Why Not Church Discipline?

Church discipline is not a popular topic for most Christians. Why not? Do we really understand the purpose of church discipline? If we did, then we would thank God for this duty rather than cringing at its mention. I have come across several quotes that illustrate the importance and purpose of church discipline:

"As the saving doctrine of Christ is the soul of the church, so discipline forms the ligaments which connect the members together, and keep each in its
proper place. Whoever, therefore, desires either the abolition of all discipline, or obstruct its restoration, whether they act from design or inadvertency, they certainly promote the entire dissolution of the church." - Calvin

"Too often now when people join a church, they do so as consumers. If they like the product, they stay. If they do not, they leave. They can no more imagine a church disciplining them than they could a store that sells goods disciplining them. It is not the place of the seller to discipline the consumer. In our churches we have a consumer mentality." - Haddon Robinson

"Church discipline, even the final stage of excluding persistent sinners from church membership, is really just using our last resort in pleading with an erring brother or sister to forsake sin and return to the loving arms of the Lord who longs to forgive him or her." - Ronald Sider

The purpose of church discipline is to restore the wandering brother. We are all prone to wander, and the willingness of a fellow Christian or a church to make every effort to pull us back into the body of Christ is something to praised, not condemned or avoided. Discipline is an opportunity to show someone how much you love them. Just as a father is not properly loving his child when he refuses to discipline his child when the son or daughter disobeys, it is no different when a church refuses to discipline a wayward member. If I love my children, then I will discipline them when necessary. If a church loves its members, then it will discipline them when necessary.

Church discipline is a means of grace that the church should not dismiss simply because it is inconvenient or uncomfortable. Christ is our ultimate example of enduring the inconvenient and uncomfortable for the sake of those he loves; church discipline is one way to follow his example.