Introduction

The Church, from the days of St Paul, has always been concerned with the moral behaviour and conduct of its members, based on the commission given to the apostles, and to that end has framed rules and regulations for church members. Indeed the operation of such controls, implied in the rules, can be traced continuously from New Testament times onwards. ¹ It is important to remember that, in the Early Church, discipline was exercised by the whole body of church members. However, the recognition of the Church as a legally constituted organization by the Emperor Constantine led to change. When Christianity became the recognized state religion it was the duty of all members of society to become Christians. Hence, numbers joined the Church whose commitment fell far below the norm accepted by the Early Church.