I have growing reservations about a practice which is becoming more frequent in Chr. Ref. circles. I am referring to the practice of having “Communion” (the Lord’s Supper) at gatherings which are not ecclesiastical in nature. It may be a Youth Rally, a weekend Conference of some sort, or perhaps an “Ecumenical Service.” To bring such gatherings to a “fitting” conclusion, a Communion Service is often scheduled. Two current examples: A Conference on Liturgy & Music scheduled in Edmonton this month is going to conclude with a Communion Service. A Young Adult Conference sponsored by the Y.C.F. for the end of the year in Calgary, Alberta, also has a Communion Service on its agendum.

I very much question this practice. I think it betrays a lack of understanding of the real nature of the sacrament of t he Lord’s Supper, and a lack of appreciation for the Reformed conception of Word and sacrament. Art. 35 of the Belgic Confession states that “we receive this holy sacrament in the assembly of the people of God, . . . making there confession of our faith and of the Christian religion.” It further says that “we believe and confess that our Savior Jesus Christ did ordain and institute the sacrament . . . to nourish and support those whom He has already regenerated and incorporated into His family, which is His Church.” In his The Church’s Witness to the World, Vol. II, Dr. P. Y. DeJong has this to say on the matter:

The heavenly Father has provided this nourishment not for individuals in isolation but for a covenant people who have fellowship not only with Christ but through him also with each other. To secure the promised blessings, we may never divorce the sacrament from the pure preaching of the gospel. (p. 389)

Dr. A.D.R. Polman makes much the same point in his Woord en Belijdenis, Vol. II, when he says: “It is, after all, a meal of fellowship between Christ and his people. Therefore it ought to be celebrated in the midst of the congregation of God.” This does not exclude communion for the sick and shut-ins, says Polman, provided that there too there is a coming together of the congregation, however small in number.

What is strange is that in the regular Sunday service celebration of the Lord’s Supper we insist on a measure of preparation and on proper supervision by the elders. That’s according to both the Church Order and the Word of God. But in these extra-ecclesiastical gatherings we seem to forget all about such proper guidelines. No elders need be present; there need be no preaching of the Word, and all and sundry may celebrate Communion. What kind of strange intrusion is this into our Reformed ecclesiology? Or don’t we have a proper Reformed ecclesiology—at least one that’s clearly articulated and known among us? In any case, there’s homework to be done.