Church Discipline at our Local Church | ACBC Exam Question #50

28. Does your church presently practice church discipline? If not, would you be willing to graciously encourage them toward this position?

                Yes, South End Fellowship Baptist Church of Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada of which my husband and I have been members of for 10+ years practices church discipline.  They clearly follow Scripture (Matthew 18:15-20, Titus 3:9-11, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, 1 Corinthians 5, Galatians 6:1).  We met together with our Senior Pastor and his wife casually at our place last week to hear his heart and discuss this important Biblical mandate.  I requested he write a little “blurb” for me to include that reflected our churches doctrine and his personal convictions on this issue.  His response was;

“Church discipline is clearly mandated in scripture. So, to ignore it in a local church setting would not only be unhealthy, but unbiblical. A home without discipline is dysfunctional. A church that is unwilling to discipline is likewise dysfunctional. Someone once said to me, “I would far rather have my mother discipline me than my father. My mother used a spatula. My father used a belt and he was stronger!” I believe church discipline is like the mother disciplining. It is God’s way of softening the blow He Himself could levy if we left it up to Him. Carrying out church discipline is never easy. Some will think you are too soft, others too harsh. But if done properly, it will hopefully yield the fruits of repentance and restoration.”

                It is clearly the heart of South End Fellowship Baptist, the Pastoral staff, and members that restoration as outlined in James 5:19-20 is the goal of church discipline. “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (ESV) 

I am so thankful for our local church, it as an independent identity, our Pastoral staff, deacons and members are very much devoted to upholding Biblical truth in preaching, teaching, worship, outreach, ministry and all the faucets of the church.  If you would like to contact them their contact is information is; 

South End Fellowship Baptist Church

400 2nd Ave SE, Owen Sound, ON N4K 5T1       Phone # (519) 376-1550

Senior Pastor: Mark Lowrie

Associate Pastor: Chad Gordon

Worship Ministry: Tim Chambers

Church Administrator: Fiona Evison

Website: http://www.southendchurch.com/  includes under Contact/Staff pages opportunity to e-mail staff directly.