No action a church is to perform, on behalf of the Captain of Salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, is more serious than the cutting off of a member from the church family and fellowship. The purpose of formal excommunication is to bring the erring brother to repentance. The Lord calls us to seek the excommunicated brothers or sisters as the objects of evangelism, and if they’re hostile to us, we are to love them still. Our labor of love and compassion may lead to godly sorrow and repentance, and if that happens, we are to receive the repentant sinner back into our fellowship.