The Lord’s Supper: Who Can Participate?

At Fairview we practice the Lord’s Supper weekly. (You can read here for an explanation of this practice.) One question that we receive is, who can participate in the Lord’s Supper?

Closed, Close, or Open

Different churches have different stances on who can participate in the Lord’s Supper. Some practice “closed” communion which permits only those who are members in good standing of that church to participate. Some practice “close” communion which is similar to closed but also allows others who are members in like-minded churches to participate. The last, and the one we practice at Fairview, is open communion where all those we are followers of Christ, who have been baptized, and are participating with proper motives can participate.

Why Open Communion?

In passages such as 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 where the Lord’s Supper is discussed we recognize that this ordinance is for the church, those who are followers of Christ. The instructions in this passage are for those present to examine themselves, to ensure they are eating and drinking in a worthy manner. That is, they are not living in immorality, they are not causing strife or division in the body, and so on. The Supper is for believers who are walking in fellowship with the Lord. If anyone does partake in an unworthy manner this passage tells us that the Lord will judge. At Fairview, we repeat this warning before we partake and give opportunity for people to confess sin to the Lord.

Is Baptism a Requirement?

While there is no explicit command for participants of the Lord’s Supper to be baptized first, but it can be inferred from Scripture. First, no Christian in the New Testament was an unbaptized Christian. People believed and were baptized. Second, baptism is the initiatory rite of the church. To be baptized is to be identified with Christ and his body, it happens at the beginning of one’s Christian life and only happens once. The Lord’s Supper is a regular practice, not a one-time rite. It is a remembrance of Christ’s work that inaugurated the new covenant. As such, it is the regular practice for baptized believers to participate in the Lord’s Supper. In fact, in the Didache, that ancient document describing early Christian practice, it makes baptism a prerequisite for the Lord’s Supper. It makes the best sense that baptism, an ordinance that symbolizes and pictures ones entrance into the new covenant and being a disciple of Christ would be done before the practice of the ordinance that remembers union with Christ and participation in that covenant. So yes, baptism should come before one partakes of the Lord’s Supper.

What About Children?

Since both ordinances (baptism and communion) are not effective in their actual working but depend on the faith of one who participates, young children often lack the maturity to understand the meaning and significance of these ordinances. It’s my understanding that both baptism and the Lord’s Supper should be reserved for those old enough to understand what it means to follow Christ. That doesn’t mean that a child cannot be a Christian, but the ordinances should wait until there is a greater understanding. For example, children are prevented from getting a loan from the bank, getting a mortgage to buy a house, they do not buy their own clothes, they do not vote, they are limited in many things because of a lack of maturity. And deciding to follow Christ and participate in the ordinances are an even a greater commitment than these things. And when I speak with people who’ve been baptized young, many express that they wished they waited till they were older. Considering this, it is best for children to wait until they are more mature to participate in these ordinances of the church.