Rotten Apple Effect

I once received a special request to do a Bible study on Church Discipline, so I did a special two-session study -- and I later repeated it. I used an excellent resource, which is found at http://bible.org/article/church-discipline. I find this to be comprehensive, balanced, and mature. If certain problems in the Church are not tackled decisively, it says, one finds the "rotten apple effect", or the "snowball effect" -- which is the "leaven effect" of the Bible. One finds a loss of purity, a loss of power, a loss of progress, and a loss of purpose. Yet discipline is not about “a church’s taboos or pet peeves”, nor are we to be “speck inspectors”. This is about the larger health of the Church. OBSERVATION: As hard as it has been, I see Church discipline as a key factor in the long duration of my ministr(ies), and in their happiness (by and large).