Article 72 Aim of discipline
Church discipline shall be exercised in accordance with the Word of God and to his honour.
The aim of discipline is that the sinner be reconciled with God and his neighbour and that the offence is removed from the church of Christ.
Article 73 Mutual responsibility
If anyone departs from the pure doctrine or is delinquent in conduct and this is a secret matter which does not give rise to public offence, then the rule which Christ clearly prescribes in Matthew 18, shall be observed.
Article 74 Report to the consistory
Secret sins shall not be made known to the consistory if the sinner, after personal, brotherly admonitions or after admonition before one or two witnesses, comes to repentance.
If anyone, having been admonished of a secret sin in accordance with the rule of Matthew 18, does not heed such admonition, or where someone has committed a public sin, then report of this shall be made to the consistory.
Article 75 Confession of guilt at repentance
When someone repents of a public sin or a secret sin which had to be reported to the consistory, the consistory shall accept this confession of sin if sufficient signs of repentance are evident.
The consistory shall determine whether an announcement of this confession of guilt should be made to the congregation.
Article 76 Procedure relating to discipline
Any person who obstinately rejects church admonition or who has committed a public or some other serious sin shall be denied admission to the Lord's Supper by the consistory.
If, after numerous subsequent admonitions, the person does not show any signs of repentance, the consistory shall, as an ultimate remedy, proceed to excommunication for which the adopted form is to be used.
No one may be excommunicated without the consent of the classis.
Article 77 Announcements during the procedure
After someone has been denied admission to the Lord's Supper and the following consequent exhortations, the consistory shall proceed with excommunication only after it has informed the congregation of the obstinacy of the sinner.
His sin and the numerous attempts to convert him by reprimands, denial of admission to the Lord's Supper and many admonitions, shall be made known at that time. The congregation shall be urged to admonish him and to pray for him.
This shall be announced on three occasions. In order to spare the sinner, the name shall not be mentioned in the first announcement.
In the second announcement his name shall be mentioned, after consent has been given, in accordance with article 76, by the classis.
In the third announcement the consistory shall inform the congregation that he shall be excluded from the communion of the church if he does not repent. In this way the excommunication shall have the silent consent of the congregation.
The consistory shall determine the time lapses between the announcements.
Article 78 Re-admission of those excommunicated
When an excommunicated person again wishes to be accepted into the congregation through repentance, the congregation shall be advised accordingly.
If no one is able to bring any objections against this, the person shall, after a period of at least three Sundays and after having publicly confessed his sin, be re-admitted into the congregation. The accepted form shall be used for this.
Article 79 Discipline in relation to office bearers
When ministers reject the admonitions of the church or when they publicly or otherwise engage in a serious sin, they shall be suspended on the ground of the judgment of their consistory and of the consistory of an advisory congregation appointed by the classis.
The classis, with the advice of the deputies of the synod as mentioned in article 14, must judge whether they ought to be deposed.
When elders or deacons are guilty of one of the above-mentioned sins, the judgment of their consistory and the consistory of an advisory congregation will be sufficient for their suspension or deposition.
Article 80 Serious and gross sins on the part of office bearers
As serious and gross sins which are grounds for the suspension or deposition of officebearers, the following are to be mentioned particularly: the promotion of false doctrines, overt schismatically activities, blasphemy, simony, faithless desertion of office or intrusion into the office of someone else, perjury, adultery, fornication, theft, violent behaviour, continual drunkenness, gaining wealth by unlawful means.
Added to these are those sins and serious offences which are grounds for excommunication in respect of other church members.
Article 81 Christian censure
The ministers, elders and deacons shall amongst themselves exercise Christian censure and shall exhort and kindly admonish one another in relation to the execution of their office.
Article 82 Discipline in respect of baptised members
A baptised member shall be admonished by the consistory when he as an adult fails to make public profession of faith or where in other respects he is not loyal to the calling to new obedience in God's covenant. If he obstinately rejects the admonition of the consistory and thereby clearly demonstrates that he is indifferent and averse to the covenant, or is even hostile to the service of the Lord, the matter shall, with the consent of the classis, be made known to the congregation. The consistory shall mention his name in the announcement and shall also set a term.
The congregation shall be urged to admonish him and to pray for him. If he does not, in the said term, show any real repentance, the consistory shall in a church service exclude him from the communion of the church. The adopted form shall be used for this.
If he, after this excommunication, comes to repentance and desires to rejoin the communion of the church, he shall be admitted by way of his public profession of faith after the consistory has made his repentance known to the congregation.