Talking about church discipline is a little awkward. Actually, it’s super awkward. The very concept of a church disciplining someone in the 21st Century can sound anachronistic, even abusive.

The main church discipline passage is Matthew 18. But as pastor and professor Jonathan T. Pennington points out, it’s possible we’ve been reading the passage wrong. According to Pennington, “rather than viewing this passage strictly in terms of discipline, we can see it as one part of Jesus’ practical and constructive instructions for our normal, conflicted life together in the Christian community.” Ultimately, he believes that “Matthew 18 is about creating flourishing communities far more than it is about handling church problems.” That’s a lot less awkward. Read: Are We Missing the Point of Matthew 18?

For a more practical look at the subject, check out our resource on Church Discipline. It shows how discipline can be used in either formative or corrective ways. The collected wisdom here will give you tools to train your church leaders how to discipline the church with love and for growth.