Poll Results
How does your church regulate who takes communion? Answer represents your broadest practice if more than one are true.
We invite all who consider themselves believers, having examined their hearts, to participate in our main service Votes: 10
We invite all BAPTIZED believers to partake; during main service Votes: 9
We invite baptized and formally INSTRUCTED believers to partake Votes: 1
Communion is open, but we hold it at times when believers are likely to be there (e.g., Sunday night) Votes: 1
We invite only members to participate Votes: 1
Other (try to approximate to avoid this choice if possible) Votes: 0
We do not hold communion Votes: 0
We invite everyone — saved or lost — to partake in communion Votes: 0
Discussion
NewDilemma
I know a gay “couple” who live down the street. I wondered what would happen if they attended here on a Sunday when we offered communion. Since they consider themselves Christians, and since they consider their gay lifestyle appropriate, if I said, “We invite all believers in Jesus Christ, having examined their hearts and having confessed known sin to God, to partake,” they well might.
A second scenario is a couple I know who are living together without being married.
We have always put the responsibility on the individual, who will answer to God. We counsel parents to not allow their children to partake until they have received Jesus as Savior and understand the meaning of this ordinance. Still, we put responsibility on the parents (in this case).
What are your thoughts?
"The Midrash Detective"
NewBaptism and Communion?
Sorry, Ed, I don’t have an answer to your question. On the other hand, I’m a bit shocked by the majority answer to this poll. How are (I’m assuming mostly) Baptist churches offering communion to unbaptized people? The connection between baptism and admission to the church and breaking bread in Acts 2 has always been foundational for believers’ baptism. In any case, I find it scandalous that an unbaptized person would approach the table.
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