You might call it the Lord’s Supper, or you may refer to it as communion. But either way, you’ve probably always taken it while physically present in a worship service with other believers.
The traditional practice could soon look a little different in the United Methodist Church (UMC), however, at least in the churches with online campuses. Some nondenominational churches already offer online communion as does the online campus of Alabama’s Church of the Highlands (see story, page 9), but it is a new concept for many churches and denominations.
The latest move by Central United Methodist Church, Concord, N.C. — which announced plans to launch an online campus that potentially would offer online communion — has Alabama Baptists and others across the state discussing the pros and cons.
About 30 United Methodist Church denominational leaders also are discussing the issue and have urged the bishops to call for a moratorium on the practice so further study of online ministries can be done before a decision is made.
The majority of the leaders agreed with the statement that communion “entails the actual tactile sharing of bread and wine in a service that involves people corporately together in the same place.” But not everyone agreed that congregants must be in the same place.
The debate raises fundamental questions at the heart of the church experience: the definition of community, individual participation, the role of tradition and basic theological understandings of the meaning of communion.
United Methodists practice open communion, meaning all who worship are invited to partake. Many churches celebrate communion once a month, though each church decides how often to serve it.
Communion takes on different forms among various denominations, but it generally involves the re-enactment of Jesus’ last supper by taking bread and grape juice (or wine in some cases).
Also called the Eucharist, many Protestants see the rite as an expression of faith rather than the actual body and blood of Jesus, as the Catholic Church teaches.
John H. Killian, pastor of Maytown Baptist Church, said, “A key element of observing the Lord’s Supper is the fellowship of the Supper. While the key focus of the Lord’s Supper is the sacrificial death of Christ, we also note that this observance pictures the unity of the Body of Christ as the local Church partakes together.
“While I could agree with ministers distributing the Lord’s Supper to those unable to be in the fellowship, as that would be an extension of the worship service, online communion is a step beyond that principle,” he said.
Mike McLemore, executive director of Birmingham Baptist Association, had similar concerns.
“I would be very careful of offering communion online. This is an ordinance of the church and should be taken with the body of Christ in the assembly of the body,” he said. “We do not need to allow this sacred meal to become commonplace.”
Ryan E. Carter, of Fort Payne, disagrees.
“The virtual body — the virtual blood. I don’t get it,” he said. “You don’t need a church to have communion. Churches often attempt to replace our own personal relationship with Christ. We no longer need the priest to intercede.”
Laura D. Brown, of Southside, added, “The sincerity of our communion is what matters whether privately or publicly. I think online communion is OK because it is one more way to educate, share and practice our faith and observances.”
Rick Sharp, of Hartselle, said, “Communion, as practiced in most churches, is a solo and personal act that just happens to be performed alongside others, unlike the original Lord’s Supper. In that light, online communion makes more sense than I first thought.”
Ken Kalinich, pastor of Big Hurricane Baptist Church, Brookwood, said, “Who am I to say that this is wrong? I suppose the real question is, ‘Are people being instructed on the meaning, importance and proper way to participate in observing communion?’ If this draws people closer to the Lord, then I say, ‘Hallelujah!’”
And while Judy Taylor, of Morris, said she also sees benefits of online communion for the homebound and military, she believes it should be used with discretion.
Maggie Trivett, assistant administrator at Liberty Baptist Church, Deatsville, agreed.
“I think it might work well for people who are bedridden, homebound or in a nursing facility if they know Jesus as their Savior and would be in their church if possible,” she said. “If they have someone willing to prepare the communion items for them, it might mean a great deal to them.”
But “for those who do not attend church and may not fully understand the meaning of communion I would have concerns,” Trivett said.
Jim Simpson, of Homewood, pointed out that communion is a corporate activity and that one of the essential parts of communion is being served by another.
“A key part is the servant,” he said. “You can’t make an electronic servant.”
Many churches have launched online options for church activities, including worship, seminary, ordination counseling and financial giving. Despite the growing availability of church resources online, participating in communion has mostly remained a part of the physical act of worship in a congregation.
Some worry that online communication is becoming an alternate form of community for Christians. It is difficult to tell how many churches are offering online worship or online communion as part of their regular services.
A LifeWay Research survey of a thousand Protestant churches found that while 78 percent have a website, less than half of them use their sites for interactive purposes, such as obtaining and distributing prayer requests (43 percent), registering people for events (39 percent) and automating other church processes (30 percent).
Scott Thumma, a sociologist of religion at Hartford Seminary, said none of the 80-some churches that he has studied that offer online services also offer virtual communion.
“In many ways this is a parallel discussion to the earlier debate about whether online community is ‘real’ community,” Thumma said.
LifeChurch.tv, one of the most innovative online churches in the country, included a blog post in 2010 illustrating how to prepare for online communion by having elements, such as bread or a cracker and wine or Kool-Aid, on hand. A spokeswoman said the church currently does online communion at periodic gatherings for online volunteers rather than as a weekly practice.
(RNS, Jennifer Davis Rash contributed)
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Alabama Baptist received more than 250 responses in relation to the discussion of online communion. The responses will be posted below in the comments section over the next few days. If you have not already been a part of this discussion, please feel free to post your comment below as well.
_______________________________________________________
Some accidental humor …
In less than 18 hours leading up to this issue’s press time, more than 250 people responded to a question about whether online communion is a good idea or not.
Excerpts from those responses are online at www.thealabamabaptist.org.
Among the responses came a light-hearted, true story about a communion experience in an Alabama Baptist church …
“Once as the Lord’s Supper was being prepared, there wasn’t enough grape juice on hand.
One of our Lord’s Supper committee members ran to the local grocery store to get more juice when they realized they didn’t have enough. After filling most of one tray they discovered he’d purchased prune juice by mistake! Talk about a Lord’s Supper service that’ll ‘set you free.’”
_____________________________________________
Highlands allows viewers to participate informally
People who attend Alabama’s Church of the Highlands have the choice of 10 campuses. And one of them is fully online. The online campus, led by Pastor David Russell, is often the “front door” of the church, he said.
“Many guests want to gauge the spirit and vision of the church and not be relegated to marketing copy or a canned video that falls short of the full experience,” Russell wrote in an article for Leadership Journal. He hopes viewing online will be the first step to draw them to Christ and church.
Viewers live stream the services, participate in an interactive chat, have a prayer team available for them and can give online, if they choose.
And when it comes time for communion, that’s an option for them too.
As the people in the brick-and-mortar church prepare for communion, Pastor Chris Hodges will often address online viewers and tell them to grab some crackers and juice if they have it available and would like to participate.
It’s treated informally, but it’s open to online viewers.
Other denominations are beginning to debate online communion (see story, page 1). To read a variety of perspectives from Alabama Baptists and others — and to comment on the subject — visit www.thealabamabaptist.org and type in “online communion” with quotes in the search bar.
(TAB)
Share with others: