From here:
What should church hospitality look like? Is “hospitality” enough?
The church has wrestled with these questions for some time, and recently in response to “open table”—the practice of welcoming unbaptised people to participate in the Eucharist.
At the spring 2012 meeting of the House of Bishops, the bishops opted for a broader conversation, moving from discussing open table exclusively to a conversation on hospitality and how it connects to discipleship.
The bishops asked the Primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz, to set up a task force to examine the issue. The Primate defined the task with two questions: Are there any limits to the church’s hospitality to the unbaptised? How can the church’s hospitality to the unbaptised be part of making disciples?
The fallacy in this is that it presupposes eager hordes whose longing to participate in the Eucharist is thwarted only by the fact that they have not managed to get around to being baptised. All we have to do is tell them they needn’t bother with baptism and churches will be filled to overflowing. It doesn’t seem to occur to anyone that if a person doesn’t want to be baptised, he is unlikely to want to be part of the Eucharist.
The church has been trying for some time to attract people by telling them it doesn’t matter what they believe or how they behave – a strategy which has reinforced the conviction that the church can’t have much to offer if it is so easy to be a part of.
Offering the Eucharist to the unbaptised in the hope that they will accept the invitation is the lunacy of repeating the same thing while expecting a different result.
Considering that the ACoC is now ruled by apostates (I fail to understand why clergy claiming to be orthodox continue to follow said leadership) they might as well open their so-called eucharist to anyone. Knowing that they have rejected both requirements to be a Christian, accepting the full authority of Scripture and the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, their eucharist is not real and is void of any meaning. What is needed is a total reformation and return to orthodoxy to they can celebrate the REAL Eucharist. Without said reformation their action can only be described as outright fraud.
Holy Communion is a family meal. We receive the bread and wine by faith. There will be no real benefit to those who don’t believe in the triune God.
Not only no benefit…
1 Corinthians 11:29: For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.
Ahem… A bit more than ‘just’ a family meal.
For believers your statement is true but tragically for many within the ACoC it has become something of a routine as they either have not or are not receiving any education as to its true meaning. This should explain my earlier comment.
This is a continuing trend. There was once a time that being Confirmed was a prerequisite for any and all “leadership positions” within the Church. Such positions included not just the Wardens, but also Sunday School Teacher, Youth Group Leader, Altar Guild Leader, etc. (you get the idea). But now a days it seems the only qualification a person needs for many of these leadership positions is that they have a pulse.
Allowing the unbaptized to be administered Holy Communion is not going to get any new members. What it will do is further water down what is left and give any potential new-comings the impression that this church is willing to compromise on pretty much everything. Hardly an organization with any integrity.
I will argue that this new trend is beneficial in some circumstances. At our church, we have many people who grew up Baptist, Alliance, EV Free, etc. Some families (a sizeable number) still follow adult baptism which makes communion a bit of a complication. Their children are followers of Christ but they are not yet baptized. It makes sense to be flexible on this issue as it is rare nowadays that a family has only grown up in an Anglican tradition.
On a related note, isn’t the entire emphasis of the ANIC church in Victoria (The Table) built on having an open table for the entire community? Based on my experience with them, this is the impression that I was left with. Can someone clarify?
If they do, they shouldn’t. I’m not so worried about baptism, but anyone who partakes should be true Christians, reborn and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
I agree with you J Lawrence but the argument that David is making in his post is that communion is given to unbaptized people.
In any case, I am still curious about how The Table Church handles this as their entire structure seems to be about everyone welcome at the Lord’s table. There must be an ANIC person from the Victoria area here. Can anyone comment on this?
I’m the lead planter (rector) of The Table, and a colleague mentioned that we had been mentioned here, so I can speak directly to this.
SHORT VERSION: We practice closed communion.
LONGER VERSION: We practice closed communion and actually consider this an act of hospitality, as we believe it is best for people to act in ways consistent to their confession. This allows for a broad range of responses depending on someone’s confidence in the person and work of Christ. We occasionally say that if you’re ready for communion, you’re ready for baptism, and if you’re not ready for baptism you’re not ready for communion.
