Do you commune when visiting other traditions?

seeking.IAM said:

To my fellow Anglicans, I am curious about whether you take communion when worshipping with non-Anglican Christians? And, are their conditions under which you might or might not?

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I take communion whenever I am visiting other churches. Most often that has been in Baptist and Presbyterian churches, because those are the churches my extended family attends, but I have received communion in a variety of other Protestant churches as well.

My thought is that it is God who acts, who chooses to be present in the Eucharist. Our clumsy prayers don't create God's presence. Mercifully, God comes to us when we invite God's presence (and sometimes even without an invitation!), even when our prayers are theologically inaccurate.

The only exception is churches where I am not welcome at the altar: Roman Catholic churches, for example, and some kinds of very narrow Baptists. I follow their rules out of courtesy. But the barrier is entirely on their side; I would receive communion with Roman Catholics if they permitted it.

I take communion where I know the practice is to have a table open to other baptised believers (so, in my husband's church, for example, I always partake), or where a specific invitation is extended. I don't when I know that it is against the practice of that church and there is no specific invitation. (I'm being very precise there because I wouldn't, for example, usually take communion in a Catholic setting but I have done when the priest has made it clear he intends it to be an open table on that occasion. I know he's breaking the rules, but I figure that's between him and his bishop).

I don't always like the liturgy in my husband's church or think it ideal, but I think in the most basic terms, Christ honours our flawed attempts to honour him and is present to us in that, so even though it wouldn't, in Anglican terms, be a "valid" Eucharist I still partake. If I were, for example, in a Mormon or JW setting I don't think I would.

When invited to do so, after all "We are all the Body of Christ"...

I have in the past, for the simple reason that it's what I believe about the Eucharist that matters rather than the congregation's belief. I have not had the opportunity in a while though, so I'm not sure what i would do now. Last time i attended another church's communion (it was a Disciples of Christ church), it seemed so... shallow. And not as reverent as at the Episcopal Church.

That being said, i do want to check out a Lutheran (ELCA) Eucharist one of these days. I wish i could attend a Roman Catholic Eucharist, but they practice closed communion.

I'm with the majority who have replied...I will receive if welcome to do so. When I was doing my chaplaincy training, I attended United Church of Christ services and Roman Catholic Mass regularly - almost every week. I would receive at the former but not at the latter. I've also been to a bunch of ELCA Eucharists during seminary, but those are a bit of a different case since they are quite close to our liturgy. We have even had an ELCA pastor preside at a few of our chapel services.

I suppose the only exception to my general policy would be if there were something quite objectionable during the service, but I have not encountered that yet.

I've certainly received at services where the communion was taken as symbolic, there was no formal consecration of the elements, and the presiding person was non-ordained, so those are not going to rule it out for me.

Cookies and coke is something I've never encountered; it does give me pause. I'd probably want to talk to them about what they think they're doing there, and why.

I have been to at least one Anglican service where the presiding person had taken liberties with the liturgy to the point that I was fairly convinced it wasn't a valid Eucharist on our terms, and I partook there too, but with deep misgivings.

I guess one question from me would be, if it is not valid (ie. Christ is not present), and we partake, does it matter? Might there be circumstances which change our answer to that question?

Paidiske said:

Cookies and coke is something I've never encountered; it does give me pause. I'd probably want to talk to them about what they think they're doing there, and why.

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There is a church plant down the road from me that uses coffee and donuts for the elements. I think for them the idea is to provoke a "fresh response" to Communion by challenging "the rules" of Communion. I think the intent is understandable, but I don't see it as Eucharist at all. But it's not a liturgical church, so neither do they to be fair.

Paidiske said:

I guess one question from me would be, if it is not valid (ie. Christ is not present), and we partake, does it matter? Might there be circumstances which change our answer to that question?

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Those related questions are, I think, probably the crux of the issue. My answer to the former is probably not.

But, for the latter, I can imagine some possible situations, although I have certainly never encountered them. A non-ordained officiant is not necessarily a deal-breaker. During our liturgy classes, we got plenty of practice presiding at the Eucharist, and we all consumed those elements. Was Christ really present since none of us were technically priests yet? Who knows - although it sure felt like it. But, on the other hand, if I knew the celebrant was fraudulently pretending to be ordained or was under an ecclesiastical sentence of inhibition, that would be a problem.

I think it comes down to whether the service is done with such irreverence that partaking would send the wrong message. Cookies and Coke may rise to that level depending on the circumstances - if it was all that was available at the roadside during a horrific accident, that's one thing. But if it were being done to poke fun, then I almost certainly would not participate.

You actually practiced presiding - with elements consumed - in class? I certainly didn't do that. My supervisor took me through exercises with empty paten and chalice before my priesting retreat, but it would have horrified people if I'd actually practiced with elements present.

That's not a criticism, btw, just surprised at how different seminary cultures can be!

Sort of, LOL. We stopped before the fraction and didn't actually communicate everyone, but the presider got to consume the elements after he or she was finished.

It was a very interesting experience. Having bread and wine to touch/elevate/etc. made it feel much more real.

I don't know how I feel about this question. Whenever I have attended my home denomination (Churches of Christ) I have partaken in communion whispering to myself "The body of Christ, the bread of Heaven" and "The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation". Now that I have been received, I feel the same about it. I guess you could say that I see it that being whatever bread and wine is used and consecrated for that becomes the body and blood of Christ regardless of what we do or if we believe it.

