LCMS Positions, the not obvious ones

[PreachersWife2004]

Why would he not be able to commune her if she's a Christian in any denomination?

Confessional conservative Lutherans practice something called close(d) communion, which generally states that one must be a member of a church in fellowship with those synods. Since I'm WELS, I can speak from their perspective that unless you're a member of WELS or ELS, you are not able to commune with us until you've made a public declaration of your agreement with our doctrines, at which point you become a member of our church.

I think LCMS runs the same way, although they have a larger number of churches in fellowship with them if I'm not mistaken.

In either case, pastors have the ability to commune someone who is NOT a member - it's the pastor's discretion in the end. My husband has twice now in his career refused communion to someone up at the rail because they were not WELS/ELS members. I think it's twice. I know once for sure.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Confessional conservative Lutherans practice something called close(d) communion, which generally states that one must be a member of a church in fellowship with those synods. Since I'm WELS, I can speak from their perspective that unless you're a member of WELS or ELS, you are not able to commune with us until you've made a public declaration of your agreement with our doctrines, at which point you become a member of our church.

I think LCMS runs the same way, although they have a larger number of churches in fellowship with them if I'm not mistaken.

In either case, pastors have the ability to commune someone who is NOT a member - it's the pastor's discretion in the end. My husband has twice now in his career refused communion to someone up at the rail because they were not WELS/ELS members. I think it's twice. I know once for sure.

Our practice is the same in LCC, and LCMS. However, not all Congregations follow this rule.

 

[PreachersWife2004]

Our practice is the same in LCC, and LCMS. However, not all Congregations follow this rule.

Don't feel bad...I'm sure there's WELS guys out there bucking the doctrine as well....

 

[Tangible]

Lazerboy, there are specific reasons why Confessional Lutherans practice closed communion - and none of them is out of a desire to be exclusive or elitist. It all has to do with understanding the purpose and nature of Holy Communion, and to prevent those with unscriptural beliefs about Communion from possibly being harmed.

And, for what it's worth, Lutherans aren't the only Christians that practice closed communion.

Here are a few Lutheran web pages that address the practice.

LCMS - The Practice of Close Communion
WELS - "Closed" Communion and why we practice it.
ELS - Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Holland, Michigan (ELS) »

Here are some web pages that address the practice in other Christian churches.

Some Baptists - WHY PRACTICE CLOSED COMMUNION
Some Presbyterians - http://www.americanpresbyterianchurch.org/close_communion.htm
Catholics - The Cross Reference: The Catholic Church and Closed Communion
Orthodox - http://www.newmartyr.info/branch.html
Anabaptists - http://www.bibleviews.com/lordsupper.html

More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed_communion

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Lazerboy, there are specific reasons why Confessional Lutherans practice closed communion - and none of them is out of a desire to be exclusive or elitist. It all has to do with understanding the purpose and nature of Holy Communion, and to prevent those with unscriptural beliefs about Communion from possibly being harmed.

And, for what it's worth, Lutherans aren't the only Christians that practice closed communion.

Here are a few Lutheran web pages that address the practice.

LCMS - The Practice of Close Communion
WELS - "Closed" Communion and why we practice it.
ELS - Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Holland, Michigan (ELS) »

Here are some web pages that address the practice in other Christian churches.

Some Baptists - WHY PRACTICE CLOSED COMMUNION
Some Presbyterians - Close Communion
Catholics - The Cross Reference: The Catholic Church and Closed Communion
Orthodox - The Parish of St Elisabeth the New Martyr - Ecclesiology
Anabaptists - The Lord's Supper

More here: Closed communion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wow CD, we should make you the "Official" go too/reference guy!

 

[Lazerboy]

Lazerboy, there are specific reasons why Confessional Lutherans practice closed communion - and none of them is out of a desire to be exclusive or elitist. It all has to do with understanding the purpose and nature of Holy Communion, and to prevent those with unscriptural beliefs about Communion from possibly being harmed.

And, for what it's worth, Lutherans aren't the only Christians that practice closed communion.

Here are a few Lutheran web pages that address the practice.

LCMS - The Practice of Close Communion
WELS - "Closed" Communion and why we practice it.
ELS - Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Holland, Michigan (ELS) »

Here are some web pages that address the practice in other Christian churches.

