Expert: Bruce Gourley - 1/20/2009

Question
Mr. Thomas Welch, a dentist and Methodist minister (Welch Grape Juice Company)is credited with leading the substitute of grape juice for fermented wine in communion service in the Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian churches in 1869 around the beginning of the prohibition movement. However, I have heard that the Baptist leadership had already banned fermented wine in communion about 1857-59. Can you enlighten me of the facts?

Answer
Joseph,

Baptists by and large used fermented wine (frequently made by a member, in rural congregations) in communion services until well into the second half of the nineteenth century. Not until the early twentieth century were most Baptists totally opposed to alcohol, and it was (as you note above) because of the temperance/prohibition movement (and specifically, because many women within local congregations throughout America pressured their individual congregations).

In Baptist life, each local church decides its own policies. Baptist "leadership" outside the local church can not issue mandates to determine what goes on within any given congregation.

Bruce Gourley
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