how common is weekly communion in ELCA?

[FireDragon76]

How common is weekly communion in the ELCA?

I am thinking of either becoming Episcopalian or Evangelical Lutheran. I live in Florida and it's hard to find ELCA churches near where I live in Orlando- most are LCMS. I don't want to join LCMS because I looked at their stances on various issues and they seem to be extremely conservative. I'm more of a moderate or liberal (depending on how you define that term). I also see myself in a general Lutheran or Evangelical Catholic direction theologically but I don't agree with Lutheran scholasticism or rigid confessionalism.

Weekly communion is important to me too, even though I can no longer eat wheat, I still like receiving the Communion whenever I go to church, and for me that's an important part of being a Christian. If I were a guest at a church it is not something I would expect however due to my special needs. But, I have been told a lot of Lutherans do not practice weekly communion.

Many of the ELCA churches I see listed for Orlando don't even have websites so its hard to "church shop"

 

[AngCath]

Most every parish in my area (San Antonio) has weekly communion. The same was true when I lived in a more rural part of Texas. It was still pretty common, though not across the board, when I lived in Nashville as well. In fact, one of the few old school parishes that did it every other week adopted weekly communion when I was there a few years ago.

 

[Arcangl86]

Weekly communion isn't practiced universally, but it's more common then it's not. I actually can't recall a single church I've been to that doesn't offer weekly communion, so take that for what it's worth.

 

[LutheranAndProud]

I know that in my area, rural and urban, congregations celebrate communion every week. I'm not sure of any churches in my area that do not celebrate communion every week.

 

[Tigger45]

I know that in my area, rural and urban, congregations celebrate communion every week. I'm not sure of any churches in my area that do not celebrate communion every week.

Welcome to CF and the Lutheran forum

 

[Korah]

How common is weekly communion in the ELCA?
But, I have been told a lot of Lutherans do not practice weekly communion.
Many of the ELCA churches I see listed for Orlando don't even have websites so its hard to "church shop"

I would think their phone #s would be more important so you could find out which (if any) offer gluten-free (as I myself require) wafers instead of wheat. Almost any ELCA parish will have weekly communion. (That raised an issue in my mind--if it has multiple Sunday masses, might there be some less traditional where Communion is not offered?)
The Athanasian Creed reminds us that we are "Catholic", so universal (?) apostolic succession church practice (East and West, and the other two "Easts", I think) dictates weekly (or more frequent) Eucharist. However, Lutheranism was hardly started before Calvinist theology showed up with a de-emphasis on Holy Communion that spread infrequent communion even to Lutheran churches, a practice only recently being reversed in many denominations (not just Lutherans, either).

 

[Arcangl86]

I would think their phone #s would be more important so you could find out which (if any) offer gluten-free (as I myself require) wafers instead of wheat. Almost any ELCA parish will have weekly communion. (That raised an issue in my mind--if it has multiple Sunday masses, might there be some less traditional where Communion is not offered?)
The Athanasian Creed reminds us that we are "Catholic", so universal (?) apostolic succession church practice (East and West, and the other two "Easts", I think) dictates weekly (or more frequent) Eucharist. However, Lutheranism was hardly started before Calvinist theology showed up with a de-emphasis on Holy Communion that spread infrequent communion even to Lutheran churches, a practice only recently being reversed in many denominations (not just Lutherans, either).

Augustana actually states that the Evangelical party celebrated communion every Lord's day and festival.

 

[JustOneWay]

How common is weekly communion in the ELCA?

In our Church, we have communion every 2 weeks, and all are welcome to participate.

 

[NebraskaLuke]

In our Church, we have communion every 2 weeks, and all are welcome to participate.

Same with my church - 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month, open communion.

 

[Korah]

Here in California weekly Communion seems to be standard for ELCA. Only the break-away (2009) NALC (North American Lutheran Church) still holds to two Holy Eucharist celebrations per month. But they don't even use the new version ("sins") of the Lord's Prayer.

