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40 Questions
40 Questions About Church Membership and Discipline
Addresses forty of the most common and thorny questions about church life
Does church membership mean more than simply joining a social group? Does the church have a responsibility to discipline its members--and if so, what does that look like? Recognizing the many puzzling questions about the critical role of the church in the life of believers, Jeremy Kimble addresses forty key points.
Each section considers questions of theology, ministry, and practicality, such
Like the other volumes in the 40 Questions & Answers Series, this book raises--and clearly answers--the most common and difficult questions that church leaders and members have. With succinct chapters, this is an eminently practical resource for any church leader, elder board, or new member seeking a foundational understanding of how the church should function.
Does church membership mean more than simply joining a social group? Does the church have a responsibility to discipline its members--and if so, what does that look like? Recognizing the many puzzling questions about the critical role of the church in the life of believers, Jeremy Kimble addresses forty key points.
Each section considers questions of theology, ministry, and practicality, such
Like the other volumes in the 40 Questions & Answers Series, this book raises--and clearly answers--the most common and difficult questions that church leaders and members have. With succinct chapters, this is an eminently practical resource for any church leader, elder board, or new member seeking a foundational understanding of how the church should function.
- GenresEcclesiologyTheology
272 pages, Paperback
Published May 27, 2017
7 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Jeremy M. Kimble
7 books3 followersJeremy M. Kimble (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is assistant professor of theology at Cedarville College. Kimble served in pastoral ministry for eight years and currently serves as an elder at Grace Baptist Church in Cedarville, Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 18, 2025
Accomplishes perfectly what the book sets out to do. It’s greatest strength is summarizing things succinctly, relying heavily and clearly on biblical texts themselves, and pointing to a myriad of other resources that enables the reader to find deeper studies from great authors on any topic they would desire to know more about. I especially appreciate how Dr. Kimble does not shy away from using theologically technical terms, as I feel that this book is still accessible to any regular church-goer but will push them in their theological vocabulary.
February 18, 2025
Super helpful, simple, and practical. Should be on every pastor’s shelf.
February 22, 2022
Repetitive but a helpful resource. It would be hard for one to read this book and walk away unconvinced that church membership and discipline are commanded by the Scriptures. A more condensed version of this content can be found in Jonathan Leeman's 9Marks book "Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus."
March 20, 2025
Not super in depth but if there’s someone wondering about this topic, it’s sufficient to answer your questions
February 22, 2022
Summary
40 Questions About Church Membership and Discipline, by Jeremy Kimble, aims to help the church return to a biblical view of church membership and discipline. The book helps pastors and churches think through how membership and discipline should be practically implemented (9). To do this, Kimble addresses various questions on the topics. The first half of the book is dedicated to church membership, and the second half to church discipline.
Kimble starts by answering why church membership and discipline are important. In a culture that is moving further away from church discipline and in large part sees it as unloving, we have to start by properly forming our view about the basis for these two practices. To answer the question, he first describes what the church is, because knowing the importance of the church helps merit the importance of church membership and discipline.
Kimble describes the church as “the people of God who have been saved through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, and have been incorporated into his body through baptism with the Holy Spirit” (17). Church membership is defined as “a formal relationship between a church and a Christian characterized by the church’s affirmation and oversight of a Christian’s discipleship and the Christian’s submission to living out his or her discipleship in the care of the church” (23). Church discipline is understood to be “divine authority delegated to the church by Jesus Christ to maintain order through the correction of persistently sinning church members for the good of those caught in sin, the purity of the church, and the glory of God” (28). Working from these definitions the reader understands how they each go hand-in-hand and why membership and discipline are necessary for the life of the church. They remind us of the consequences of sin and the future inheritance of salvation that is to come. The church should reflect the eschatological reality that will take place at Christ’s return (217). We see this play out throughout the book as Kimble points us to Scripture, which contains the guiding parameters in our practice.
