From time to time those who bear responsibility in the administration of a church must exercise a measure of discipline toward unruly members. The exercise of discipline takes as its goals restoring the erring members and protecting both the Lord’s testimony and the members of His Body. As with anything done in the Lord’s service, the elders must first deal with the Lord so that their person is right and then exercise to be one with Him in the way that they handle matters (2 Cor. 2:10). When Paul wrote to Timothy regarding the qualifications of elders, he wrote concerning their person (1 Tim. 3:1-7). Similarly, in the book The Elders’ Management of the Church, after discussing what an elder has to know concerning God’s plan, His government, and His authority both in Himself and in the church, the first thing Brother Lee touched was the person of an elder. The following article on Shepherding Words will further develop this matter of the person of one who represents the Lord’s authority, and what is the proper administration of that authority.
Properly Representing the Lord in the Exercise of Discipline