(Ed. note: Ken Sande says publicly disciplining sinful and wanton church members is good for the church, and it's good for the one disciplined. Then why do so few church practice discipline today? Here is the first part of our interview.)
How do churches need to think differently about church discipline?
The word "discipline" describes two aspects of church life. First there is formative discipline. This is the idea of bringing people to maturity in Christ the way a football coach disciplines his team through daily practices. This includes encouragement, practice, instruction, and showing them what is right and good. This is what a church does through its ministries.
The second category is corrective discipline. This occurs when someone swerves off the path. When a football player is not paying attention, when he is proud or defiant, the coach will make the player run laps. In the church when a brother or sister gets off track we use corrective discipline to restore and redeem them, to set ...
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