Expert: Bruce Gourley - 10/12/2009

Question
Dear Sir,

I was raised Baptist, converted to Catholicism in college, and now I am in doubt about many Catholic beliefs and am considering going back to the Baptist church.  However, one thing I've gained appreciation for is weekly communion.  It seems like the Lord's Supper was something that the New Testament church held in high esteem.  For example, we find that the believers "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42).  Certainly, Baptists are devoted to the apostles' teaching (as received in the New Testament), to fellowship, and to prayer, but they do not seem to be devoted to the "breaking of the bread."  Most Baptist churches that I've been to only celebrate the Lord's Supper a few times a year.  So my question for you is: why?  If the apostles were devoted to this act, why aren't Baptists today as devoted to it?

Thank you,
Cody

Answer
Hello Cody,

For starters, the Acts 2:42 passage you cite is not actually observance of the "Lord's Supper." Rather, it is a case in which the early believers basically lived as communal Christians, sharing their belongings, money and meals together. (A radical concept today, to say the least.)

As to Baptist observance of the Lord's Supper, it is probably true (I am not aware of any actual surveys) that most Baptist congregations observe the Lord's Supper no more than every quarter (four times a year). I do know that some Baptist congregations observe it monthly, and I've heard (but not personally experienced it) that a few do so weekly. So in general, you are correct: Baptist observance of the Lord's Supper is less frequent than that of some other Christian groups. Why? It is hard to pin down historically, but even well into the nineteenth century, many rural Baptist congregations only met once a month, so those congregations could observe the Lord's Supper no more than that. It is also true that for Baptists, broadly speaking, preaching is (and always has been) more central to worship than sacraments.

One other interesting note is that until the 20th century, many if not most Baptist congregations in America used real wine (often homemade) for communion. Only in modern times have Baptists in America become anti-alcohol.

Bruce Gourley
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