Communion

Because Scripture is not clear on how often....just assumes we will do it and when we do it to have the right mindset.

Personally I think having it every week could easily become a routine that looses meaning. But if a church feels the need to do it every week then go for it.

 

We have it but twice yearly, although we do visit other PB churches when they have theirs.

 

i miss having it every week...

 

It's a from a fear of being too "Catholic". The ole "it will become too routine" argument is never used against the altar call, yet it is unquestionably used in most Baptist churches every week, even though Scripture doesn't even talk about altar calls one bit.

I'm with you, King James.

 

Altar calls and the Lord's supper are not even close to the same thing. That is a horrible comparison.

I do not think it is from a fear of being Catholic at all. There is simply some freedom there for individual churches to make the call.

 

Once a month? You're lucky! The standard down here is once a quarter, though at my church we do it once every two months.

 

You're right, they are not even close - one is commanded by Scripture and the other is not.

I agree that there is freedom among the churches to make the call, but I don't know how many times I've heard, "We don't want to do it too often, else it will become a ritual like with dem Catholics."

 

Agreed Andy T. The inconsistency is quite glaring.

I believe most interpret "breaking bread" as a general sharing of meals which would include the memorial meal Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 11.

Our church does monthly communion. We made a transition from passing around the elements to lining up to receive the elements and then returning to your seat and waiting to take them together with the rest of the congregation.

The change was made for a few reasons:
1) To reinforce the proactive voluntary action of communion
2) SARS in Toronto encouraged minimizing the number of hands in contact with the elements
3) Time constraints also encouraged this method

 

The last two churches I attended served the Lord's Supper once a year at Christmas. I could not understand why. I would love to have it once a month or, better yet, twice a month, but right now it seems.

My wife's uncle is an elder at a PCA church and we attend whenever we visit. They serve it weekly and I believe it has not become a routine at all nor would it be at a Baptist church.

Our church is currently without a pastor and we have an interim pastor who was confused at why the Lord's Supper was not being served (he only does the sermons because of his other full-time commitment).

 

"though at my church we do it once every two months. "
"
Same here.

 

At the church I grew up in we had commmunion quarterly, at my current church we have it monthly. Some places have it weekly. I think I'd prefer biweekly or monthly.

 

I think that PastorSBC1303 brought up a very good point...in the NT we have much instruction for the Lord's supper and nothing about alter calls. it seems that many baptist churchs have alter calls every week, and celebrate the Lord's supper far less frequently. Maybe we don't have our priorities in line....

everyday would be okay, but Acts 20:7 seems to indicate that they did it once a week, on the first day of the week. i think this would be more 'ideal'.

 

My church used to have it once a week but a couple of years ago changed it to once a month and then anything and everything would get it postponed to the following week sometimes even to the point of having it postponed enough to make it to the next month without having it. The only reasoning that I could discern was so that it would not become routine. It seems to me that it is LESS important, less significant, less thoughtful, and more routine than ever. I never found it to be routine, at all. I have always found it to be be the single most solemn time I experienced at church.

I agree, but I don't know if I want to use Acts 20:7 as my ideal. After all, Paul continued his speech until MIDNIGHT!!!

 

Once a year at Christmas? That makes no sense. If you were going to have it once a year, I would think it would be on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, or Easter.

Ours is the first Sunday of the month, with an extra one on Holy Thursday. The only exception is September, when it is postponed to the second Sunday if needed because of Labor Day weekend.

Every Baptist church I've ever been to did it this way. But then I'm a Yankee.