Why We Won’t Have Online Communion

The gist of reason #2 seems to be that if we can’t do it right, we shouldn’t do it at all. I agree with that, but it’s not clear to me why we necessarily couldn’t figure out how to do it right from our homes. I can’t see how the first reason speaks to the “online or not” question at all. The third is on point, but why would Christians, of all people, insists that we’re not really together unless we’re together physically? I’m open to that possibility, but it’s not at all obvious to me. Maybe someone can help me see it? (I accept that digital presence isn’t as good… but in these times, we don’t get to choose “as good;” we get to choose what’s possible.)

My knee-jerk reaction is to say no. But, the pragmatic side of me says … why not?

I agree, the first two “reasons” had me going, “What? Nothing there.” The third one makes a valid point.

I think overall we need to be careful about communicating that our online services are some kind of substitute for church meetings. They church really can’t function properly without gathering together. The church can limp along with a kind of substitute for the normal gatherings, but it is just limping along.

The first Sunday we are back together is going to be a great day of rejoicing.

To many people in Christian circles the observance of the Lord’s Supper has some kind of mystical meaning. Even in our Baptist churches there is the tendency to feel that one must observe the Lord’s Supper in order to be in communion with the Lord. We do not need the Lord’s Supper in order to examine ourselves, the observance of the Lord’s supper does nothing to forgive sins. If we truly believe that the Lord’s Supper is just a memorial observance and the elements are nothing more that bread/crackers and juice the question just comes down to when and where it is done. Some churches do it every week, some once a month, some once a quarter, etc. There is no requirement as to how often. There is the idea as to when you come together into one place or when the church meets.

When I was a pastor of a Union Church, I found a home “communion” kit. (I dislike the term mainly because of the idea many have of this being a sacrament). I did not like the idea of taking this into someone’s home (shut-in) or hospital visits. To offer some type of compromise, I asked that another member of the body be present with me and the shut-in. If I was ever in the position to be unable to attend a church and observe the Lord’s Supper as a body of believers, it would never bother me because I know there is no means of grace contained in the observance. Then the question comes up about how much authority or say power the clergy has over the people. I believe in the priesthood of the believer and position of pastor, but that all are equal before the Lord when it comes to relationship to Him.

The gist of reason #2 seems to be that if we can’t do it right, we shouldn’t do it at all. I agree with that, but it’s not clear to me why we necessarily couldn’t figure out how to do it right from our homes.

Overall, I am not impressed by the article. But to this point of Aaron’s, I would say if we aren’t doing it right, then we aren’t doing it all. There is only one way to do communion. In a sense, this is similar to baptism and those who would say, “If we don’t have enough water to immerse, we will just baptize by sprinkling.” The answer is “No. You will not baptize by sprinkling because it won’t be baptism.”

It’s like someone trying to make a square while only having three sticks. “Well, we will just make a three-sided square.” The answer is “No. There is no such thing. What you will make a triangle.” Triangles are good. They simply are not squares. So in this case, if we can’t do the Lord’s Supper as the Bible prescribes, then we can’t make a three-sided square and call it the Lord’s Supper.

You wrote:

So in this case, if we can’t do the Lord’s Supper as the Bible prescribes, then we can’t make a three-sided square and call it the Lord’s Supper.

By your logic we cannot do virtual meetings with the congregation, then? Is this worship, in any sense of the word? Should we bother to open with prayer during virtual meetings, then? Should underground believers in China forsake meeting virtually, because it isn’t authentic? Can they ever observe the Lord’s Supper properly, then?

Virtual “meetings”? No because they aren’t meetings really. I think one of the dangers during this time is creating substitutes that aren’t really substitutes. We need to guard against long term damage to solve a short term probably. I hope we are seeing the inefficiency and “un-idealness” of these virtual kinds of things.

There is plenty of NT warrant for Bible teaching, praying, and singing apart from the gathered assembly. There is no NT warrant that I am aware of for communion outside the assembly. In the NT, communion is proclamation of our unity in Christ by participating together in a memorial using elements. It is specified that it is “when you come together.” There is no evidence that it was ever done apart. In fact, the very meaning of it (unity in one body) cannot be communicated apart.

I think underground churches in China don’t meet virtually, but they are also house churches in which the assembly is the group that meets in the house. So yes, they can observe the Lord’s Supper properly as an assembly.

You are ill-informed about what is going on in China. Members of the Early Rain Church, for example, have been meeting virtually since their church was shut down. I wonder if they could ever celebrate the Lord’s Supper, according to your definition. How many people need to be gathered together in order for it to be legit? Is a family unit enough? If not, how many people would you require?

[Don Johnson]

I think overall we need to be careful about communicating that our online services are some kind of substitute for church meetings. They church really can’t function properly without gathering together. The church can limp along with a kind of substitute for the normal gatherings, but it is just limping along.

