If you are visiting with us this Lord’s Day, we are grateful to have you here with us!
At the conclusion of our morning service, we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper. We are “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3) and therefore admit visitors to the Lord’s Table, provided that they agree with us on important matters of biblical truth. Therefore, we ask all visitors who wish to participate in the Lord’s Supper to affirm all of the following statements:
- You believe in Jesus Christ and trust that your sins are forgiven and that your remaining weakness is covered by the suffering and death of Christ (John 14:6; Acts 4:10-12; Acts 10:43).
- You are displeased with yourself on account of your sins, and you are repentant of them (Psalm 51).
- You desire more and more to live a godly life (Matt. 5:6; 1 Peter 3:10-12).
- You have been baptized with water by a Christian church in the name of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19).
- You have made a public profession of faith (Rom. 10:9; Matt. 10:32-33),
- You are a member of a Protestant church that:
Preaches the gospel that sinners are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, on account of Jesus Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-10; Rom. 3:20-26).
Administers the only two sacraments instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).
Practices church discipline through elders who keep watch over your faith and godly walk (Matt. 16:18-19; Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Peter 5:1-4; Heb. 13:17). - You believe that Christ is really present in the Lord’s Supper, not physically but by His Spirit (1 Cor. 10:3-4).
- You are not currently under church discipline (1 Cor. 5:11-13).
If you can affirm all of these things, then you are welcome to come to the Lord’s Table. If you cannot affirm all of these statements, we must ask you to abstain from participating in the Lord’s Supper.
Please understand that by asking you to abstain, we are not saying that you are not our brother or sister in Christ. Furthermore, we are not saying that you would be partaking in an “unworthy manner” or “eating and drinking judgment on yourself” if you did participate.
But as ministers and elders, we desire “to act honorably in all things” and “to do all things decently and in order” (Heb. 13:18; 1 Cor. 14:40). Given the seriousness of Scripture’s warnings regarding the Lord’s Table in 1 Corinthians 11:20-34 and also the solemn responsibilities given to office-bearers in 1 Peter 5:1-4 and Hebrews 13:17, we think it best that if we should err in this matter, we err on the side of caution. In this, as in all things, we hope and pray that God will be glorified.
It is our practice to ask visitors who desire to partake of the Lord’s Supper to obtain permission from the elders of the church. This may be done before the service by reviewing our visitor communion policy form in the foyer with the elder who is greeting people at the entrance door. If you received permission from him, on behalf of the elders, you are welcome to partake. Please feel free to contact us with any questions. Thank you!