I think that's partially due to coming to believe in the real presence at my college's church, which was a CoC, which we used to go down about once a month or to receive instead of passing it around, and the ushers always said "The body of Christ, the bread of Heaven", the "The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation." It eventually just became true in my mind, and we started saying it to each other on the weeks we didn't go down.

I have wondered about this question myself. I thought of visiting a TEC church I used to go to regularly. I miss the Stations of the Cross, and our Lutheran parish is just now starting to do that this year, and will only do this once on Good Friday. And this church has taken steps that I believe express a certain amount of repentance over issues that caused discomfort I felt there.

But... I am concerned about receiving communion at other churches. While we officially have "full communion" with TEC, this does not apply to agreement in doctrine. Most ELCA Lutheran clergy involved in this decision have said the justification is that the bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ whether or not a church confesses our doctrine, as long as it is done with the Words of Institution. But still, it is something I would be concerned about.

I have also thought about just general loyalty to my own church. I don't believe it's a sin to pray with other christians, but the Eucharist is a very communal thing at our ELCA church, I no longer view it as individualistically as when I attened an Episcopalian church. As my pastor said, the tendency he sees among Episcopalians is to view the sacrament in that manner.

FireDragon76 said:

I have wondered about this question myself. I thought of visiting a TEC church I used to go to regularly. I miss the Stations of the Cross, and our Lutheran parish is just now starting to do that this year, and will only do this once on Good Friday. And this church has taken steps that I believe express a certain amount of repentance over issues that caused discomfort I felt there.

But... I am concerned about receiving communion at other churches. While we officially have "full communion" with TEC, this does not apply to agreement in doctrine. Most ELCA Lutheran clergy involved in this decision have said the justification is that the bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ whether or not a church confesses our doctrine, as long as it is done with the Words of Institution. But still, it is something I would be concerned about.

I have also thought about just general loyalty to my own church. I don't believe it's a sin to pray with other christians, but the Eucharist is a very communal thing at our ELCA church, I no longer view it as individualistically as when I attened an Episcopalian church. As my pastor said, the tendency he sees among Episcopalians is to view the sacrament in that manner.

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The Eucharist is the Eucharist not sure what differing views of theology have to do with it, after all we are all part of "the Body of Christ" because we do share the one Bread.

I do commune under those circumstances. As for the validity of the sacrament, I figure that it's at least a memorial and fellowship ordinance. On the other hand, I don't think I would partake of something like coca-cola and spice cake, whether in an Episcopal church or some other.

As Paidiske wrote, I nevertheless don't commune (as a visitor from a different denomination) in any church which practices close communion. I know that some people act as though they're entitled by God, but this is really dishonest, unkind and unfair to that church, whatever it might be.

gordonhooker said:

The Eucharist is the Eucharist not sure what differing views of theology have to do with it, after all we are all part of "the Body of Christ" because we do share the one Bread.

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What bothers me more is the relative disharmony between preaching and the sacraments in some Episcopalian and Anglican churches.

FireDragon76 said:

I have wondered about this question myself. I thought of visiting a TEC church I used to go to regularly. I miss the Stations of the Cross, and our Lutheran parish is just now starting to do that this year, and will only do this once on Good Friday. And this church has taken steps that I believe express a certain amount of repentance over issues that caused discomfort I felt there.

But... I am concerned about receiving communion at other churches. While we officially have "full communion" with TEC, this does not apply to agreement in doctrine. Most ELCA Lutheran clergy involved in this decision have said the justification is that the bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ whether or not a church confesses our doctrine, as long as it is done with the Words of Institution. But still, it is something I would be concerned about.

I have also thought about just general loyalty to my own church. I don't believe it's a sin to pray with other christians, but the Eucharist is a very communal thing at our ELCA church, I no longer view it as individualistically as when I attened an Episcopalian church. As my pastor said, the tendency he sees among Episcopalians is to view the sacrament in that manner.

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Do Lutherans believe the elements become the body in memorialist contexts -- say, a Baptist service? with grape juice?

Do they believe it is no longer the body when the service ends?

FireDragon76 said:

What bothers me more is the relative disharmony between preaching and the sacraments in some Episcopalian and Anglican churches.

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FWIW, I can't figure out what this is supposed to mean.

I've always communed if I was visiting a Methodist church. My stance softened on memorialist communions. I partook of this with my grandfather about a year ago. That was in his home, just the two of us.

I think if I know what is intended by the ritual I can partake on those terms. He does believe an inner grace is infused in the heart in the act of faith and calls it a sacrament. So we made an act of faith and remembering together.

I will not commune if I am unwelcome, but sometimes this isn't clear cut: the Catholic Church for example allows communing of Protestants in some cases. And the canons that exist are often leniently applied in many respects -- Pope John Paul II regularly communed a Protestant minister going even beyond the circumstances the canons officially allow. Benedict followed the example, and recently Lutherans were communed in the Vatican. Pope Francis has instructed a Lutheran woman to follow her conscience in this regard and then "go forward" -- an intentionally ambiguous stance.

Practice also varies locally in parishes and monastic communities, and I wouldn't be surprised if bishops allow it by intentional silence.

The Roman Church tends to set the bar very high and apply the rules leniently, but I still don't take this as a green light for any Protestant to take communion in a Catholic Church. It is something to consider, though.

I chose to partake in a communion at a West Missouri Synod parish whose local bylaws allowed me to partake. I was comfortable with that.

Overall I prefer to commune in Episcopal parishes and if I commune elsewhere to be invited to do so explicitly.