This is an important question. To answer it, we need to consider two meanings of the term discipline: one that’s commonly used in the English language, and a more technical sense defined in the Church Manual.
General English Usage
A common use of discipline is as a synonym for punishment. The American Heritage Dictionary, for example, includes “Punishment intended to correct or train” as the third sense in its entry on the word. If such punishment is administered by church leadership to correct church members, it is church discipline.
Note the language used in the letter the conference president issued when banning Conrad Vine:
Although we have been addressing this ongoing concern with him, his sentiments have evolved further in a public manner. As we continue to work through these issues, he will not be permitted access to the pulpits of our Michigan Conference churches.
The letter makes it clear that the ban was issued as a corrective punishment—i.e. discipline.
This is enough to legitimately use the term church discipline when discussing the conference leadership’s actions toward Conrad Vine. It also applies to the administration’s actions toward Ron Kelly and other pastors who have faced repercussions for voicing their concerns about the situation. These disciplinary actions can and should be evaluated through the lens of the Bible, which does not give us a narrower definition of the term—but which does provide principles that apply.
Church Manual Usage
But when invoking the Church Manual to evaluate the procedures that were or were not followed, we should stay aware of the more precise ways the Manual uses the term discipline. Chapter 8 of the Manual, titled “Discipline”, contains 12 pages of guidelines for church discipline. The first half of the chapter covers general principles, which are discussed in greater detail under the answer to “What procedures did the conference fail to follow”?
While these general principles are part of the chapter on discipline, those who say the conference’s actions were not discipline are probably referring to the section titled “Process of Discipline”, which begins on page 68. This section opens by listing two specific disciplinary actions:
When grievous sins are involved, the church has two ways in which disciplinary measures must be taken:
1. By a vote of censure.
2. By a vote to remove from membership.
This list does not negate all the principles discussed earlier in the chapter. It also does not say that no other forms of discipline can exist, only that one of these must be implemented in cases of grievous sin.
But even if these are the only two possible forms of discipline, they are still relevant to the discussion. The Manual’s description of discipline by censure effectively describes what the conference president tried to pressure the Village Church into doing to Conrad Vine.
A vote of censure is for a stated period of from a minimum of one month to a maximum of 12 months. It terminates an erring member’s election or appointment to all offices and removes the privilege of election while it is in effect. Members under censure have no right to participate by voice or by vote in the affairs of the church or lead church activities, such as teaching a Sabbath School class. They are not deprived, however, of the privilege of sharing the blessings of Sabbath School, church worship, or communion. Membership may not be transferred during the period of censure. (69)
In meetings with Village elders, the conference president communicated to them that Vine needed to be removed from his church offices. He was already banned from speaking from the pulpit, and it had become clear that the conference intended the spirit of that ban to extend to any form of leading from the front. So despite not using the words “censure” or “discipline”, the conference president was telling the church to implement the main operative elements of censure: termination from church offices and forfeiture of the right to lead church activities. One of the few components omitted was the time limit designed to protect the member and keep the disciplinary emphasis on restoration rather than retribution. Avoiding the word “discipline” did not change what the president was trying to do. But the avoidance of precise terminology did make it easier for him to suggest disciplinary action that, if carried out according to his direction, would have lacked the safeguards built into the Church Manual to uphold the integrity of the process.
Yes, This Is Discipline
In summary, then, the principles of church discipline are relevant to this conversation. The common use of the word and the general principles of the Church Manual apply to what the conference officers actually did, and the specific definition of discipline by censure describes what the conference president attempted to have the church do. It is therefore valid to compare the conference’s actions to the procedures for church discipline described in the Bible and Church Manual.
Leave a Reply