Critical Reflection
Kimble believes that part of church membership is being a Christian. He grounds this belief in a few different teachings of the Bible. First is that if the Bible conceives of the universal church as consisting of only believers, then the local church would follow suit (24). The church is understood to be the people of God who have been redeemed through faith in Christ (Col 1:13-14). He also includes the Bible’s teaching warning against false teachers and unbelievers entering into he church as members as another reason that we can know members should be believers. The third reason is that the NT assumes churches are composed of believers only. The letters address “those sanctified in Christ” (1 Cor 1:2), “the saints in Christ Jesus” (Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1), and “the holy and faithful brothers in Christ” (Col 1:2). Basing this in Scripture makes it impossible to disagree with as a Christian, and he is not stretching Scripture’s, rather, it is made clear that the Bible teaches members of the church should be believers.
On this same note, Kimble makes sure to ground everything he argues in Scripture. It is important to note there is a variety of Scripture about these topics, because if there were just one verse about it, then it would be hard to argue that it these practices are normative. If people have any conception of church discipline, they probably think of Matt 18 as a basis for it. However, Kimble shows that the Bible has a lot more to say about this subject. He references 1 Cor 5 as well, where Paul deals with a case of incest in the church. Here, he actually commands the offender is to be removed right away, usurping the command in Matt 18.
When it comes to leadership in the church, although not absolutely necessary, it is always wise to include church leadership into disciplinary action (159). Healthy leadership should be part of a healthy church, and the church should want to include them in decisions this big, especially in the case of excommunication. Kimble does helpfully point out that even though we often think of excommunication when we hear “discipline,” the most common form of discipline is the first step of one-on-one confrontation. It is extremely rare that excommunication is necessary. In this case, part of being a healthy member is being prepared to enact discipline and be ready to repent of our own sins.
Kimble explains that membership is helpful for leaders so that they can better steward the responsibility God has given them. When a church has members, it helps them know who they are responsible. This idea of responsibility comes from the biblical language where we see leaders referred to as shepherds (Eph 4:11), elders (1 Peter 5:1-5), overseers (1 Tim 3:1), and stewards (Titus 1:7). “It is important to observe that elders are responsible as stewards for rightly proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they function as shepherds for overseeing the souls of the people in their local church” (68). Therefore, elders are stewards of God overseeing his household, the church, through the means of preaching, teaching, and leadership. Since pastors are responsible for knowing the spiritual condition of their flock, members help them know who those people are.
Kimble notes while the primary role of leadership is to be overseen, they also are susceptible to falling into ongoing, unrepentant sin (166). Pastors, of course, are also members of the church. Part of being healthy members is being ready and willing to discipline an elder who has fallen into unrepentant sin. This is an important point to make. It is easy to elevate leadership to a level where they cannot be held accountable for their sin, or where membership only excuses their sin.
Kimble also notes the importance of 1 Timothy 5:17-22, where Paul says that any accusation should be affirmed by two or three witnesses (166). This regulates the process so that no member is rashly ejected from leadership. My friend had the opportunity to do an internship at McLean Bible Church in Washington, DC. At that time there was political turmoil, and people were coming into the church with an agenda to bring about many false accusations about the leadership. When it turned out the overwhelming majority of these people were outsiders, it became apparent further investigation was needed. As with this example, all accusations must be taken seriously, while at the same time being evaluated on the basis of reasonable jurisdiction.
If the sin is verified, then it must be dealt with publicly according to Scripture (167). This public rebuke intended to promote the fear of God within the congregation. Like any means of discipline, the church should manifest the spiritual reality of what is taking place. For someone who is unrepentant, judgment awaits. All discipline should be done with the hope of repentance. Better to judge someone now by making then leave the church than let their sin go undealt with and then be judged by God at the day of judgment (1 Cor 5:5). Kimble points out that it is important for churches to know their leaders are held to a high standard and receive no preferential treatment (168). This would help counteract the current issues we are seeing among churches today with pastors with unapologetic mega-church pastors with repeat offenses remaining in leadership.
40 Questions About Church Membership and Discipline, by Jeremy Kimble, aims to help the church return to a biblical view of church membership and discipline. The book helps pastors and churches think through how membership and discipline should be practically implemented (9). To do this, Kimble addresses various questions on the topics. The first half of the book is dedicated to church membership, and the second half to church discipline.
