1. Confession should generally me made to an individual. There are exceptions, of course - as, for example when a sin has been against a whole group. But normally confession to all the church is not required to restore one to fellowship with the whole congregation. 2. If the sin has been against a fellow Christian, it is to that person that we must make confession (cf. Mt. 5:23-24). The rule of thumb is, the confession should not exceed the range of commission. 3. If the sin is not against a person, and if it is such that we need to confess it and gain spiritual counsel and support, we must go to a mature Christian. This cannot be stressed enough! An immature Christian should not be expected to carry such burdens. Moreover, confession to the immature may provide a temptation to gossip. Along this line, those whom we would confide in must be people of prayer. 4. The confession must be concrete, not amorphous. This is not to suggest, however, that all the lurid details be shared. One sins in confession if his recounting becomes voyeurism. 5. Confessing sins to one another is not a law, but a divinely given help and is to be practiced only as God directs.