I would agree with you that churches are limping right now, but some of the arguments against doing anything remotely add up to “OK church, you’re limping. We refuse to hand out crutches, so since you’re not completely healthy, you’re just going to have to do without any helps at all.” We have tools now that earlier generations did not have, and we should evaluate carefully what makes sense to do in a reduced capacity. The argument about no communion seems to me to resemble the arguments put forth by some as to why they won’t have video messages or online services. I think the majority of the church members “get” that this is no viable long-term replacement for the assembled church, but refusing to make any accommodations at all is cutting off one’s nose to spite the face.

I’m also sympathetic to the idea that it’s better to wait for when we again reassemble to have the Lord’s supper, as it would also seem to me like something is “off” doing it outside a church context. However, at the time of the Last Supper, the Lord celebrated communion with just the 12, even though there were a number of other disciples local to that area. That would indicate to me that the celebration does not require the entire church to be present to be valid. In addition, the Jerusalem church being about 5000 members in Acts also had the notation that they were “breaking bread from house to house” rather than as an assembled group at the local colosseum. Maybe that was more fellowship meals than the Lord’s supper, but I’ve seen good arguments claiming the latter. Either way, I don’t think this is quite as simple as some want to claim.

As an aside, we also do baptisms with the assembled church, but there are definitely examples in the NT of doing it outside a church. I’m sure some will claim that that was only because there was no church in the area, but isn’t that the point here as well? We don’t have churches we can assemble in right now, but since the true church is the believers rather than a building, I would think that would mean we can find ways to do church ministry among the members, even when they can’t be together.

The first Sunday we are back together is going to be a great day of rejoicing.

Absolutely!

The tendency is to be inflexible and rigid. The other tendency is to embrace new things without conscious reflection. Every pastor will come to different conclusions, in his own context, with his own resources. One thing I am fairly certain about is that our brothers and sisters abroad have had to think through “doing church” in exigent circumstances far more thoroughly than we have.

You are ill-informed about what is going on in China.

Ill-informed? Hardly. I would say I am not informed at all at present. I am speaking historically from the ministry opportunities I had with China and the fact that China reportedly keeps a very tight control on the internet. So I am glad to be corrected if I am wrong. It makes no difference to my point.

Members of the Early Rain Church, for example, have been meeting virtually since their church was shut down.

So it sounds like many of them are in difficult circumstances as well.

I wonder if they could ever celebrate the Lord’s Supper, according to your definition.

I would say No.

How many people need to be gathered together in order for it to be legit? Is a family unit enough? If not, how many people would you require?

This is a straw man. It has nothing to do with number. It has to do with the body asssembling, a meeting where the body assembles.. Have they come together? There is no quorum. There is no number. There is a body. The question is, Is the church gathered together to celebrate their unity in Christ?

Every pastor will come to different conclusions, in his own context, with his own resources.

This might be, but I wonder if this is legitimate. If Scripture has said something, shouldn’t we all come to the same conclusion about it?

It certainly does seem “odd” to do it if we have not “come together”, a phrase which appears 3 or 4 times in I Corinthians 11. I am not sure I would do it “online” or virtually, but also wonder if we would feel the same way if having the Lord’s Supper and we have an overflow crowd in another room, watching and participating by video? Or, I would guess some churches with satellite campuses that may all watch the same pastor…are they gathering though they are not in the same building? I would need the Lord to give me more wisdom and I certainly think we can be patient and wait. My concern, like someone mentioned, is that people begin to think there is something “mystical” or extra spiritual to partaking and missing it one month is doing something wrong (and not every church even does it every month.

I am not sure I would do it “online” or virtually, but also wonder if we would feel the same way if having the Lord’s Supper and we have an overflow crowd in another room, watching and participating by video?

In such a case, they are all still assembled, right? Same place, same time, altogether.

Or, I would guess some churches with satellite campuses that may all watch the same pastor…are they gathering though they are not in the same building?

The bigger question here is are they one body to start with? I would lean towards no. i think there are problems with multisite churches that have been too easily glossed over.

I’m glad Tyler mentions China, because when we consider the propriety of having the Lord’s Supper in house churches/among families, we’ve got to consider the experience of the early church, as well as the experience of afflicted believers all over the world today—not just in China.

And that experience is, at least according to some of the historians I’ve read, house churches. So count me in as an enthusiastic “yes” for home communion, especially considering that the witness of the New Testament seems to indicate some level of tribulation (and falling away) in the days before the great tribulation.

I also appreciated the thought of why it’s important to do some things imperfectly—the perfect being the enemy of the good, as the proverb goes. For that matter, let’s consider who was at the first Communion; 13 guys, one of whom was eminently not eligible to partake, all of whom had yet to realize what Christ was getting at in His teaching to the full extent. Sounds a lot to me like Christ was telling us to be willing to do things imperfectly.

Side note; I’m vaguely aware of what the persecuted church is going through in China, but will cheerfully admit I’m not fully aware, either. I also think it would be a great thing if American believers would spend some more time with people who have worshipped in house churches in China and maybe learn some new tricks. If it’s the race we just might end up running, we might as well start training, no?