It mostly applies to leadership, but also members. Possible "censures" include:
- Admonition (ie calling someone out for their behavior)
- Suspension from Office (you have to stop being a deacon)
- Suspension from the Sacraments (you can't take communion anymore)
- Excommunication (you can no longer be a member of the church)
In practice I have only ever seen it done publicly in 3 circumstances:
1) Someone in leadership committed adultery and has to step down
2) An elder was excommunicated after abandoning his wife and children, leaving the church, and pulling a "Leaving Las Vegas" to live a life of total debauchery
3) A church leader was suspended due to abuse of power
Leadership cases are kind of obvious, because the damage they do can be so bad. I mean it's bad enough in a workplace, but it can be devastating in a Church environment, which functions a lot more like a family. The Presbyterian process might seem a bit overblown or silly, but I appreciate the care with which they take these issues.
I think a culture of discipline is generally useful in a Church, at least when it comes to admonition and encouragement. Adultery, drunkenness, gossip, greed, anger, ... all of these things affect others, and church discipline is attempting to admit to that problem rather than simply ignoring it. When it's done in a loving, winsome way, it can be a good thing. I screw up all the time, sometimes without even realizing it, and being called out for it can help me do better.
Though I also recognize disciple can be, and often is abused. It can really turn cultic fast, and I've seen that a little in some communities, especially when it focuses on minor, tangential issues (like the music you listen too, the way you dress, your politics, etc...)
So to recap, in the PCA, I've only really seen it with leadership. In the OPC church I briefly attended, it was suggested that if you were unwilling to baptize your children, or made a habit of working on Sunday, you may not be able to join the church, since that was a clear and important teaching of the church and you would clearly be violating it, hence, discipline.
I was more wondering how they would even know you were breaking the rules. I guess they rely on members all being part of the same community and policing each other?
Yes it's supposed to start with another member bringing it up in private, then maybe reaching out with several members, then bringing it before the elders, etc.
Missing church every Sunday would be particularly visible, especially in a very small church, so a pastor might want to have a conversation about it.
I suppose most other issues would come about from other members... in the most extreme cases the church should hand the individual over to the civil authorities (a husband beating his wife, a leader molesting children, etc) Sadly that sometimes doesn't happen.
But there are a lot of edge cases and wisdom issues, so generally if there's not a clear teaching, the church will leave it as a matter of conscience.
http://www.pcahistory.org/pca/3-443.html
It mostly applies to leadership, but also members. Possible "censures" include:
- Admonition (ie calling someone out for their behavior) - Suspension from Office (you have to stop being a deacon) - Suspension from the Sacraments (you can't take communion anymore) - Excommunication (you can no longer be a member of the church)
In practice I have only ever seen it done publicly in 3 circumstances:
1) Someone in leadership committed adultery and has to step down 2) An elder was excommunicated after abandoning his wife and children, leaving the church, and pulling a "Leaving Las Vegas" to live a life of total debauchery 3) A church leader was suspended due to abuse of power
Leadership cases are kind of obvious, because the damage they do can be so bad. I mean it's bad enough in a workplace, but it can be devastating in a Church environment, which functions a lot more like a family. The Presbyterian process might seem a bit overblown or silly, but I appreciate the care with which they take these issues.
I think a culture of discipline is generally useful in a Church, at least when it comes to admonition and encouragement. Adultery, drunkenness, gossip, greed, anger, ... all of these things affect others, and church discipline is attempting to admit to that problem rather than simply ignoring it. When it's done in a loving, winsome way, it can be a good thing. I screw up all the time, sometimes without even realizing it, and being called out for it can help me do better.
Though I also recognize disciple can be, and often is abused. It can really turn cultic fast, and I've seen that a little in some communities, especially when it focuses on minor, tangential issues (like the music you listen too, the way you dress, your politics, etc...)
So to recap, in the PCA, I've only really seen it with leadership. In the OPC church I briefly attended, it was suggested that if you were unwilling to baptize your children, or made a habit of working on Sunday, you may not be able to join the church, since that was a clear and important teaching of the church and you would clearly be violating it, hence, discipline.