How often should we observe the Lord's Supper?

Every week

 

Quarterly seems about right to me. Granted, I've been frequenting a non-denominational service run by a Lutheran and an Episcopalian lately, so it's been every week.

 

As often as we wish to proclaim the Second Coming of the Lord!

 

I might as well throw in another opinion--once a month. Once a week seems like a ritual to me. Less than once a month seems like I'm ignoring it.

Once a month on the first Sunday of the month.

 

I think a Scottish church group does it once a year, annually!

 

About 10 years ago I attended an IFB, fundamental, KJVO church. They were a church plant, were renting space from the city and didn't have their own building. They NEVER had the Lord's Supper. NEVER. (They also had to use a hotel swimming pool for baptisms.) After many months and not ONE MENTION OF THE LORD'S SUPPER, I asked the pastor about this. I said I felt that I was disobeying Christ, who had said, "if you love me keep my commandments" and Jesus also said of the Lord's Supper, "do this in remembrance of me." So, I felt I was in disobedience.

His answer was that he believed in closed communion, that is, only church members could partake. He said there were only a handful of members so they hadn't had communion. Also, I was not an official member. Attendance was about 100 to 125 per Sunday morning.

He said "they were not organized as a church yet" (whatever that meant.) I suppose it meant that they were not incorporated as a non-profit yet, however, not having the Lord's Supper went on for the three years I attended there.

He said he had addressed the issue of communion in Sunday School, and I would have known that had I attended that particular day. (I attended there Sunday morning services and some Sunday nights.)

I thought this stance of not having communion was indefensible and for this (and other reasons) I quit attending there.

 

My previous church discussed this at length. All the elders were of the same opinion; anything can be a ritual. A lot of it depends on the local church.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

I like monthly or quarterly. Seems that the scriptures were careful to not set a frequency schedule, but do it right "as oft as ye" do it.

More likely he meant that they were still an arm of/under the authority of their sending church. I've seen that a lot.

 

OK. So what? What prevents them from having communion?

 

I am not agreeing with their position, only positing what is more likely than it being about incorporation. I cannot speak specifically for the church you attended, but based on my experience many of the church plants that think like that do not take communion because: it is a church ordinance, they are not a church, and therefore would only take it back where their membership actually resides. This is what I have seen a lot, and may not be at all the case regarding the church you mention. However, I have never run across one that did not take communion simply because they were not incorporated. Of course, there are always exceptions, plus most of the churches in circles I move in do not incorporate.

 

I think you nailed their rationale for not taking communion as a church plant. They would only take communion at the "mother church".

I don't see Biblical support for this.

 

I do not believe that it should be abused as the Catholics do yet I do believe in it's practice. Our church usually does this once a month. How often isn't really mentioned in scripture. The purpose is most importnant however we dont want to do it when we have un- confessed sins.
MB

 

MB. The Bible is clear that we are to confess our sin daily. What do you mean?

 

I mean before you take communion. We are not to take it if we are not right with God. Confessing daily is dying to sin daily as Paul speaks about in Romans 6
MB

 

Thus frequency is a matter of church liberty. Our small IFB holds the Lord's Supper bimonthly, alternating between morning and evening services as some can attend only one or the other. Ours are open to all who are saved.