Neogillist
Puritan Board Freshman
Some of the puritans did not like liturgy, in fact, I read that a few went to the extreme of forbidding the use of the Lord's Prayer in church. I personally don't go to that extreme. However, I dislike liturgy, as in my opinions it tends to drag down the service and make it ritualistic. I think that a form of liturgy for the sacraments is appropriate, so long as it uses extensive portions of Scripture.
My church also has a liturgical form of excommunication. Because I attend a Reformed church that practices paedo-baptism and credo-communion, a profession of faith must be performed before the church for one to be received as a "professing member." Consequently, although a profession of faith is not technically a sacrament, it tends to be treated as such, and is typically placed right in the middle of the worship service. Now, when a member of my church typically becomes worn out of its wooden orthodoxy, he will stop attending for a prolonged period of time until people start noticing; the elders will find out, and the person will be plowed through the church discipline protocol. The procedure usually takes several months and if the person is not brought back to repentance and the synod approves of an excommunication, then the liturgical form of excommunication will be drawn out and read the following Lord's Day to formally and officially remove the person from membership. This liturgical form is usually read just like a baptism or a profession of faith, which would be right in the middle of the worship service, or more specifically at the point of intercessory prayer towards the end, I think. Because announcements are not part of worship, I personally believe they ought to be done after the benediction at the very end, or simply placed in the bultin. This would also include announcements in regard to church discipline if needed.
Moreover, I am not sure if liturgy should be used for an excommunication. Personally, a simple declaration that one's membership has been removed would suffice, and would also avoid scaring the living day light out of visitors who could happen to be visiting my church on that day. Excommunication liturgy is popish I feel, and non-reformed Christians whom we desire to be introduced to the Reformed faith could be seriously hampered by it, and overeact in disdain. Moreover, church discipline and worship are two separate things which I do not see a need to be mixed within a worship service, especially in view of the regulative principle. Neither a profession of faith nor an excommunication, (which is the converse of a profession) are sacraments, and thus they are technically not part of worship. Consequently, I don't have any problem with the "underground" church discipline of certain reformed denominations like the PCA, since they do not hamper the functioning of the church, nor necessarily belittle the importance of church membership.
I would like to know what you guys think.
My church also has a liturgical form of excommunication. Because I attend a Reformed church that practices paedo-baptism and credo-communion, a profession of faith must be performed before the church for one to be received as a "professing member." Consequently, although a profession of faith is not technically a sacrament, it tends to be treated as such, and is typically placed right in the middle of the worship service. Now, when a member of my church typically becomes worn out of its wooden orthodoxy, he will stop attending for a prolonged period of time until people start noticing; the elders will find out, and the person will be plowed through the church discipline protocol. The procedure usually takes several months and if the person is not brought back to repentance and the synod approves of an excommunication, then the liturgical form of excommunication will be drawn out and read the following Lord's Day to formally and officially remove the person from membership. This liturgical form is usually read just like a baptism or a profession of faith, which would be right in the middle of the worship service, or more specifically at the point of intercessory prayer towards the end, I think. Because announcements are not part of worship, I personally believe they ought to be done after the benediction at the very end, or simply placed in the bultin. This would also include announcements in regard to church discipline if needed.
Moreover, I am not sure if liturgy should be used for an excommunication. Personally, a simple declaration that one's membership has been removed would suffice, and would also avoid scaring the living day light out of visitors who could happen to be visiting my church on that day. Excommunication liturgy is popish I feel, and non-reformed Christians whom we desire to be introduced to the Reformed faith could be seriously hampered by it, and overeact in disdain. Moreover, church discipline and worship are two separate things which I do not see a need to be mixed within a worship service, especially in view of the regulative principle. Neither a profession of faith nor an excommunication, (which is the converse of a profession) are sacraments, and thus they are technically not part of worship. Consequently, I don't have any problem with the "underground" church discipline of certain reformed denominations like the PCA, since they do not hamper the functioning of the church, nor necessarily belittle the importance of church membership.
I would like to know what you guys think.