Can/Should Communion be administered outside of the local church?

[Greektim]

Could para-church organizations administer them?

How about a group of believers just gathering but not under any leadership of elders who watch over their souls?

 

[go2church]

Would depend on if one is inclined toward recognizing only local churches as authentic (as it where) or are willing to look at things in a more broad sense and see the church as universal. I would take a broad approach. Though not members of my church, other believers are still my brothers and sisters in Christ, we are the body of Christ. Partaking in the Lord's Supper with my brothers and sisters in Christ would thus be appropriate.

I know there are those that have differences of opinion on this matter, I certainly respect their opinion and wouldn't look down on them whatsoever if they made the decision not to participate in this approach.

 

[Greektim]

Would depend on if one is inclined toward recognizing only local churches as authentic (as it where) or are willing to look at things in a more broad sense and see the church as universal. I would take a broad approach. Though not members of my church, other believers are still my brothers and sisters in Christ, we are the body of Christ. Partaking in the Lord's Supper with my brothers and sisters in Christ would thus be appropriate.

I know there are those that have differences of opinion on this matter, I certainly respect their opinion and wouldn't look down on them whatsoever if they made the decision not to participate in this approach.

Can't you be both/and yet still take a firm view of the role of the local church? The local church being the physical display of the body of Christ is the main institution that is discussed in the NT. And why would the church universal practice something that was intended for the local church?

 

[OldRegular]

Communion is an ordinance of the Church and should take place only when the local body is gathered!

 

[Inspector Javert]

Communion is an ordinance of the Church and should take place only when the local body is gathered!

Agreed....

Christ ONLY instituted the local Church.

There is no such thing as the "Universal" Church.

There is, of course the totality of all believers and all Saints and we have common love for Christ and fellowship around the gospel itself with them, but, if Communion is to be observed with said group, than Baptists have no reason to refuse to participate in the Ordinance of Infant Baptism as well.

It would be absurd to observe Communion with Pedo-Baptists but refuse to observe Baptism as an Ordinance of the Church as well.

The "Universal" Church is an idea which is by definition absurd and self defeating.

The Local "Church" or "ecclesia" is what Christ instituted on Earth and it's ordinances are Baptism and the Lord's Supper....
There is no room for a "Universal-Assembly".

It's nonsense I.M.O.

 

[go2church]

Hasn't been agreement on this for a long time. Act in accordance with what your conscience dictates.

There are historic records of baptist meetings not only sharing in the Lord's Supper together but also reciting the Apostles Creed as part of the worship service. So there hadn't been just one of thinking about this.

 

[Greektim]

Hasn't been agreement on this for a long time. Act in accordance with what your conscience dictates.

There are historic records of baptist meetings not only sharing in the Lord's Supper together but also reciting the Apostles Creed as part of the worship service. So there hadn't been just one of thinking about this.

How about a Biblical answer?

1 Cor. 11:18ff. is all about the Lord's Supper and prefaced with "when you come together as a church". I think Paul wrote with the understanding that this ordinance was supposed to be administered in the local church under the leadership of elders.

 

[Tom Butler]

I join with those who see the Lord's Supper as an ordinance administered under the authority of a local congregation.

To take it a step further, I believe in Closed Communion. That is, for and by members of the local congregation only.

That's my personal view. My own church is more Close than Closed.

 

[go2church]

How about a Biblical answer?

1 Cor. 11:18ff. is all about the Lord's Supper and prefaced with "when you come together as a church". I think Paul wrote with the understanding that this ordinance was supposed to be administered in the local church under the leadership of elders.

Then act accordingly. I gave you my reasoning in an earlier post. You seem to view the church as local only, I see it broader, Romans 12:3-8. Luke also saw a church universal, Acts 9:38. I don't see the Lord's Supper confined in practice to a local assembly only, but a remembrance for the church universal.

 

[Salty]

... My own church is more Close than Closed.

 

[Greektim]

Then act accordingly. I gave you my reasoning in an earlier post. You seem to view the church as local only, I see it broader, Romans 12:3-8. Luke also saw a church universal, Acts 9:38. I don't see the Lord's Supper confined in practice to a local assembly only, but a remembrance for the church universal.

You seem incapable of reading my posts. I don't deny the church universal. But its visible expression is the local church. As such, places like 1 Cor. 11:18 seem to indicate that the Lord's Supper was for when the local church came together as the church.

 

[Salty]

You seem incapable of reading my posts. I don't deny the church universal. But its visible expression is the local church. As such, places like 1 Cor. 11:18 seem to indicate that the Lord's Supper was for when the local church came together as the church.

Then should a military chapel serve communion? There is no actual membership there.

 

[Greektim]

Then should a military chapel serve communion? There is no actual membership there.

That is a larger issue, but I'll just cut to the quick and say no I do not believe so.

 

[go2church]

You seem incapable of reading my posts. I don't deny the church universal. But its visible expression is the local church. As such, places like 1 Cor. 11:18 seem to indicate that the Lord's Supper was for when the local church came together as the church.

Perhaps not in theory, but in practice there is a type, a kind of denial of the church universal.

You seem to be reading Jesus through the lens of Paul, I read Paul through the lens of Jesus where no such confining exists.