In some churches a member may be disfellowshiped almost at the drop of a hat. Is it deserved? Who does it - and how? What's it for?
On occasion the secular press highlights the spectacular fall from grace of a high profile Christian evangelist or other functionary of 'high rank' who has been expelled from his church organization. But such expulsions - 'excommunication' or 'disfellowship', or 'casting out' - are not uncommon in many church circles. (And it can happen in the Golf Club, too!)
In general it means that the individual has been excluded from the company of fellow believers. The reason varies. For some it may be the uncovering of serious unchristian behavior that threatens the reputation of the organization. For others it may be because the person refuses to wear a hat in church services, or uses the 'wrong' Bible translation, or expresses a 'politically incorrect' opinion. More usually it's because of a dispute over an obscure doctrinal point. Or criticism of the minister!
However, although the practice of excommunication is indeed 'Biblical', its application is too often misunderstood and can cause unnecessary grief, even division. Let's look at what the Scriptures teach us.
Limits
We need to understand that disfellowship is a concern of the local assembly. The apostle Paul, for example, only intervened in the church at Corinth because of their initial inaction. In some churches today the case becomes federal! A local dispute is ferried ever upwards to a 'higher court' ultimately to be decided by a remote committee or by the 'great man at the top'. It may take years and much bitterness to settle.
The heart of the matter is that the concept of 'church' has been so distorted over the centuries that abuse of the practice of excommunication is inevitable. There was no rigid hierarchical structure in the primitive church of God! [Request the article Governance in the Church of God]
The church of God is 'one body'. It is an organism, with its membership widely scattered in time and place - and even dead! The one body is distributed in fellowships of its members. They may be a couple assembling in their home or they may be an assembly of a score or more brethren and their families. In first-century Rome, for example, there were in the city several of these assemblies (see Romans 16).
What we need to know is that each fellowship - although in co-operation with other Christian fellowships - was autonomous. Each was separately organized, and responsible only to Jesus Christ. We have an example of this in the seven churches of Asia Minor (Revelation 2, 3). The sole 'reference upwards' was to the one who 'walked in the midst of the churches'. There was - is - no higher authority, although in those days there were inspired apostles who advised. (Not any more; we now have the inspired Scriptures.)
Case Study
Many of the New Testament letters were written to God's church in specific cities - eg Corinth, Philippi, Colosse, Rome. As in Rome each city may, depending on size, have hosted several fellowships all in fraternal communication. In Corinth - a problem church if ever there was one! - several disputes had surfaced. One of them stemmed from what appears to have been a financial irregularity, a matter of fraud among the brethren (I Corinthians 6:1-8). The apostle Paul castigated the brethren for failing to peacefully resolve the matter within the local Corinthian assemblies (v.4).
Corinth also provides a case study in regard to disfellowship. A particularly sordid sexual sin was openly tolerated in the Corinthian assemblies (ch 5). Paul goes for the jugular: "You are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you" (v.2). He continues: "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that his spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (vv.4-5).
Clearly, it was a matter for the brethren in Corinth to sort. Paul intervened because they had neglected this responsibility. All local fellowships require internal order!
Why Disfellowship?
All too often a brother or sister is disfellowshipped for reasons that have no basis in Scripture. Perhaps he 'asks too many questions' or is a paid-up member of the awkward squad or his face doesn't fit. But as we can see from that example in Corinth, it's a serious business. The individual - called of God, a joint-heir of the Universe with Jesus Christ - is being separated from his eternal lifeline. Certainly no trivial matter merits it. Paul 'delivered such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh'. Sounds horrific!
Note, however, that this man is not being separated from 'the church' but from that local Corinthian fellowship. There remained the possibility (v.5) of salvation. Too often in some parts of the Body of Christ a disfellowshipped individual is forever shunned. Brethren will, literally, cross the street to avoid him or her. The individual is viewed as spiritually dead, a non-person.
Back to Corinth. The church was suitably chastened by Paul's admonition - they put out the deviant from the assembly. But that was not the end of the matter. When he again wrote to the church Paul, apparently acting on received information, now urged the church to restore the man: "This punishment [rebuke] which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man [who had apparently repented] so that on the contrary you ought rather to forgive and comfort him lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him" (II Corinthians 2:6-8).
So there's a limit to the exile. Every Christian can sin, but if we respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit we can conquer it. On occasion we may slip too far, and our church - our local fellowship - must act to protect us and the fellowship. The prime purpose of excommunication is to bring about a change of heart. To restore the sinner to fellowship. Full loving forgiveness.
