Readmission – Form 2
Announcement
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord:
As you are aware, some time ago our fellow member __________ was excommunicated from the church of Christ because of his/her persistence in a serious and offensive sin without any token of genuine repentance. As a congregation, it has been our prayer that God would use this excommunication as the extreme remedy to bring him/her to conversion. We thankfully announce that the Lord has answered our prayers, and we rejoice in the blessed results of Christian discipline. With joy we announce that __________ has repented and expressed his/her desire to be restored to fellowship with Christ and His people. According to God’s command, we are to receive back joyfully those who repent of their sins, and so, if there are no lawful objections, this readmission will be celebrated on __________. Meanwhile, let us praise the Lord for the favor shown to this poor sinner and ask God to perfect His powerful work of grace 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:
It is known to you that __________, who was excommunicated, has requested to be readmitted to the communion of Christ and His church. Since no one has presented any valid reason why this restoration should not take place, we now proceed with gladness to receive our brother/sister again into the church of Jesus Christ.
Our Lord teaches us in Matthew 18 that those who have been excommunicated from the life and fellowship of the church are not deprived of all hope of salvation, for by way of faith and repentance, sinners may once more be set free from the bonds of condemnation. God even declares in His Word that He takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked,” but rather that he should “turn from his way and live” (Ezek. 33:11
; cf. Luke 15).
Likewise, the church always hopes for the conversion of those who have fallen into gross sin and is ready to receive back the penitent, which is in keeping with what the apostle Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 5. Therefore, all who truly repent should not doubt in any way that the Lord receives them in grace, as Christ assures us: “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
__________, please stand now, and in the presence of God and His people respond to the following questions:
Do you declare before God and His church that you are truly sorry for your sin, and do you believe that the Lord has forgiven you for the sake of Christ?
Do you reaffirm your union with Christ and desire to be readmitted to the covenant family of God, promising to live from now on in all godliness according to the command of the Lord?
Do you promise to do all you can, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to strengthen your love and commitment to Christ by sharing faithfully in the life of the church, honoring and submitting to its authority, and do you join with the people of God in doing the work of the Lord to which He calls us?
Answer: I do.
Declaration
We, then, being here assembled in the name and by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, declare you, __________, to be 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 begotten 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/her 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.