The Lord's Supper

This policy is to supplement the Disciples Church Springfield position on the sacrament of The Lord’s Supper and is designed to outline the general procedure for conducting The Lord’s Supper under the authority of Disciples Church Springfield. The policy is made, not to be legalistic, but so that God might be honoured by our doing all things well and in order, according to His Holy Word.

So as to not be so often as to lose its significance, and not too irregular that it doesn’t feature prominently in the life of the Church, The Lord’s Supper will be celebrated at each service on the first weekend of the month.

The Lord’s Supper will primarily be celebrated during a scheduled church worship service. Other times and places to be approved by the Lead Pastor.

The elements used in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper will be ordinary bread, generally in the form of a bun or “cob” loaf, and de-alcoholised red wine. We use de-alcoholised wine in consideration of children who may be participating in The Lord’s Supper.

The Lord’s Supper will be conducted by a Pastor/Elder of Disciples Church Springfield, or a Pastor from another recognised Church. The Pastor/Elder may be assisted in the distribution of the elements by other church members.

Anyone who is trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour may participate in The Lord’s Supper. We consider it the Lord’s Table, not Disciples Church’s table, so membership is not a requirement for participation.

There are some Biblical provisos however:

• Each person must examine themselves beforehand to see that they are in relationship with Christ, having repented of sin and trusting in Jesus for their salvation. If a child is not old enough to do this, we would encourage them not to participate. Those distributing the elements will be guided by the child’s parent/s or guardian in this matter.
• If someone has a broken relationship with another person in the church, then they should refrain from participation in The Lord’s Supper until they have put things right.
• The Pastor/Elder conducting The Lord’s Supper should explain these participation provisos when making the invitation to join in the celebration.

The Pastor/Elder should read the “Words of Institution” from 1 Corinthians 11: 23 – 30, or alternatively, one of the Gospel accounts of the Last Supper – and provide a brief explanation of what we understand this sacrament to mean for us.

Each Pastor/Elder may determine their own order of leading the congregation through the distribution of the elements and the sharing of the “meal”. This will usually involve the elements being distributed to people in their seats and then joining together to eat simultaneously.

Usually there will be a time of prayer during and after the celebration of The Lord’s Supper.