The Corinthian example focuses on sexual immorality. Paul then extends the list. He told them "not to keep company with anyone named a brother who is sexually immoral or covetous or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner - not even to eat with such a person" (I Corinthians 5: 11). Christianity and its integrity is a serious business! Its reputation in the community must be preserved. And a fellowship which tolerates such perversions will itself suffer - the foul disease will spread through the brethren like a cancer. Note that the apostle limits this restriction to the brethren - not to our contacts with those outside the church of God. There is here no paranoid urge to separate from family, friends and colleagues.
And heretics
The church and its work, then, can be seriously undermined by toleration of this leaven of immorality. But the church can also be undermined by other means.
Despite Paul's perceptive admonition to the Ephesian leadership, the churches there had, late 50s A.D., become a hot-bed of discontent and downright heretical teachings. Timothy was sent to set matters right. (With some success, as the church was reasonably stable by the time John wrote at century's end.) Timothy, however, was faced with powerful teachers who were undermining the faith of the brethren. As in Corinth, Paul 'delivered them to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme' by means of their false teaching. As elsewhere 'their mouths must be stopped' - by exclusion.
The church of God is to be 'a light set on a hill' - a living example of the heavenly. Brethren are to reflect the attitudes and behavior of our Saviour. So Paul had to instruct the brethren in the church in Thessalonia about their 'disorderly conduct'. Some were sponging off other brethren, negating the principle of being self-sufficient when they could be working. It gave time to be interfering in the affairs of others. With perhaps too much time spent on endless 'doctrinal research'! Such were to be 'noted' and as little time as possible spent in their company (II Thessalonians 3:14) with the intent of shaming to encourage a change of life-style.
The church is a 'family', a spiritual 'nation', and as with both it requires discipline to survive - a balance between openness and purity. To this end those who disrupt, cause disunity, are disorderly, teach contrary to God's Word sometimes need to be excluded from fellowship. Such, in Bible terms, is heresy. It means one who has an opinion not supportable from Scripture which leads to forming a 'sect'.
How?
It's not unknown for a pastor to without warning announce from the pulpit that 'X' has been disfellowshipped - often without explanation. Is that the way to do it?
In fact, Jesus gave the pattern: "Even so it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should perish" (Matthew 18:14). Always it is with the view of reconciliation. As Paul said, restore 'lest he be overtaken with sorrow'. There is a way.
In the beginning it may be personal. We can just quietly - and usually - overlook an offence: 'why not suffer wrong', says Paul. However, it may need more than that, in which case - sort it out privately if possible. The problem you face may well be the tip of the iceberg of the other brother's sin. Be wise.
And if he or she persists, refuses to co-operate? Take a couple of impartial [implied] witnesses (brethren) to 'talk sense' and to counsel and to note the discussion 'that every word may be established' (v.16), said Jesus. Remember - in all of this reconciliation is the goal, and several face-to-face encounters may be appropriate! But be aware that you may be the one at fault!
Still no response? Jesus takes it further - and he is now much involved in the process (vv.18-20). Presuming a negative outcome to the discussion, for the sake of the church the whole fellowship also becomes involved.
It's as Paul told the Corinthian brethren: "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, and [his power]' (I Corinthians 5:4), and with the wise counsel of those who 'labour among you and are over you in the Lord' (I Thessalonians 12-14). That's how important Jesus sees sin and disharmony and divisive teaching in his church.
And the consequence? Hopefully, a complete resolution of the adverse situation. Sorted - and within the confines of that local assembly.
But what if the 'accused' individual
still doesn't agree despite all this? What if he or she refuses to be personally reconciled to you? Or continues to be a busybody, or to spout destructive false teachings, or to undermine the work of the assembly?
Then, said Jesus, treat him as you would someone who isn't a brother - just as you would your unconverted neighbor or family or work-mates. It's possible that the shame of exclusion from the heart of the fellowship will shame him into a change of attitude - and reconciliation. The individual may well still have the Spirit of God but in His mercy may need such pressures to restore him to fellowship.
In context of the way Christian fellowships were first organized - and ought to be today - the administration of discipline was local. It was not, as in the Roman Church, and others, a matter for an entire remote administration to resolve. Though this does not, of course, the seeking of wise counsel from outside the group if appropriate.
Temporary exclusion from a local fellowship is an important step towards the reconciliation of brothers or sisters in Christ. It is not a weapon to remove 'trouble-makers'!
To comment on this article or request more information, please contact James McBride by e-mail at the comment form below.
For PDF or mailed copy, see CGOM. Excerpt from New Horizons Issue 39, 7:3 May/June 2003. Edited by James McBride of the Churches of God, United Kingdom.
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