Church Discipline for the Care of Souls Introduced

In advance of our Synodical Assembly, the LM-A Committee of Management has approved the Synodical Order, which outlines the roles, relationships and responsibilities of the different offices and bodies within the Lutheran Mission – Australia (LM-A) Synod, seeking to rightly order our life together in a manner that promotes and fosters the mission of the church.

A significant part of the Synodical Order is Church Discipline for the Care of Souls, which ‍

provides the foundation to deal with all conflicts, disputes, false teaching and sinful behaviours that occur between individuals and entities of LM-A. It must be noted, however, that the chief goal of this approach is not conflict resolution in and of itself, but rather the restoration of the sinner through the power of the gospel of Christ (Luke 15:7; Acts 3:19; Galatians 6:1; 1 John 1:9; James 5:19-20).

Pastor Paul Kerber together with President Matt Anker developed ‘Church Discipline for the Care of Souls’, receiving feedback from the College of Pastors and the Committee of Management. Pastor Paul has had extensive training in this area and previously served as the LCANZ Assistant to the Bishop for Reconciliation Ministry.

A major focus in the development of this framework has been the emphasis on confession and forgiveness, ‘reconciling our relationships with those we have sinned against, as well as those who have sinned against us. In this way Discipline for the Care of Souls is love devoted to the well-being of the soul in peril, seeking to secure the spiritual wellbeing and life of every member, every congregation and the Synod as a whole.’

Church Discipline for the Care of Souls begins with a detailed introduction outlining the Biblical basis for this ministry and the overall goals of Church Discipline, which are reproduced below. The rest of this section of the Synodical Order details the enactment of Church Discipline for the Care of Souls through godly admonition and then through a formal biblical reconciliation process. You can read the full text of Church Discipline for the Care of Souls as an extract from the Synodical Order by clicking on the button below.

It is anticipated that Bible Study resources and other training will be provided in the first Synodical period following the Synodical Assembly in August.

Introduction to Church Discipline for the Care of Souls

We give thanks to God for His abundant grace which has been lavished upon us in the forgiving work of Jesus Christ. God so loved the world that He sent His beloved Son who was sent to be the propitiation[1] for our sins (Rom 3:25, Heb 2:17, 1 John 2:2, 4:10). As pilgrims on this earth, all Christians are ‘simultaneously saints and sinners,’ and are entangled in sin even while, under grace, they are proclaimed forgiven (Rom 7). This struggle with the ‘old Adam’ shall inevitably lead to disputes and conflicts, to sinning and being sinned against, which we acknowledge with sadness that is tempered by our confidence in the work of the Holy Spirit to bring about repentance and reconciliation through the proper application of Law and Gospel in the lives of Christian people.

‍While we acknowledge the inevitability of disputes, disagreements and offences that shall arise within the body of Christ, the associated sin and idolatry have the power to destroy relationships and damage the body of Christ and therefore this is no small matter. Sinful attitudes, words, behaviour and false teaching not only bind the person who does these things, but the person sinned against is also bound as a result of suffering, shame and the temptation to withhold forgiveness and seek vengeance.

If sin is not addressed through confession and forgiveness, it shall result in God’s people following the desires of the sinful nature and deprive them of the freedom they have in Christ to walk in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5).

Our relationship with our Heavenly Father is lived out through daily ‘contrition and repentance’ and receiving the forgiveness of sins in the name of Christ (see Small Catechism IV.4; Rom 6:4). Discipline for the Care of Souls grows out of this foundational reality and involves the faithful and loving application of God’s Word of Law to show us our sin, and the joyful proclamation of the forgiveness of sins (Gospel), which gives comfort, heals consciences, instils peace and restores relationships (1 Jn 1:8-10).

Church Discipline for the Care of Souls seeks to uphold the repeated admonition that as those who have been forgiven through faith in Christ, we are to live out that forgiveness in relationship with others (Mt 6:12; 18:21-35; Col 3:12,13, Eph 4:30-32).

The heart and centre of all Church Discipline is the justification of the sinner through grace in Christ Jesus (AC IV). Reconciliation of persons in conflict begins with God’s truth that we are all sinners who have been reconciled to God through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus (Rom 5:6-10). Christ’s “ministry of reconciliation” is the church’s foremost priority.

Church Discipline therefore, is not an optional activity of Christians, the congregation or the Synod, but an essential duty of all who would be Christian as they seek to ‘speak the truth in love’ (Eph 4:15) and serve their neighbours through the ministry of reconciliation that has been enacted by Christ and empowered by His atoning sacrifice (2 Cor 5:16-21).

Discipline for the Care of Souls is God’s way nurturing our faith in Him and reconciling our relationships with those we have sinned against, as well as those who have sinned against us. In this way Discipline for the Care of Souls is love devoted to the well-being of the soul in peril, seeking to secure the spiritual wellbeing and life of every member, every congregation and the Synod as a whole.

While Church Discipline at all levels is typically governed by the principles outlined by our Lord in Matthew 18:15-17, we recognise that it is well established throughout the biblical witness including, but not limited to, texts such as Rev 2:2,14,15,20; 1 Tim 1:20b; 5:20; 1 Cor 5:1-5, 9-13; 2 Cor 2:6-11; 2 Thess 3:14-15.

‍With concern for the good name of all parties to a dispute, Church Discipline for the Care of Souls should be enacted as locally as possible and seek to avoid escalation except where absolutely necessary (see LC I.276-280).

 The Goal of Church Discipline for the Care of Souls

Church Discipline for the Care of Souls provides the foundation to deal with all conflicts, disputes, false teaching and sinful behaviours that occur between individuals and entities of LM-A. It must be noted, however, that the chief goal of this approach is not conflict resolution in and of itself, but rather the restoration of the sinner through the power of the gospel of Christ (Luke 15:7; Acts 3:19; Gal 6:1; 1 John 1:9; James 5:19-20).

Church Discipline for the Care of Souls is not primarily focused on delivering justice and vindication for wronged parties, but rather seeks to bring reconciliation through the proper application of Law and Gospel that points us to the reality that divine justice has been taken up in the body of our crucified Lord and our ultimate vindication comes through faith in Him (Rom 8:33-34; 2 Cor 5:21; Ps 54:1).

Church Discipline for the Care of Souls aims to provide lasting outcomes for all parties through the proclamation and application of the ‘whole counsel of God’ (Acts 20:27), acknowledging that it is only God’s Word that has power to both cut to the heart with the Law and heal the heart with the Gospel (Heb 4:12-13).

While Biblical Reconciliation necessarily involves addressing injustices, it does so from the perspective of the cross rather than secular notions of justice, retribution and punishment (Rom 12:17-19; Eph 4:31-32). The ultimate goal is the care of souls through the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:16-21) that leads to the restoration of the sinner(s) and the healing of those who have been sinned against.

Although Church Discipline for the Care of Souls seeks to provide timely resolution to matters that it addresses, LM-A acknowledges that God’s timing in these things is often very different to our expectations and requires patient waiting on the Lord (2 Peter 3:9).

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[1] 'Propitiation' in Scripture states that Jesus Christ is the one who bore the penalty of the sin of all people of all time, emphasising that God's righteous anger against sin is fully addressed through Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross, not by human effort or merit.