Kimble starts by answering why church membership and discipline are important. In a culture that is moving further away from church discipline and in large part sees it as unloving, we have to start by properly forming our view about the basis for these two practices. To answer the question, he first describes what the church is, because knowing the importance of the church helps merit the importance of church membership and discipline.
Kimble describes the church as “the people of God who have been saved through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, and have been incorporated into his body through baptism with the Holy Spirit” (17). Church membership is defined as “a formal relationship between a church and a Christian characterized by the church’s affirmation and oversight of a Christian’s discipleship and the Christian’s submission to living out his or her discipleship in the care of the church” (23). Church discipline is understood to be “divine authority delegated to the church by Jesus Christ to maintain order through the correction of persistently sinning church members for the good of those caught in sin, the purity of the church, and the glory of God” (28). Working from these definitions the reader understands how they each go hand-in-hand and why membership and discipline are necessary for the life of the church. They remind us of the consequences of sin and the future inheritance of salvation that is to come. The church should reflect the eschatological reality that will take place at Christ’s return (217). We see this play out throughout the book as Kimble points us to Scripture, which contains the guiding parameters in our practice.
Critical Reflection
Kimble believes that part of church membership is being a Christian. He grounds this belief in a few different teachings of the Bible. First is that if the Bible conceives of the universal church as consisting of only believers, then the local church would follow suit (24). The church is understood to be the people of God who have been redeemed through faith in Christ (Col 1:13-14). He also includes the Bible’s teaching warning against false teachers and unbelievers entering into he church as members as another reason that we can know members should be believers. The third reason is that the NT assumes churches are composed of believers only. The letters address “those sanctified in Christ” (1 Cor 1:2), “the saints in Christ Jesus” (Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1), and “the holy and faithful brothers in Christ” (Col 1:2). Basing this in Scripture makes it impossible to disagree with as a Christian, and he is not stretching Scripture’s, rather, it is made clear that the Bible teaches members of the church should be believers.
On this same note, Kimble makes sure to ground everything he argues in Scripture. It is important to note there is a variety of Scripture about these topics, because if there were just one verse about it, then it would be hard to argue that it these practices are normative. If people have any conception of church discipline, they probably think of Matt 18 as a basis for it. However, Kimble shows that the Bible has a lot more to say about this subject. He references 1 Cor 5 as well, where Paul deals with a case of incest in the church. Here, he actually commands the offender is to be removed right away, usurping the command in Matt 18.
When it comes to leadership in the church, although not absolutely necessary, it is always wise to include church leadership into disciplinary action (159). Healthy leadership should be part of a healthy church, and the church should want to include them in decisions this big, especially in the case of excommunication. Kimble does helpfully point out that even though we often think of excommunication when we hear “discipline,” the most common form of discipline is the first step of one-on-one confrontation. It is extremely rare that excommunication is necessary. In this case, part of being a healthy member is being prepared to enact discipline and be ready to repent of our own sins.
Kimble explains that membership is helpful for leaders so that they can better steward the responsibility God has given them. When a church has members, it helps them know who they are responsible. This idea of responsibility comes from the biblical language where we see leaders referred to as shepherds (Eph 4:11), elders (1 Peter 5:1-5), overseers (1 Tim 3:1), and stewards (Titus 1:7). “It is important to observe that elders are responsible as stewards for rightly proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, and they function as shepherds for overseeing the souls of the people in their local church” (68). Therefore, elders are stewards of God overseeing his household, the church, through the means of preaching, teaching, and leadership. Since pastors are responsible for knowing the spiritual condition of their flock, members help them know who those people are.
Kimble notes while the primary role of leadership is to be overseen, they also are susceptible to falling into ongoing, unrepentant sin (166). Pastors, of course, are also members of the church. Part of being healthy members is being ready and willing to discipline an elder who has fallen into unrepentant sin. This is an important point to make. It is easy to elevate leadership to a level where they cannot be held accountable for their sin, or where membership only excuses their sin.