The culture of Victoria is incredibly inclusive as well as impulsive (‘living in the moment’), so our stance on baptism+communion does disturb even some of our core people. On the other hand, we have worked with people who have waited a year+ until baptism, and while initially confused have come around to see the benefit of the process (customized catechism).
Ours is a culture where we want to the benefits without the cost; to encourage this at communion, it seems to me, implicitly supports a damaging cultural narrative and can stunt a young Christian’s development by reducing faith to an experience. (E.g. “No, I don’t believe the Apostles Creed, but I felt like it was the best thing to do in the moment.”)
We offer robust blessings in lieu of communion for those who are not baptized + following Christ. There are nearly always non-Christians who come to the rail with hands down ready to receive a prayer. This affirms their stage as an explorer or not-quite-convinced sympathizer.
The people who have the biggest issue with closed communion often are Christians coming from other churches/denoms, or (unbaptized) young people who have some church experience but are in the process of taking hold of the faith for their selves. FWIW, I don’t think I’ve met a non-Christian yet who would expect or demand to take communion as a non-Christian, nor feel marginalized for not partaking.
My son, a 12-year-old baptised Anglican, does the opposite. He participates in a close-knit Roman Catholic pastoral youth group (from his former elementary school) — and when they have Mass, he sings, reads, serves… but makes a point of not even trying to pretend to want communion. He was so upset to realise that the priest who baptised him (a woman) is not even considered a priest by the RC Church that he very demonstratively crosses his arms over his shoulders during RC communion. Flusters the priest every time, poor man.
Thanks for the reply Josh. I have friends and family in Victoria who have had a variety of connections with your church (some visitors, some checking Christianity out, etc.) – all really like it.
I appreciate your response as well. It makes sense that those who have the biggest issue with closed communion would be those from other denominations. This is the experience at my Anglican church as well.
Thanks for the reply, Josh. It was very reassuring.
Grace and Bruce from Parksville
Years ago at my former Parish the Priest would announce that everyone is welcome at the Lord’s Table but that only those who have been Baptized may be Administered the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Also that those who are not yet Baptized are welcome to come to the Lord’s Table for a personal Blessing. In this way a message was delivered in a polite and respectful manner that conveyed something of the significance of the Holy Communion while at the same time offering an invitation.
Personally I think that the Exhortation in the BCP conveys an important and now virtually forgotten point:
“DEARLY beloved in the Lord, ye that mind to come to the holy Communion of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ, must Consider how Saint Paul exhorteth all persons diligently to try and examine themselves, before they presume to eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup. For as the benefit is great, if with a true penitent heart and living faith we receive that holy Sacrament; (for then we spiritually eat the flesh of Christ, and drink his blood; then we dwell in Christ, and Christ in us; we are one with Christ, and Christ with us;) so is the danger great if we receive the same unworthily. For then we are guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ our Saviour; we eat and drink our own condemnation, not discerning the Lord’s Body. Judge therefore yourselves, brethren, that ye be not judged of the Lord; repent you truly for your sins past; have a lively and stedfast faith in Christ our Saviour; amend your lives, and be in perfect charity with all men; so shall ye be meet partakers of those holy mysteries. And above all things ye must give most humble and hearty thanks to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, for the redemption of the world by the death and passion of our Saviour Christ, both God and Man; who did humble himself, even to the death upon the Cross, for us miserable sinners, who lay in darkness and the shadow of death; that he might make us the children of God, and exalt us to everlasting life. And to the end that we should alway remember the exceeding great love of our Master and only Saviour Jesus Christ, thus dying for us, and the innumerable benefits which by his precious blood-shedding he hath obtained to us; he hath instituted and ordained holy mysteries as pledges of his love, and for a continual remembrance of his death, to our great and endless comfort. To him therefore, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, let us give (as we are most bounden) continual thanks; submitting ourselves wholly to his holy will and pleasure, and studying to serve him in true holiness and righteousness all the days of our life. Amen.”
A church with nothing to offer and a God they don’t believe in.
That’s going to bring them in!
The ACoC used to offer the Gospel. Now it offers acceptance -just like any other civic organization.
And God weeps.