Ben Cole, Pastor of Parkview Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, recently sent a letter to the inactive members on their church’s roll. It is a model of pastoral faithfulness, admonishing members who may have grown spiritually apathetic to rekindle their devotion to Christ and His church.

I am glad that more and more people are beginning to speak out on church discipline and our need to recover our commitment to a regenerate church membership. My fear is that, for some, this may remain only a theoretical interest. Ben demonstrates the kind of steps that must be taken in order for these biblical teachings to be reinstituted in a local church.

My fellow pastors, we must be willing to lead our churches in these paths if we are going to be faithful to our Lord. Failure to do so is a failure of duty. It does not matter how loudly one proclaims his commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord or the Bible as His inerrant Word. If there is a blatant, ongoing neglect of the simple, plain teachings of our Lord regarding church membership (Matthew 18:15-18, for example), then Christ is being dishonored and His glory trampled.

Thanks, Ben. May your example encourage many other pastors and churches to take the necessary and difficult steps of seeking to recover wayward members and honoring Christ in His church.