be very directive regarding Christian teaching (and not just religion in general; note Paul’s words “of the Lord”). The terms Paul uses (“bring up,” “discipline,” “instruction”) together convey teaching someone how to make responsible choices. Above all, we want to help our children grow in the knowledge of God’s love in Christ for them and in their desire to live the new life given to them through their Baptisms. God desires that by word and example we nurture and train our children as best we can at every stage of their development, so that they may “learn Christ” (Eph. 4:20). Their later decisions in life will then be informed and shaped by the Christian life they have learned to know and actually experience in their homes.
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Keeping a Holy Lent
by Dr. Gregory J. Wismar
What is the holiest season of the Church Year? Perhaps that seems an inappropriate question. After all, each season in the annual cycle we observe has its distinct spiritual character. There is the anticipation of Advent, the glorious rejoicing of Christmas, the exuberant triumph of Easter, and the resounding power of Pentecost. But what season invites us more than any other to a repentant reflecting, to a changing of the patterns of our lives, to a new dimension of devotion? That season is Lent, the period of preparation for the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord on Easter Day.
Each year on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, the liturgy of the Church calls us to begin “a holy season of prayerful and penitential reflection,” when “our attention is especially directed to the holy sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Read more
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Believe It Your Way
June 4, 2012
We live in a do-it-yourself, made-to-order society. Why can’t we choose our religion the same way?
by Rev. William Cwirla
Religious pollster George Barna remarked, “We are a designer society. We want everything customized to our personal needs–our clothing, our food, our education,” he wrote.
As Christians, we need to be sober, watchful, vigilant and discerning. We need to recognize that the old Adam in us is a rugged individualist who needs to be brought under the killing discipline of the Law. We need to practice discernment. We need to talk with each other face-to-face. In the end, we don’t really want to have things “our way,” but Jesus’ way. Our way leads to death. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. His way through suffering, cross and resurrection leads to life eternal. And there is no other way.
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From Luther’s Small Catechism
341. What is the purpose of excommunication?
Excommunication is intended to show people who refuse to repent the seriousness of their sin and win them back to Christ. Thus, they are always welcomed and encouraged to hear God’s Word.
1 Corinthians 5:13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
342. What is the responsibility of a congregation toward an excommunicated sinner who repents?
The congregation prays for the unrepentant, joyfully forgives all who repent, and receives them back into the fellowship of Christ’s altar.
2 Corinthians 2:7-8 “So you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.”
Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation, CPH, 2017, p. 318.
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Church Discipline in the Christian Congregation
A Report of the Commission on Theology and Church Relations of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod - November 1985
Little has been said or written in recent years concerning church discipline in the Christian congregation, despite the fact that it is a topic about which both the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions have much to say.
Church discipline is part of "the office of the keys." The term "the office of the keys" is not found in the Scriptures, yet "keys" are referred to in both testaments as symbols of power. Of Eliakim God says in Is. 22:22, "And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open." Jesus said to Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 16:19).
The glorified Savior says of Himself in Rev. 1:17-18, "I am . . . the living one; I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades." The metaphor refers to loosing or locking with keys the chains of sin. The Small Catechism speaks of what this power involves in its answer to the question, "What is the Office of the Keys?" It states: "It is the peculiar church power which Christ has given to His Church on earth to forgive the sins of penitent sinners, but to retain the sins of the impenitent as long as they do not repent." Read the full report.
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FROM GOD'S WORD
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out. Acts 3:19
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Excerpts from Trinity Lone Oak Lutheran Church Constitution:
ARTICLE II - CONFESSIONAL STANDARDS
As God's people we confess Jesus Christ as the Lord of the Church. We accept and acknowledge the Holy Scripture to be the inspired and inerrant Word of God.
This congregation accepts the doctrine of the Christian religion as set forth in the Book of Concord, 1580, as being a true and correct exposition of the Christian faith, to-wit: The Three Ecumenical Creeds: The Apostles', Nicene and Athanasian; The Unaltered Augsburg Confession; The Apology thereto; The Smalcald Articles; Luther's Large and Small Catechisms; and The Formula of Concord.
ARTICLE III - SYNODICAL AFFILIATION
This congregation shall be a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, so long as said Synod shall adhere to the Confessional Standards of Article II of this Voters' Assembly as determined by a majority vote of the congregation at a meeting called for that purpose.
A. BAPTIZED MEMBERS - Baptized members are all members who have been baptized in the name of the Triune God, and have been received into membership in accordance with the By-Laws.
