Readmission – Form 1
Announcement
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord:
It was made known some time ago that our fellow member __________ was excommunicated from the church of Christ. We can now announce to you that he/she, by this remedy and also through good admonitions and your Christian prayers, has come to confess his/her sin and now asks to be readmitted to the fellowship of the church. Since it is our duty, according to the command of God, to receive such persons with joy and thanksgiving, and since all things should be done decently and in good order, we inform you that at the next celebration of the Lord’s Supper we shall set this individual free from the bond of excommunication and receive him/her again into the fellowship of Christ’s church.
If any of you should have reason against such readmission, it is incumbent upon you to give notice as soon as possible. Meanwhile, let us thank the Lord, who has shown favor to this lost sheep, and let us earnestly ask Him to perfect His work of conversion in him/her to his/her eternal salvation. Amen.
Afterwards, if no hindrance occurs, the minister shall proceed to the readmission of the excommunicated sinner according to the following form:
Readmission
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
We recently informed you of the repentance and conversion of __________, to the end that, with your consent, he/she might be received again into the church of Christ. No one has brought forward any objection against this readmission, and therefore we will now receive him/her again into the communion of the saints.
The Lord Jesus Christ taught His church to put out of the fellowship those who refuse to repent of their sins. In Matthew 18, He says, “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.” But He immediately adds, “and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18:18
). Indeed, He has taught us that excommunication does not take away all hope of salvation. For God has sworn by Himself, saying, “As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezek. 33:11). Therefore, the church keeps hoping and praying for the repentance and return of the lost sinner, always eager to receive those turning from and sorrowing for their sins. The apostle Paul commanded the congregation at Corinth to forgive and comfort the brother who had been reproved and had come to repentance. He exhorted the church to reaffirm their love for him, lest he should be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
Christ also teaches us that God reckons the sentence of absolution, passed upon a repentant sinner according to the Word of God, as binding. For this reason, no one who truly repents needs to doubt in any way that he is certainly received by God in grace, as Christ has declared, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven” (John 20:23), and “whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19).
Confession
That we may proceed to your readmission into the fellowship of Christ and His people, I ask you, __________, to stand now, and in the presence of God and His church respond to the following questions:
Do you declare with all your heart that you are truly sorry for the sin and stubbornness on account of which you were justly excluded from the church?
Do you also truly believe that the Lord has forgiven all your sins for the sake of Christ’s blood and now receives you by His grace and mercy through Him?
Do you, therefore, desire to be readmitted to the church of Christ, promising, by the grace of God, to live from now on in all godliness according to the Word of God?
Answer: I do.
Declaration
We, then, being here assembled in the name and by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, and on His behalf, declare to you, __________, that you are set free from the bonds of excommunication. We joyfully receive you again into the church of our Lord, and declare that you share in the fellowship of Christ, of the holy sacraments, and of all the spiritual gifts and blessings of our Savior which God promises to His church and bestows upon her. May the eternal God preserve you in this to the end, through His only Son, Jesus Christ. “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thess. 5:24). Amen.
Charge
Dear brother/sister, be assured in your heart that the Lord Himself has received you in grace. Be diligent to guard yourself against the subtleties of Satan, the wickedness of the world, and the weakness of the flesh, lest you again become entangled in sin. The love of Christ has brought you back. Love Him, for He has forgiven much. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit anew, who promised in your baptism to dwell in you and to sanctify you as a member of Christ.
And you, dear fellow Christians, receive this brother/sister with all your love. Rejoice and be thankful, for this brother/sister was dead and now is alive; he/she was lost and now is found. Rejoice with the angels, for Christ said, “I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). Count him no longer as a stranger, but as a fellow member with the saints of the household of God.
Prayer
Since there is no good in ourselves, let us, with praise and thanksgiving, implore the Lord Almighty for His mercy:
Gracious God and Father, we thank and praise You through Jesus Christ that You have granted this brother/sister godly sorrow and repentance unto life and have brought us to rejoice in this. We ask You to show him/her Your grace, that he/she may be continually assured of the complete remission of all sins, and may derive from that assurance joy and delight to serve You. Since for a time he/she has grieved many by his/her sin, grant that he/she may now edify many by his/her new path of faith. Grant also that he/she may walk steadfastly in Your ways until the end. Teach us, Father, by this example, that with You there is always forgiveness, and may You therefore be praised and adored. Grant now that we, with our brother/sister, may serve You with childlike fear and obedience all the days of our lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who, with You and the Holy Spirit, is the one and only true God. Amen.
Or:
… through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray:
Congregation:
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.