# Status of excommunicated after a church closes



## Doulos 2 (Jan 31, 2011)

What is a person who has been excommunicated from a church for unrepentant sin supposed to do if the church closes its doors? How are they to be restored (assuming they have repented)?


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## Peairtach (Jan 31, 2011)

They take their "lines" to another church. The Church of Christ is one Holy Catholic Church.

The "lines" from the Session just explain that the person is a communicant member in good standing or is a communicant member who is under suspension for a period or _sine die_ until it is appropriate to restore her/him.

I don't know if they'd call them his/her "lines" in America, or something else (?)

Some/many churches, of course, can be very bad for receiving people with few Qs asked, thus undermining Christ's sanctions in His Church.


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## Joseph Scibbe (Jan 31, 2011)

Richard Tallach said:


> They take their "lines" to another church. The Church of Christ is one Holy Catholic Church.


 
I don't know what you are saying. It sounds like once someone is removed from the church they would never be welcome there again. If someone has repented then they ought to be reinstated as a member of the church. Obviously not to a leadership position (at least not right away) and should monitored to ensure true, ongoing, repentance.


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## Notthemama1984 (Jan 31, 2011)

Doulos 2 said:


> What is a person who has been excommunicated from a church for unrepentant sin supposed to do if the church closes its doors? How are they to be restored (assuming they have repented)?


 
I did not realize that churches actually would close their door. I thought they would remove all leadership positions, bar from the table, and witness to them as if they were an unbeliever. 

Am I missing something?


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## Peairtach (Jan 31, 2011)

> if the church closes its doors?



I thought Clark meant if a particular congregation or denomination closed down! Otherwise they can be restored to the same congregation or denomination, unless they move to another town, when they could also take their lines with them when looking for another congrgation.

Sorry.

You don't prevent someone who is under discipline from coming to church unless they are disruptive.


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## Doulos 2 (Jan 31, 2011)

I meant a church that closes down and no longer meets.


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## Joseph Scibbe (Jan 31, 2011)

I am sorry. I misread the original post and thus my response was off.


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## Herald (Jan 31, 2011)

Clark,

I suppose it would be a good thing for the repentant Christian to explain the situation to the new church he wishes to attend. Allow there to be a sense of accountability. If it's a Presbyterian church they could make there repentance known to the denomination.


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## Doulos 2 (Jan 31, 2011)

Thanks for your responses, they were helpful. I hadn't considered the catholicity of the church in regards to my question.


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## sdesocio (Jan 31, 2011)

Yeah I'd take the John Newton line, if they are not a member of the church and not a christian they are 'objects of our compassion', If someone had been excommunicated, and wanted to join another church it would be the simple matter of explaining that as part of the membership process in the next church. Praise God if this is a real situation.


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## Peairtach (Feb 1, 2011)

Doulos 2 said:


> Thanks for your responses, they were helpful. I hadn't considered the catholicity of the church in regards to my question.


 
Well the sad thing is that often as not the different denominations/congregations do not take each other seriously enough as parts of the one, visible catholic Church to do this kind of business properly. Therefore someone leaves one church - maybe in a huff - e.g. under suspension from communion for adultery, drunkennes or embezzlement or whatever, and is immediately received into communion in another denomination/congregation with no relevant Qs being asked. I know it might sometimes be difficult or impossible to ask relevant Qs.

The reason may be that people are respecting the individual and/or family sensitivities more than the godly Christ-ordained order of congregations, denominations and _more importantly_ of Christ's Holy Visible (Reformed) Catholic Church.

But we need to remember that church sanctions are an institution of Jesus Christ for the warning and rescue of His wayward people and we shouldn't treat His institutions in a cowboy-like fashion.


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