What steps does church discipline involve?
Briefly, if someone is engaged in persistent, pernicious sin, then it is the responsibility of those in the body of Christ to approach him or her in love, and try to convince him or her to stop. The clearest statement of this process is given by Jesus in Mt 18:15-17. This is done first one-on-one, then with one or two others present, and finally by the church (see Q. 10 below). At any point, if this person repents, then the process is successful. If not, then it culminates in expulsion from the faith community.
