Interview
Tom Pennington
by Art Azurdia
(Continued from Page 1)
AA: So you have that first step: confrontation.
TP: Yes; and if they respond in repentance then you have won your brother as Christ says; it's dropped at that point and you move on. There ought to be forgiveness and reconciliation because the sin is in the past, just as our sins are with Christ. If, however, they maintain a defensive posture and refuse to repent, or if the evidence is unclear, then perhaps you need some additional help. This is where the second step comes in – you return to the person with two or three others, witnesses not of the original sin but of this second confrontation. These people can help you establish whether there is, in fact, a sin and what type of response is necessary. If the person in question is a leader in the church (an elder or a deacon), I think it’s important that the others involved at this stage also be elders if possible. Again, if there is repentance, it's dropped and forgiven and you move on. Discipline is only ratcheted up if there is hard-hearted rebellion against the will and purposes of God.
However, If the witnesses agree that the person who has been confronted stubbornly refuses to repent of their sin and continues to manifest hard-hearted rebellion against the will and word of God, then you must engage the third step – taking it to the congregation. The Scriptures indicate that the elders must bring the issue before the church and make a statement such as, "We've exercised the first two steps of Matthew 18 with a brother in our church and yet he has remained stubbornly resistant to God's word. So, we're bringing it to you.” How much time we allow to elapse between steps depends on the nature of the sin and the mitigating circumstances. But remember – God is incredibly patient. Read about the four hundred years He parked His people in Egypt while the sin of the Ammorites ran its course and you realize the extent of God’s patience. Of course, we’re not to wait four hundred years, but it ought to mean that we’re willing to give people time as we pray for the work of the Spirit in their hearts. So, that might be one or two months between when we as the elders learn about the sin and initially confront, and when we actually move forward to step three, publically informing the church.
AA: Theoretically, this person may still be coming to church. In the event that a person remains hard-hearted, how would you explain your implementation of step three publically?
TP: Before the public announcement of step three, the elders send this person a registered letter with a return receipt so that we know he received it. The letter would reinforce our love and concern for him, specifying the biblical sin and urging him to repent. It would also make clear that if he fails to do so by a particular date, we will move forward with step three as our Lord commands in Matthew 18. With this knowledge, he would have an opportunity to inform us of a change of heart, right up to the last moments. Because we take communion in our morning services, we practice the same discipline on the person in both services. I typically transition from the message by asking everyone to bow their heads, taking a moment for self-examination. I write out my comments ahead of time, keeping them brief and clearly defining the sin biblically. I avoid spelling out the details, or making conjectures or assumptions as to what may have been his motive. It is extremely important to say only what is verified. This serves as a legal protection. Additionally, it's crucial that your discipline process be spelled out in your church constitution, and that every member and regular attendees are exposed to that discipline policy. In addressing the church I typically say something such as, "Unfortunately, as we take of the Lord's table today it is our sad duty as elders to tell you that there is a member of our church who has chosen a path of unrepentant sin. It is ‘so and so.’ He has divorced his wife without biblical grounds. If you know him, please pray for him and urge him to turn back to the path of blessing and repentance. And, of course, this reminds us to examine our own hearts.” It is a brief statements, but these are the key points I would make. Then I would call everyone to silent prayer, both for the person involved and then themselves. All of this happens with their heads bowed as they practice self-examination. Then I pray, closing the time of self-examination and confession with a prayer of confession, including a prayer of supplication for the person who has just been disciplined in this third step.
AA: And again, how much time do you allot between the third and fourth steps?
TP: I think there has to be some latitude there. If, because of the nature of the influence of this person, it is someone who is a risk or a danger either physically or spiritually to the church, we don't want too much time to pass, lest they sow discord with the groups they know. Generally, however, one or two months are allotted, and on rare occasions perhaps three months, depending on the circumstance of what we see and hear.
AA: In the event this person continues in his defiance, what will the final step look like?
TP: The fourth step involves the same process. We try to contact the person again individually, urging him to repent. Regardless, he would be sent a letter in which we articulate the biblical process, explaining that we are delivering him over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, and that we no longer assume he is in Christ because he has persisted in his sin through the entire process. The date for the upcoming communion service would also be specified, allowing him time to respond. In the service itself, the announcement would once again be made in conjunction with communion, but my statement would be a bit different. Likely, it would sound something like this, "We are now following our Lord's command, and by this fourth step putting ‘so and so’ out of the church. We are no longer to consider him a part of this church; nor are we to consider him a brother or sister in Christ. For all intents and purposes, because he has chosen to sin through this entire process outlined by our Lord, we have to assume he is not in Christ. He may be; however, we must pray that he’ll come to faith in Christ.
AA: Historically, some have said that this fourth step means that the disciplined person can show up for Sunday services but must refrain from partaking of the Lord's Supper. Others have been a bit more strict and have said that the disciplined person is not welcome to attend Sunday services unless they want to repent.
TP: I would be somewhere in between. I think all would agree that a disciplined person shouldn't be coming and involving himself in the life of the church as if he were a believer. However, I do think it is appropriate to allow him to attend for a period of time to be exposed to the truth, but we certainly don’t want others to get the impression that his is a part of our believing community.
AA: After the fourth step has been exercised, what happens if such a person returns with some expression of repentance?
TP: At this point we are treating him as an unbeliever. And so to make sure that everyone clearly gets the word that he is to be received back as a result of genuine repentance, we ask him to come to the front with the elders gathered around. I make the announcement that he is repentant and that we trust the Lord will continue His work in his heart. I welcome him back and encourage the congregation to receive him back, love him, and care for him. Generally, there is a wonderful time of fellowship that follows the service, in which members express their love for the one who has been received back. In this case, more needs to be made of the restoration because more has been made in the process of putting him out.
AA: Tom, what connection is there between church discipline and formal church membership? Are those two things tied together in your mind?
TP: Yes and no. I think they ought to be. I'm a strong believer in church membership. It’s clear that the early church knew who was a part of the church and who wasn't. Of course, I’m not arguing that they managed church membership exactly the way we do. But there were certainly parameters; they knew who belonged to the flock they were shepherding, and the people being shepherded understood their connection to a particular church. Everyone who is part of a local church ought to be formerly connected to that church and, therefore, discipline would be automatic for any who fall into sin. Unfortunately, however, not everyone is formerly connected to a church, so church leaders are faced with the question of what to do when a “regular attendee” falls into sin. I believe we bear the same responsibility and obligation to them that we do to those who are formal members. In order to ensure that people understand our views on discipline, we periodically run an insert in the bulletin, making it clear that it affects regular attendees in our church as well as regular members.
