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When Mr. Armstrong learned that some ministers were abusing the biblical example of disfellowshipping a member, he was appalled and told potential new ministerial trainees in Pasadena that disfellowshipping a member should be a last resort -- not the first -- and only after first bending over backwards and doing everything possible to help a member be motivated and understand how and why he needs to repent of this or that.
Mr. Armstrong's Instruction on Disfellowshipping a Member
The following is verbatim from Mr. Armstrong's 4-February-1984 Sermon:
''Well, supposing that one even who has received the Holy Spirit changes his mind and wants to go off a different way; and he begins to cause friction and trouble. Some will say "Yeah, you are still going to have friction in the Church." Oh, no. We are not, brethren. No, we're not! And I want to show you why. Next we have to turn back to Romans, the last chapter of Romans, the 16th chapter and verse 17 where Paul says:
''Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them.
''Different doctrines -- they are causing division, they are causing trouble. THAT IS WHAT WE HAD IN THE PAST. And the REASON that we had it was we said, "Well, we must be more loving and more kind and more good than God; and we must just leave them in among us." God says, MARK THEM AND AVOID THEM. Now there are two ways we can avoid them, and only two that I know. One is if we leave them in the Church and we all go out. We're no longer in the Church. The other is that we put them out, and we stay IN. Now, brethren, I think we'd prefer to stay IN. And so our choice is going to be to PUT THEM OUT.
''And I want to say to you that one of the greatest offenses that we have COMMITTED -- and we didn't know it, and we didn't realize it, and we didn't do it maliciously or deliberately; we did it thinking we were doing it to be kind. and to not be too hard or tough -- we ALLOWED that kind of people to STAY IN UNTIL THEY TOOK OUT OTHERS WITH THEM. THE THING TO DO IS -- JUST AS SOON AS THE MINISTERS MARK ONE, OR SEE ONE who is contrary, who is causing division, who has other ideas, who is in a wrong attitude -- to deal with that person quickly.
''Now that doesn't mean be harsh and put them out immediately. We don't do it that way. But we go to that person, and we try to deal with that person kindly. We try to show that person where he is wrong. We try to see that he is not going to be contrary, but will see where he is wrong. Work with him; and, if he will show a right attitude, he will get into a right attitude and all of the controversy will be over. And then there is no division in the Church. And, if we can save one, we will meet with him. We will pray. We will treat him with love.
''But if we find he is in a hostile and an antagonistic spirit -- a spirit of hostility, of bitterness, of strife, of resentment -- then we will not waste the time of day with him. We'll say, "YOU ARE EXCOMMUNICATED! You are NO ARE LONGER A MEMBER OF THIS CHURCH. YOU CANNOT ASSEMBLE WITH US ANY FURTHER."
''The Church is going to remain united. Now, brethren, I repent of the fact that we have not been very careful on that point in the past. We are trying to be now. Now I have had a number of cases (not a large number, a very small number but a few) of ministers in the Church in this last three or four years. In some cases, they have had to be brought to me. In some cases, we have worked with them. We've found they were willing to come to a right attitude, or they already had a right attitude. What was wrong could be corrected. We have worked with them. We have saved them. They are continuing on, in harmony and in peace. We will work with them in every way we can -- in LOVE, in PEACE -- if they will have it that way. We want them to go into the Kingdom of God with us.
''If they are hostile, then they no longer belong in this Church. And we're going to be very stern about that thing from now on. And there will be NO DIVISION IN THIS CHURCH! And that is the reason why now there is one government. Jesus Christ is the Head of that government. And I believe Jesus Christ is going to be able to keep it, and protect it, and carry us right on. The world has no way to eliminate opposition, competition, strife, division, discontent and unhappiness. God does give us a way to eliminate that from our midst.''