B. COMMUNICANT MEMBERS - Communicant members are those baptized members who have declared their acceptance of the standard for doctrine and confession of this congregation (Article II) and who have been received into communicant membership in accordance with the By-Laws.
C. VOTING MEMBERSHIP - All communicant members of the congregation who have reached their 18th birthday shall be eligible to vote. A communicant member will be eligible to vote after signing the Constitution. New members are received as the last item of business just prior to adjournment in any regular quarterly meeting.
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Excerpts from Trinity Lone Oak Lutheran Church Bylaws
Trinity Lone Oak Lutheran Church Constitution
BY- LAWS ARTICLE I – CONGREGATIONAL MEMBERSHIP
A. BAPTIZED MEMBERS - Baptized members are all members who have been baptized in the name of the Triune God and who are under the spiritual care of the pastor(s) of this congregation, including the children who have not yet confirmed their baptismal vow. Baptized members are received through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, through transfer, or with the consent of a parent or guardian in the case of children who have been baptized in another Christian congregation.
B. COMMUNICANT MEMBERS - Communicant members are those baptized members who are familiar at least with the teachings of Luther's Small Catechism, have confirmed their faith according to the congregational purposes and theological commitments set forth in Article II of the constitution, and are not members of organizations whose principles and conduct conflict with the Word of God. An organization is an anti-Christian organization which in its basic documents or in its rites, ceremonies, and practices explicitly contradicts the Christian Gospel of salvation (see Galatians 1:8) or which in any way conflicts with obedience to the Word of God (see Luke 6:46 and 2 Timothy 3:16). Communicant members are received by the pastor through the Rite of Confirmation, by transfer from a Lutheran congregation, by profession of faith, or by re-affirmation of faith, provided they conform to the requirements for membership in this congregation. Their reception shall be reported to the Board of Elders.
C. VOTING MEMBERS - All communicant members of the congregation who have reached their eighteenth (18) birthday shall be eligible to vote after signing the Constitution.
D. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
1. Transfer to another congregation - Transfer of members in good standing to other Lutheran congregations shall be made by the pastor immediately upon request. Such transfers shall be reported to the Board of Elders at its next meeting. Members who move from the community and thereby become inactive shall be encouraged to transfer their membership to a sister congregation.
2. By resolution of the Church Council - The Voters' Assembly may, after recommendation by the Board of Elders and by a majority vote of the Church Council, terminate an individual's membership for any of the following reasons:
a. The member joins a congregation outside the Lutheran fellowship;
b. The member is absent and the Church Council has no knowledge of his whereabouts;
c. The member refuses, without good cause, to transfer his membership although he has moved from the community and has become inactive in this congregation and written request to so transfer has been made by the Elders with approval of the Church Council;
d. The member is absent from all worship services for a period of one year, without just cause, and during that time at least two personal visits were made with the express purpose of inviting him to attend worship services; whereon a registered letter will be sent to that member informing him that membership will be terminated if, after two consecutive Sundays, he does not return to worship with this congregation or another sister congregation;
e. The member joins an organization (refer to paragraph B) whose principles and conduct conflict with the Word of God.
3. By decision of the Voters' Assembly - An individual's membership may be terminated if he is charged with un-Christian conduct and is impenitent of it, although admonished in accordance with Matthew 18:15-20. It shall be done by unanimous vote of the Voters' Assembly; however, the person charged with such conduct shall not be allowed to vote on the matter.
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Excerpts from the TLO Officers and Board Manual regarding spiritual welfare of the congregation.
II. BOARD OF ELDERS AND THE MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION
- Assist the pastor in all matters pertaining to the spiritual welfare of the congregation.
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Be concerned about attendance and non-attendance on the part of all members at worship services, Holy Communion, Bible study. Make every effort to induct members who have been negligent in their public worship and in their use of the Sacrament to mend their sinful ways and fully enjoy the rights and privileges of their membership.
IV. THE BOARD OF ELDERS AND CHURCH DISCIPLINE
1. Study and fully understand the purpose and importance of church discipline. (Cf. Matthew 18:15-20 and Galatians 6:1). The CTCR study "Church Discipline in the Christian Congregation" is also good for that study.
2. Consider complaints and grievances of members, but only if Matthew 8:15-20 has been observed fully and in good faith. (Cf. also I Timothy 5:19.)
3. Carry out church discipline carefully and prayerfully in full accord with the Word of God. The purpose of discipline is always to salvage and to save. Do not overlook the rich Gospel in Matthew 18.
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Trinity Lone Oak Lutheran
651-454-7235
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