What is Biblical Church Membership? Church membership is a formal relationship between a church
and a Christian characterized by the church’s affirmation and oversight of a Christian’s discipleship, and the Christian’s submission to living out his or her discipleship in the care of the church. Several elements are present:

• A church body formally affirms an individual’s profession of faith and baptism as credible.
• It promises to give oversight to that individual’s discipleship.
• The individual formally submits his or her discipleship to the service and authority of this body and
  its leaders. 

What is Biblical Church Discipline?
1. In the broadest sense, church discipline is everything the church does to help its members pursue
holiness and fight sin (Ephesians 4:11-32; Philippians 2:1-18)

2. In a narrower sense, church discipline is the act of correcting sin in the life of the body – including
the final step of excluding a now former member from participation in the Lord’s Supper because
of serious unrepentant sin.

• Matthew 18:15-19
• 1 Corinthians 5:1-13 
• 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15
• Titus 3:19-11
• 1 Timothy 1:18-20

The” How” of Church Discipline (Matthew 18)

• Private confrontation (Stage 1)
• Semi-private confrontation (Stage 2)
• Public confrontation (Stage 3)
• Removal from membership (Stage 4)

Questions About Church Discipline.

1. What purpose does this discipline serve?

2. Why is church discipline important?
  a. For the good of the person disciplined.
  b. For the good of other Christians, so they see the danger of sin.
  c. For the health of the church as a whole.
  d. For the corporate witness of the church to the world.
  e. For the glory of God, as we reflect his holiness.