Kimble also notes the importance of 1 Timothy 5:17-22, where Paul says that any accusation should be affirmed by two or three witnesses (166). This regulates the process so that no member is rashly ejected from leadership. My friend had the opportunity to do an internship at McLean Bible Church in Washington, DC. At that time there was political turmoil, and people were coming into the church with an agenda to bring about many false accusations about the leadership. When it turned out the overwhelming majority of these people were outsiders, it became apparent further investigation was needed. As with this example, all accusations must be taken seriously, while at the same time being evaluated on the basis of reasonable jurisdiction.
If the sin is verified, then it must be dealt with publicly according to Scripture (167). This public rebuke intended to promote the fear of God within the congregation. Like any means of discipline, the church should manifest the spiritual reality of what is taking place. For someone who is unrepentant, judgment awaits. All discipline should be done with the hope of repentance. Better to judge someone now by making then leave the church than let their sin go undealt with and then be judged by God at the day of judgment (1 Cor 5:5). Kimble points out that it is important for churches to know their leaders are held to a high standard and receive no preferential treatment (168). This would help counteract the current issues we are seeing among churches today with pastors with unapologetic mega-church pastors with repeat offenses remaining in leadership.
February 18, 2025
If you desire to know from a biblical, theological, and historical perspective of what, why, and how church membership and disciple is done, this book is for you. Kimble answers the questions with grace and class and brings the reader along with him in the interactive process as we both work together figuring out what church membership and discipline is, and why it’s vital to the local church.
August 21, 2017
Let us take a look today at the latest in the 40 Questions series from Kregel Academic. This one is 40 Questions about Church Membership and Discipline, and it’s by Jeremy M. Kimble. Kimble is an assistant professor at Cedarville College, and his background is Baptist. Southern Baptist, if you’d like to be precise.
40 Questions about Church Membership and Discipline (40QaCMaD) is 272 pages, trade paperback size, and all text. It is published by Kregel Academic, and the series editor for the 40 Questions series is Benjamin L. Merkle. I personally own several entries in this series and have appreciated all of them.
On to 40QaCMaD: First, the overall format of questions/answers is a good way to explore a topic. The primary drawback is that the same person provides the questions and the answers. That means the author is never stumped by a question and gets to dodge the troublesome ones.
Which, unfortunately, does happen in this work. I’ll start with the drawback, the missing questions, and then end on the positives. The missing questions deal with protecting against abuse in a church discipline system. While not advocating an excessive discipline, it is a legitimate question to ask: How does a church prevent its disciplinary system from becoming a tool of abuse? No guardrails are suggested, and in fact, the chapter on why some churches do not practice discipline seems to acknowledge and then dismiss the concern of abuse.
That being said, this book is still a valuable tool for understanding church membership. First, note that Kimble, the author, and Merkle, the editor, are Baptists. The assumptions underlying church membership and discipline include congregational involvement and independent local churches. Keep that in mind if you’re inclined toward a hierarchal church structure.
The opening half of the book is focused on church membership. The 20 questions involved cover everything from qualifications to benefits to responsibilities of church members. These are good, though brief. Keep in mind that whole papers and books are written about subjects such as what age a child should be a church member.
The second half, of course, then deals with discipline. This is also good and deals well with practical ideas about keeping the church on-course through discipline. It also deals with the specific question of handling church leaders who need discipline.
As with all books, the presence of footnotes is pleasing to the eye, so that I’m not flipping around trying to find the references.
In all, a useful guidebook for those considering what church membership should mean and how that relates to church discipline.
(Book received from the publisher in exchange for the review.)
40 Questions about Church Membership and Discipline (40QaCMaD) is 272 pages, trade paperback size, and all text. It is published by Kregel Academic, and the series editor for the 40 Questions series is Benjamin L. Merkle. I personally own several entries in this series and have appreciated all of them.
On to 40QaCMaD: First, the overall format of questions/answers is a good way to explore a topic. The primary drawback is that the same person provides the questions and the answers. That means the author is never stumped by a question and gets to dodge the troublesome ones.
