Church Discipline
Build Fences Around Your Flock
By Joel Kurz | 9Marks Journal: Shepherding: The Work & Character of a Pastor | 06.30.2020We must guard the sheep against wolves. For this reason, we must know how to build fences; that is, we must lead our church in practicing meaningful membership and discipline.
Whacking the Wolves
By Juan Sanchez | 9Marks Journal: Shepherding: The Work & Character of a Pastor | 06.30.2020How should we confront the problem of wolves in the church? At times, we must protect the sheep by whacking the wolves with the shepherd’s rod.
“Is This a Sin?”: Ethical Triage and Church Discipline
By Andrew T. Walker | 10.02.2019When it comes to ethical conflicts facing local churches, we need to carefully distinguish categories of “may” (permissible), “should/should not” (advisable), and “must” (obligatory).
7 Well-Meaning Objections to Church Discipline — And How Pastors Ought to Respond to Them
By C. Greggsen, S. Emadi | 07.05.2019Let’s briefly consider some of the “good-faith” objections to discipline we’ve encountered and how we try to help church members understand the theological principles undergirding discipline.
Stories of Restoration after Church Discipline
By J. Kurz, J. Folmar, P. Newton | 9Marks Journal: Church Membership: Following the Lord Together | 05.07.2019We asked three pastors to share a story of restoration—that is, someone who had been restored to membership after being disciplined for unrepentant sin.
Mailbag #81: Helping a Church Grow in Discipling . . . How to Receive Members Who Left a Former Church Poorly.
By B. Johnson, J. de Koning | 04.19.2019— How can I help my church grow in discipling? — Receiving members who left their former church on bad terms.
Mailbag #76: The Role of Matthew 18’s “One or Two Witnesses” . . . Must Christians Go to Church Every Sunday? . . . How to Care for an Unwed & Pregnant Member
By B. Johnson, J. Kurz, P. Martin | 03.01.2019Three pastors answer one question each about church discipline, church attendance, and caring for a church member who is unwed and pregnant.
7 Ministry Consequences of Calvinism
By Jonathan Leeman | 9Marks Journal: Ecclesiology for Calvinists | 02.05.2019The goal of this piece is not to argue with or even to address the non-Calvinist pastor. It is to say to the Calvinist, “If you believe this, your ministry should look like that.”
Why Your Doctrine of Perseverance Demands Church Discipline
By Raymond Johnson | 9Marks Journal: Ecclesiology for Calvinists | 02.05.2019A “once saved, always saved” motif that doesn’t understand conversion and its vital connection to a church shouldn’t comfort anyone in any way.
Episode 62: On How to Prepare a Church to Practice Discipline
By J. Leeman, M. Dever | 10.30.2018Before a pastor leads a church to practice discipline, he must teach the church what the Bible teaches. It’s better to woo and win the church in the truth, than to wreck it in the pursuit of rightness.
Does Pornography Use Ever Justify Church Discipline?
By Brad Wheeler | 9Marks Journal: The Pastor and Pornography | 10.30.2018At what point, if ever, does a persistent pattern of pornography warrant church discipline?
8 Reasons Your Excuses for Not Practicing Church Discipline Don’t Work
By Paul Alexander | 09.24.2018As it turns out, these eight excuses not to practice church discipline are actually reasons *to* practice church discipline.
Book Review: Practicing the Power, by Sam Storms
Review by Paul Martin | 08.16.2018Sam Storms’ recent book is a field guide for Reformed churches to introduce charismatic practices into the life of the assembly.
What the Church Can and Should Bring to the #MeToo Movement
By Whitney Woollard | 9Marks Journal: Church Life: Our True Political Witness | 04.17.2018The world doesn’t have the tools to offer the kind of redemption the #MeToo movement calls for. But thankfully, the church does.
Putting People Before Policies in Church Discipline
By Nate Pickowicz | 9Marks Journal: Church Discipline: Medicine for the Body | 01.09.2018In recent years, the number of churches committed to exercising biblical church discipline seems to be increasing.
