一、主耶穌是教會之王與元首，祂已將教會行政權交給教會職員，他們與政府官員不同。
The Lord Jesus, as King and Head of his church, has appointed a government in it, to be administered by church officers, distinct from the civil authorities (a).
二、天國的鑰匙既交給這些職員，他們就有留下罪或赦免罪的權柄，本著上帝的道和懲戒，對不悔改的人，關閉天國；又按情形，藉宣傳福音和撤除懲戒，向悔改的罪人開放天國。
To these church officers he has committed the keys of the kingdom of heaven. For this reason they have authority to retain and to remit sins, to shut the kingdom against the unrepentant both by the Word and by censures, and to open it to repentant sinners by the ministry of the gospel and by releasing from censures, as the occasion requires (b).
三、教會為了矯正犯罪的弟兄，以得著他們，並阻止其他弟兄犯同樣的罪，除去那足以感染全團的酵；擁護基督的尊榮和福音神聖的承認；避免上帝的震怒，必須實行懲戒；如他們容忍惡名昭彰和剛愎自用的犯罪者來褻瀆上帝的聖約和這約的印證，上帝的忿怒就要臨到教會，這也是公平的。
Church discipline is necessary for reclaiming and gaining fellow Christians who are guilty of offenses, for deterring others from committing similar offenses, for purging the leaven which might infect the whole lump, for vindicating the honor of Christ and the holy profession of the gospel, and for averting the wrath of God which might justly fall on the church if it should allow his covenant and its seals to be profaned by notorious and obstinate offenders (c).
四、為了更圓滿地達成以上之目的，教會職員應當按著犯罪者的性質和犯罪者的罪狀，予以勸戒，暫時停止聖餐，並除教。
For the better attaining of these purposes, the officers of the church are to proceed by admonition, by suspension from the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper for a time, and by excommunication from the church, according to the nature of the offense and the degree of the person’s guilt (d).
