Sunday’s message, “Redemptive Suffering,” raised the crucial though delicate subject of church discipline. Church discipline is that loving process whereby God, through his people, addresses us in our sin for our restoration to him, to his people, and for his glory. This is a profoundly biblical subject, it’s as serious as eternity, but it’s a topic that usually raises questions and needs some attention to provide a truly clear biblical picture.

We cover this subject in some depth in our membership class, Knowing Christ, Knowing the Church, and our commitment to one another is expressed in our Covenant of Fellowship. We’ve also touched on it on the blog here over the past few years (see here and here). But now is a good time to hit the topic here again since in Ryan just preached on discipline.

This time, we’re going to point you to a few helpful resources on the topic. If you had to read one article and one book, follow the first two links on this list.

• “A Church Discipline Primer,” an article by Jonathan Leeman
• Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus, a book by Jonathan Leeman (an excellent, short, and accessible introduction also available at the Book Nook)
• The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love: Reintroducing the Doctrines of Church Membership and Discipline, a book by Jonathan Leeman (a long, thorough, and even scholarly treatment of the whole Bible’s teaching)
• “What is Church Discipline?” A short video and one page summary of the main Scriptures on the topic from 9Marks.
• “A Redemptive Judgment,” a sermon by Ryan Kelly
• “What are the benefits of practicing church discipline?,” an article by Mark Dever
• “Why is “discipline” not a negative but a positive thing?,”  an article by Mark Dever
• “When Should a church practice church discipline?,” an article by Mark Dever
• “Can church members simply resign their membership in order to avoid church discipline?,” an article by Jonathan Leeman
• “Is a Church in Sin If They Do NOT Practice Discipline?” an article by Thabiti Anyabwile
• “What to Say to Non-Committal Church Attenders,” an article by Jonathan Leeman
• “More Than Worth It: Costs and Benefits of Church Discipline,” an article by Wyman Richardson

If you haven’t taken the membership class yet, you should consider joining us for this class. Knowing Christ, Knowing the Church runs for eight Wednesday nights from 6:30-8:30 PM starting on September 3. Check the bulletin for details and register on Sunday morning at the Welcome Center. Childcare is available. And, by the way, this class doubles as a general introduction to Christianity, Christian doctrine and practice, and the Bible. So, if you’ve taken it before or if are uncertain about membership here yet, you are still welcome to join.