Which, unfortunately, does happen in this work. I’ll start with the drawback, the missing questions, and then end on the positives. The missing questions deal with protecting against abuse in a church discipline system. While not advocating an excessive discipline, it is a legitimate question to ask: How does a church prevent its disciplinary system from becoming a tool of abuse? No guardrails are suggested, and in fact, the chapter on why some churches do not practice discipline seems to acknowledge and then dismiss the concern of abuse.
That being said, this book is still a valuable tool for understanding church membership. First, note that Kimble, the author, and Merkle, the editor, are Baptists. The assumptions underlying church membership and discipline include congregational involvement and independent local churches. Keep that in mind if you’re inclined toward a hierarchal church structure.
The opening half of the book is focused on church membership. The 20 questions involved cover everything from qualifications to benefits to responsibilities of church members. These are good, though brief. Keep in mind that whole papers and books are written about subjects such as what age a child should be a church member.
The second half, of course, then deals with discipline. This is also good and deals well with practical ideas about keeping the church on-course through discipline. It also deals with the specific question of handling church leaders who need discipline.
As with all books, the presence of footnotes is pleasing to the eye, so that I’m not flipping around trying to find the references.
In all, a useful guidebook for those considering what church membership should mean and how that relates to church discipline.
(Book received from the publisher in exchange for the review.)
August 15, 2017
This book provides a unique format to get you thinking deeply about church membership and discipline. You can read through the table of contents for a specific question on the subject, or you can as I did, read through the entire book and be blessed to think through the issues from a variety of vantage points. Mr. Kimble has provided a nice resource here. Though there are many new titles in the area of church membership and discipline published recently, this book carves out its own niche and will be appreciated by readers everywhere.
The author divides the questions into four main parts. Part One defines terms and gets us thinking in the right direction for the questions that follow. Part Two contains general questions about church membership. These questions cover theology, ministry, and practicality. I can’t think of a question he left out, nor of a question he answered carelessly.
Part Three contains general questions about church discipline. If anything, the subject of church discipline is even more bewildering to most Christians than that of the little-discussed subject of church membership. The author again divides the questions into theological, ministry, and practical questions. Part Four asked two concluding questions about the significance of these two interrelated subjects.
As a Baptist pastor, I find this volume biblical, well-written, and helpful. Its design makes it the ideal volume to have on the shelf to pull down when a question comes to mind. Even if you squabble about some conclusion the author makes, he writes succinctly and carefully lays the issue out for you. The reader cannot help but be blessed by this volume. I highly recommend it!
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
The author divides the questions into four main parts. Part One defines terms and gets us thinking in the right direction for the questions that follow. Part Two contains general questions about church membership. These questions cover theology, ministry, and practicality. I can’t think of a question he left out, nor of a question he answered carelessly.
Part Three contains general questions about church discipline. If anything, the subject of church discipline is even more bewildering to most Christians than that of the little-discussed subject of church membership. The author again divides the questions into theological, ministry, and practical questions. Part Four asked two concluding questions about the significance of these two interrelated subjects.
As a Baptist pastor, I find this volume biblical, well-written, and helpful. Its design makes it the ideal volume to have on the shelf to pull down when a question comes to mind. Even if you squabble about some conclusion the author makes, he writes succinctly and carefully lays the issue out for you. The reader cannot help but be blessed by this volume. I highly recommend it!
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
October 18, 2025
This is a helpful book for those wanting a broad overview of the biblical basis for church membership and church discipline. I found some of the arguments answers to be lacking and not the most clearly written. I’d recommend Jonathan Leeman’s “Don’t Fire Your Church members” for a more substantive treatment and his little books in the build healthy church series on “church membership” and “church discipline” for more a more helpful and practical treatment.
June 18, 2025
Great content very helpful, but felt like they were fighting hard to get to 40 questions. Probably only needed to be like 20 questions. For that reason, the content was great but the reading was a little laborious and repetitive.
February 21, 2022
Very helpful. Accomplishes its purpose of providing a foundational understanding of church membership and discipline.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews