A few weeks ago I explained what the Catholic church believes about Holy Communion. Now, I want to address some Protestant churches beliefs as well. The Protestant churches listed here are not exhaustive of all Protestant denominations, but they are some of the most widely known in the U.S.
In a more general sense, the Holy Communion is a practice reflective of the Last Supper.
The scene of this supper can be taken from the Gospels Matthew, Mark or Luke. The accounts of the last supper are similar. For reference, this is Luke 22:19-20:
19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."
If you have ever been present for a Holy Communion, you probably recognize these words, as most churches quote this scripture when preparing the bread and the wine. All churches have slightly different theology and theological terms on how communion works and who can participate. As the Holy Communion is a way of feeling personally invited to the Lord’s table, it is a valuable reminder of how loved we are by God.
Therefore, while communion means a lot of different things to different people, the Eucharist will always be a way of becoming united with Christ.
This is why choosing a church based on where you will feel most welcome at the altar is so important. Hopefully this list will give you some pointers of where you can go to feel most at home in what you believe about communion!
Episcopal
Who can receive communion?
Episcopal Churches often practice open communion. Technically, the Church allows any Christians or people desiring a relationship with Christ to receive communion. This is usually announced by the priest before the Eucharist takes place, and the reason for this is so that those partaking in communion realize what this symbolizes and give communion the proper respect. Despite this, many parishes also choose to invite all people, no matter where they are in their faith journey, to the Holy Eucharist.
What does it mean?
Episcopalians believe in the “Real Presence” of Christ in the bread and wine, but do not take a stance on how this real presence takes its place in us. So, they do not not believe in transubstantiation (body and blood of Christ, with only appearance of bread and wine see: Understanding Communion: Catholicism), but instead acknowledge the whole process as a holy mystery that in some way brings Christ to our souls. In other words, communion is an important part of the faith where Christ is present in the process, but the Episcopal Church does not claim a concrete knowledge on Christ’s presence in Holy Communion like in the Catholic Church.
How frequent is communion?
The Episcopal Church is similar to the Catholic Church in the structure of the Eucharist. Similar to our Catholic brothers and sisters, the Eucharist is a crucial part of the service. Because Episcopalians believe the Eucharist is important for growing closer to Christ, communion occurs on a weekly basis.
Lutheran
Who can receive communion?
The Lutheran Church welcomes all people to God’s table in the same way that the Episcopal Church does.
What does it mean?
Where the Episcopal Church differs from the Lutheran church is in the terms used to describe what occurs through the sacrament of communion. Lutherans believe in something called “consubstantiation” or “sacramental union.” While it is still a belief in the real presence of Christ, they define this real presence in that Christ is “in with and under” the bread and wine. In other words, Christ is present, but so are the bread and wine. Christ is not a part of the bread and wine, but He comes to us alongside it.
How frequent is communion?
Like the Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church holds communion every Sunday.
Methodist
Who can receive communion?
In the Methodist tradition, it is explicit that all are welcome to take the sacrament.
What does it mean?
The Methodist Church has similar doctrines on the beliefs behind communion to the Episcopal tradition. The Methodist Church explains that communion is a holy mystery by which Christ is present but in what way they cannot make a ruling on. Methodists believe that communion serves to bring us closer to God.
How frequent is communion?
The Methodist Church does not serve the Eucharist every week. This church often will hold communion on the first Sunday of every month. However, this is not a hard and fast rule and individual Methodist churches differ, some even serve communion every Sunday. Early on in church history pastors could not be at just one church each Sunday, so they would move between churches often. This meant that communion was served on a rotating basis. Thus this tradition of communion once a month has been ingrained in the Church historically.
Presbyterian
Who can receive communion?
The Presbyterian Church welcomes all to take the Eucharist.
What does it mean?
The Presbyterian Church has a more clearly defined idea on what communion means to them than some other Protestant churches. Instead of labelling it as a holy mystery, Presbyterians believe that they know the sacrament is physically bread and wine, but they also believe Christ is spiritually present. Communion is a mix of symbolism (i.e. a symbolic gesture to remember Christ’s sacrifice) and a physical change (i.e. transubstantiation).
How frequent is communion?
Like the Methodist Church, communion is not every Sunday. This is interesting because it has moved away from the weekly communion advocated for by its founder, John Calvin. One of the reasons Presbyterians do not receive communion weekly is because the Church does not want the practice to lose its meaning. Like the Methodist Church, different churches can decide as a community or through church leadership how often they would like to have the Eucharist.
Baptist
Who can receive communion?
Baptists usually give communion to respectable members of the Church.
What does it mean?
One significant way that the Baptist Church’s beliefs on communion differ from the ones of the other Protestant denominations is that they do not believe in the presence of Christ in the elements. They believe that communion is not a sacrament, but that we practice communion as a way to honor Christ through remembering Him and the night he broke bread with his disciples. It is also seen as a meaningful way to think of a future where we will eat and drink with Christ.
How often is communion?
The Baptist Church does not have a specified doctrine on how often communion should be given. It varies from church to church.
The Eucharist is one example of why it is so important to explore the different branches of Christianity.
Theology can seem really complicated, but communion is one way to look deeper into church traditions and see where your beliefs align the most. For me, I see the Holy Communion as a beautiful way of tangibly being welcomed to God’s altar. In my experience, communion is God’s way of telling me each week in a concrete way, no matter what has happened within the time between Sundays,
“You are forgiven, you are free, I love you and I will always break bread with you because I love you.”
The blessed sacrament gives me strength to go into a new week with the knowledge that I am a disciple of the highest king.
Comment below about questions or comments you have about Holy Communion! Do your beliefs match up with any of the above denominations?
Love,
Alena