 

[hurdygurdy]

I live in Idaho and the Lutheran church I go to has two services - a traditional (early morning) and a contemporary (late morning). The traditional uses old-school hymns and has communion every week, and the Lord's Prayer is in the King's English. The contemporary service uses a mixture of hymns based on the season, saints, and festivals utilizing ancient and modern. It celebrates communion usually every other week except in winter when it is celebrated every week. The Lord's Prayer is in Layman's English. I prefer to go to the traditional since I like it better (old people usually just shake hands and move on - younger people my age want to hug and talk and I'm not into that) and there's a Bible study afterwards which is always nice. I appreciate being able to hear life advice from folks who are advanced in age and have lived well... Very good for a younger person to get this experience from an elder earlier than find out the hard way later!

 

[SouthernRunner]

I’ve lived a few places in the south over the past few years, and of three ELCA churches I’ve been to, two have done weekly communion. There’s also an LCMS church I’ve attended (as you pointed out, there aren’t nearly as many Lutheran congregations in this part of the country as some others) and they’ve done weekly communion.

 

[tampasteve]

I have been to several ELCA parishes in my area and they all do weekly communion in all of their services (if they have more than one). I have also been to a LCMS parish close to my home and they only do communion in one service weekly (they have three services).

 

[meyerjd]

In the small rural congregation I attend, we have communion at two services a month. When I lived in a larger city, that church had communion every week. I know a lot of it has to do with the number of available volunteers to set up and clean up for a communion service.

 

[tampasteve]

Thinking about this thread again, after this week's readings. The more I think about it the odder I find it when a Lutheran church does not have the Eucharist as a major part of the service. It just seems like such a central part of the liturgy; to me, cutting it out feels like something important is being skipped. What justification do some churches that do not hold communion at each service use? I know some say it is because of a lack of altar servers, or a small congregation. But those two seem to contradict each other. Some because of the cost of the implements for communion. What else might there be that stops one from holding communion at each service?

 

[FireDragon76]

Thinking about this thread again, after this week's readings. The more I think about it the odder I find it when a Lutheran church does not have the Eucharist as a major part of the service. It just seems like such a central part of the liturgy; to me, cutting it out feels like something important is being skipped. What justification do some churches that do not hold communion at each service use? I know some say it is because of a lack of altar servers, or a small congregation. But those two seem to contradict each other. Some because of the cost of the implements for communion. What else might there be that stops one from holding communion at each service?

In the 17th century, between the influence of pietism and scholasticism, the importance of the Eucharist declined among some Lutherans. Also, with the rise of a receptionist understanding of communion, there was often also a corresponding de-emphasis on the actual importance of the Eucharist beyond just a formality.

 

[Tigger45]

From my understanding the whole point for the first generation Christians, who were primarily Jews attending Synagogue on Saturday and then met by themselves on Sunday to celebrate the risen Christ with the Eucharist. That was kinda the driving force for having a Sunday service.

 

[Arcangl86]

Thinking about this thread again, after this week's readings. The more I think about it the odder I find it when a Lutheran church does not have the Eucharist as a major part of the service. It just seems like such a central part of the liturgy; to me, cutting it out feels like something important is being skipped. What justification do some churches that do not hold communion at each service use? I know some say it is because of a lack of altar servers, or a small congregation. But those two seem to contradict each other. Some because of the cost of the implements for communion. What else might there be that stops one from holding communion at each service?

An argument I sometimes hear that frustrates me is that the Eucharist won't be special anymore if we have it every week.

 

[Tigger45]

The Eucharist is special by its own merits. How could communing with the Lord not be. I see the mindset that it could become borish due to frequency only coming from a poor understanding of the Eucharist itself. Are saints going to be bored when on that day of restoration of all things for eternity going to bored basking in the glory of the Lord?

 

[tampasteve]

An argument I sometimes hear that frustrates me is that the Eucharist won't be special anymore if we have it every week.

I have heard this one too. It really does not make sense to me either, if people are taught the reverence of what is actually happening there should not be that problem. If people are understanding it as a memorial and representation, as others believe (but not Lutherans) then I could see that happening. Further, I could see it happening in a low church more readily than a high church.