The regulative principle helps us lead a text driven worship service. We sing the Word, pray the Word, preach the Word. And with the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, we see and taste the Word. We want to major on the majors. These five lanes of word-driven ministry are surely worth our attention.
Though true biblical preaching is the first mark of the church, every element of our service should be an instructive arrow to Christ. Yet the Lord’s Supper is that slice of the service that often presents more of a challenge than others.
I’ve pastored two established churches, and now a church plant, each of them with a bit of a different philosophy on taking the Lord’s Supper. Let me offer a few points of practical advice from what I’ve learned to help you lead a meaningful time of communion.
- Offer the Supper regularly.
Many churches observe this ordinance on a quarterly basis, perhaps a few times more. Consider at least a monthly rhythm ensuring that your people don’t miss out on the bulk of occurrences. Such will form a culture of communion in the church that can be enjoyed, celebrated, expected and even promoted by your people (1 Cor. 11:26). Frequent enough for rich familiarity, yet not so much it loses its effect. Every congregation is different. And keep an eye on your volunteer teams. - Fence the table clearly.
The Lord’s Supper can be one of the more evangelistic moments in the worship service. People come face to face with the reality of the gospel, the broken body and the shed blood of Jesus. Give clear instructions of what the Supper is (and is not) and that participation in the ordinance is limited to baptized believers. However, be sure to implore those not partaking to take Christ instead. (Is. 1:18) - Disperse the elements easily.
You don’t want a logistical hiccup during the Lord’s Supper. Use whatever method ensures a complication-free delivery of the elements to your people. “Decently and in order,” is a worthy pursuit. (1 Cor. 14:40) Explore practices with other churches. Inform your people ahead of time. Think it through with your leadership team. If you’re a church plant with high set up volume, consider having pre-packaged elements at the door. Then switch it up on a special occasion. - Connect the sermon rightly.
Most observances of communion follow the preaching of the Word. In this way the ordinance functions as the close of the sermon, an appeal for decision and clear application of the gospel. (If you baptize on the same Sunday, try to link the ordinances as much as possible.) Make an obvious connection with the text and the table, but don’t force it. You shouldn’t jump ship and preach a second sermon in miniature. Few congregations can endure. Rather, allow your comments to flow naturally from your exposition. (Col. 1:28) - Follow-up with guests quickly.
If you’re pastoring in a growing community, it’s likely that your guests may have never experienced a Lord’s Supper before (at least not in the baptistic tradition). They may be innocently ignorant of what many take for granted. (cf., Acts 19:2) Therefore, be mindful of how they respond during the service. Use language they can understand. And then contact them soon as you normally would to get their feedback and answer their questions. It’ll likely be a great way to learn improvements, while also opening a door for gospel conversation.
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We pastors are typically good at preaching, and strive to make progress in the pulpit. We also lean into prepping the corporate prayer and singing for the Lord’s Day service. But let’s not forget the impact the ordinances can make on our churches and those new on Sunday.
May our people look forward to observing the Lord’s Supper. May it draw them closer to Christ and to one another. It need not be a hindrance or a headache, not a formality or a facade, but a catalyst for Spirit-wrought worship.
MDiv Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
The Preaching and Pastoral Ministry track prepares students for pastoral ministry in the local church with a special emphasis on expository preaching.
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