At Grace Baptist Church (GBC), we ordinarily celebrate the Lord’s Supper together every week at the close of the sermon, so if you’re visiting or just passing through you might be wondering, “Is it OK for me to partake?” That’s a good question.
Our general policy is this: you don’t have to be a member of GBC to take communion with us, but you do need to be a baptized believer in Jesus who is a member in good standing of an evangelical, Protestant church. So if you’re not a member of GBC, ask yourself three questions before partaking in communion:
- Have I been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
- Am I currently a member in good standing of some other evangelical church?
- Ιf not, am I seeking to join myself to one?
If you can’t answer yes to the first question, consider it a red light and don’t partake. If you can’t answer yes to the second two, consider it a yellow light and hold off for now. But in either case, please come and talk to one (or more) of the elders. We would love to get to know you and the specifics of your situation.
To help make these guidelines clearer, let’s apply them to some common scenarios. See if you find yourself in any of these examples.
- “I’m a baptized believer who is a member of an evangelical Protestant church, but am visiting because I’m traveling and found your church online.” A: Green light: please feel free to partake. We believe in the communion of saints.
- “I just moved to the area and am looking for a church. But I was a baptized member of an evangelical Protestant church where I came from.” A: Green light: please feel free to partake. We will gladly accept your former church’s vote of confidence by welcoming you to the table. We do, however, believe that regular communion at Grace Baptist Church is primarily for members. So if you like GBC well enough to keep attending and communing with us regularly (let’s say for six months), then you should strongly consider applying for membership. Please read our Constitution (especially Section IV, p. 11) and consider talking to one of the elders about becoming a member.
- “I believe in Jesus, but I’ve never been baptized.” A: Red light: please don’t partake yet. Here’s why: Jesus gave his church two sacraments (or ordinances). Baptism is the sacrament received by all Christians once for all at the beginning of their Christian life (Matthew 28:19–20; Acts 2:41, 16:30–34). The Lord’s Supper is the ongoing sacrament that Christians participate in repeatedly and often (1 Corinthians 11:26). The New Testament writers (like Paul) assumed that all the Christians in their churches had been baptized—even those Christians whose churches they’d never visited (see Romans 1:13; 6:1–4). This means they would’ve had no category for a non-baptized person partaking of the Lord’s Supper, because in their minds the Lord’s Supper was for Christians, and Christians are baptized. Pretty much every church in the history of Christianity has believed that baptism comes before communion—GBC is no exception. So first things first. If you’re not baptized, then we’d love to talk to you about that, since it provides an excellent opportunity for us to talk about Jesus and the gospel and all that baptism means. Any of the pastors would love to discuss this with you.
- “I was baptized as a kid, but I haven’t been to church in several years.” A: Yellow light: please don’t partake just yet. The Bible warns about the dangers of partaking unworthily and without understanding (1 Corinthians 11:27–32). And if you haven’t been to church in several years, we imagine there’s a story behind that. So please come and talk to one of the pastors. We’d love to hear your story and help you start following the Lord again.
- “I’m a Roman Catholic.” A: Red light: please don’t partake. If you’re a faithful Roman Catholic, then your own church would discourage it. If you’re a lapsed Roman Catholic, then let’s talk more about your understanding of the gospel before coming to the Lord’s Table. As important as baptism is for holy communion, understanding the gospel is even more important.
- “I’m not a Christian. I’m not even sure I believe in God. But I’m trying to keep an open mind. I’m visiting because someone invited me.” A: We’re so glad you’re here! The Lord’s Supper is reserved for baptized Christians, so that’s a definite red light. But please do listen to the sermon, sing the songs, and stay with us for lunch afterward. We’d love to discuss any questions you may have about Jesus, Christianity, the Bible, and whatever else you may want to talk about.
- “I was excommunicated from my last church.” A: Red light: please don’t partake. We know your last church wasn’t infallible, but we seek to respect the disciplinary decisions of other churches as far as possible—which means we’re going to start by giving your former church the benefit of the doubt. Please feel free to talk to the pastors here—we’d be glad to hear your side of the story, as long as you’re OK with us hearing your former church’s side as well.
- “I’ve been attending for a while now, but I’m not a member and I’m not sure I want to become one.” A: Yellow light: it’s time to press pause on regular communion and have conversation with one of the pastors. At GBC we believe in and practice church membership, and we believe that regular communion at any local church is mainly for members of that local church. We’d like to hear your story and get your thoughts on what’s holding you back from pursuing membership, because long term we want you to be at a church where you can be all-in. In the meantime, ask yourself “Why am I OK communing with people whom I’m not willing to formally commit myself to?”