Some Baptists - WHY PRACTICE CLOSED COMMUNION
Some Presbyterians - Close Communion
Catholics - The Cross Reference: The Catholic Church and Closed Communion
Orthodox - The Parish of St Elisabeth the New Martyr - Ecclesiology
Anabaptists - The Lord's Supper

More here: Closed communion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thank you for the links, Cantate.

A few years ago I considered going to a United Reform church. They also practice closed communion. Having heard an audio message from them, I can most generally respect that practice. However, I would guess that a pastor would have a fairly strong belief on whether or not their own spouse was a Christian regardless of what denomination she's in.

 

[PreachersWife2004]

Thank you for the links, Cantate.

A few years ago I considered going to a United Reform church. They also practice closed communion. Having heard an audio message from them, I can most generally respect that practice. However, I would guess that a pastor would have a fairly strong belief on whether or not their own spouse was a Christian regardless of what denomination she's in.

Which is why it would it should pain him that he could not commune her. If she was in full agreement with his doctrine (which is generally necessary to receive communion from a church that practices closed communion) then she might as well be a member of his denomination.

 

[Lazerboy]

Which is why it would it should pain him that he could not commune her. If she was in full agreement with his doctrine (which is generally necessary to receive communion from a church that practices closed communion) then she might as well be a member of his denomination.

Yes, I suppose that's true. Thank you all for helping me to understand.

For what it's worth, Baptist pastors are most usually married to Baptist wives. It's just that it's an unofficial thing.

 

[PreachersWife2004]

Yes, I suppose that's true. Thank you all for helping me to understand.

For what it's worth, Baptist pastors are most usually married to Baptist wives. It's just that it's an unofficial thing.

I think probably most pastors tend to gravitate that way, whether they practice closed communion or not. Religious harmony in a household is always a better thing that religious dissonance. Before I met my husband, I had dated guys outside of the WELS faith, and even just dating them was made difficult by our religious differences. I couldn't imagine what being married to them and having to deal with that tension would be like.

 

[Lazerboy]

I think probably most pastors tend to gravitate that way, whether they practice closed communion or not. Religious harmony in a household is always a better thing that religious dissonance. Before I met my husband, I had dated guys outside of the WELS faith, and even just dating them was made difficult by our religious differences. I couldn't imagine what being married to them and having to deal with that tension would be like.

It hasn't really affected our lives much, my wife being Presbyterian and my being Baptist. Perhaps that's largely because she's not deeply devoted to being Presbyterian, and I'm not deeply devoted to being Baptist. Or it could be because we are more challenged by our cultural differences (she being Korean, my being a Canuck).

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

It hasn't really affected our lives much, my wife being Presbyterian and my being Baptist. Perhaps that's largely because she's not deeply devoted to being Presbyterian, and I'm not deeply devoted to being Baptist. Or it could be because we are more challenged by our cultural differences (she being Korean, my being a Canuck).

...Speaking of Cultural differences; my wife of 25+ years is a Newfie... which brings to mind this (please forgive me for going off topic):

The day after his wife disappeared in a sea kayaking accident on the Grand Banks in newfoundland , a man answered his door to find two grim-faced Mounties. "We are sorry sir, but we have some information about your wife", said one of the Mounties.

"Tell me! Did you find her!?" the husband shouted.

The Mounties looked at each other. One said, "We have some bad news, some good news, and some really great news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Fearing the worst, the ashen husband said "Give me the bad news first."

The Mountie said, "I'm sorry to tell you, sir, but this morning we found your wife's body in the bay."

"Oh my God!" exclaimed the husband. Swallowing hard, he asked, "What's the good news?"

The Mountie continued, "When we pulled her up, she had 12 twenty-five pound snow crabs and 6 good-size lobsters clinging to her."

Stunned, the husband demanded, "If that's the good news, what's the great news???"

The Mountie said, "We're gonna pull her up again tomorrow."

 

[RadMan]

We're getting some difference of opinion in here since some liberal factions come in here and post and they aren't representive of the views of the LCMS, WELS or ELS. This forum is supposed to be for the conservative branches of the Lutheran church and not for the ones that are Lutheran in name only.




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[RadMan]

...Speaking of Cultural differences; my wife of 25+ years is a Newfie... which brings to mind this (please forgive me for going off topic):

I get that email about twice a year and get a good chuckle out of it. Probably because I'm getting older and can't remember how funny it was the last time I read it.




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