For the past two weeks, we have been discussing a short piece from the Presbyterian Book of Order known as “The Notes of the Reformed Church.” The opening of this section reads as follows: “Where Christ is, there is the true Church. Since the earliest days of the Reformation, Reformed Christians have marked the presence of the true Church wherever –
the Word of God is truly preached and heard,
the Sacraments are rightly administered,
and ecclesiastical discipline is uprightly ministered.
This week, we would like to address the third and final note of the Reformed Church – “Ecclesiastical discipline is uprightly ministered.”
In some sense, I would suppose that the need for discipline of some sort is self-evident in virtually any group or organization. But in the context of the Protestant Reformation, the need for ecclesiastical discipline was thought to be especially pressing. The issue for the Protestants can be stated in a form of a simple question: “If we are no longer under the authority and discipline of the Pope and the Church in Rome, then whose authority and disciple are we to be under?”
From one point of view, we might say this is an easy question. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, and we are therefore under his authority. But when we enter into the day-to-day life of the church in particular congregations, we soon find the need for something more specific. To answer that need, the Reformed tradition and the Presbyterian Church have developed a document known as “The Rules of Discipline,” and have included these rules in the Book of Order which itself makes up Part II of our constitution.
These rules start off with an emphasis on mediation and conciliation. We are urged to settle differences and fix problems among ourselves without having to resort to the more formal process. But when the more informal attempts fail to bring a resolution, the official rules are in place to guide us.
Perhaps most importantly is the idea that we are to solve our problems ourselves without having recourse to “outsiders.” And so, in practice, every presbytery and every synod, as well as the General Assembly, has a standing committee known as the Permanent Judicial Committee (PJC) made up of elders elected from local congregations. It is this committee that will first hear any complaint that is to make its way through the disciplinary process.
In my experience, the Rules of Discipline spell out rather clearly everything that needs to be done and how to do it. The most important part is to make sure that everyone has read and understood the rules and agrees to follow the process. And all along the way, we continue with our attempts at mediation and reconciliation, praying to God for wisdom and understanding.
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