Treatise on Global Methodist Clergy and Holy Communion
A Call to Conformity with the Church Universal
One of the rewarding aspects of being an ordained clergy person in the Global Methodist Church is to preside at Holy Communion. Knowing that after I and the congregation confess our sins to the Lord Jesus Christ, we get to hear, “In the Name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven,” is a peace that I and the congregation need. The response to the one presiding is, “And also with you.” Further, the congregation and I then get to respond with the passing of the peace to one another. For not only do we receive forgiveness from God, but we also get to forgive one another.
That flow of forgiveness is easy to do. It was hard for our Savior, Jesus the Christ, to give to us–He did, after all, die on the cross to show us God’s forgiveness. Through this flow, we see Christ’s call to forgive one another being lived out (Matthew 6:14-15). This sweetness of forgiveness helps the body of Christ in the local church to flourish. How much goodness can grow from time of forgiveness?
Did you notice something about the flow of forgiveness described above? You read that the presiding clergy person (an elder, a deacon, or a transitional local pastor) tells the local church that they are forgiven. Then, the local church tells the presiding clergy person that they are forgiven. Describing this process is vital to the life of the local church and the presiding clergy person. For it is when the local church is gathered with a clergy person that Holy Communion can be celebrated.
There. Is. No. Other. Way. Of. Administering. Holy. Communion.
Walk with me through the newly updated and released Book of Doctrines and Discipline of the Global Methodist Church. In Part One, “Doctrinal Foundations,” we read about how we have adopted “Normative Standards for Wesleyan Witness” (¶106)1 from the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church. We find in the Methodist Church’s Article XIX “Of Both Kinds” these words:
“The cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the lay people; for both the parts of the Lord’s Supper, by Christ’s ordinance and commandment, ought to be administered to all Christians alike.” (emphasis mine)2
As we read further in the “Normative Standards for Wesleyan Witness,” from the Evangelical United Brethren Church’s Confession of Faith’s Article VI “The Sacraments,” this part draws our attention:
We believe the Lord’s Supper is a representation of our redemption, a memorial of the sufferings and death of Christ, and a token of love and union which Christians have with Christ and with one another. Those who rightly, worthily and in faith eat the broken bread and drink the blessed cup partake of the body and blood of Christ in a spiritual manner until he comes.3
We know from 1 Corinthians 11 that the church in Corinth had a problem. There were Christians who brought their bread and wine to the house church. Without waiting for other Christians to arrive, they consumed both before other Christians arrived. Paul wrote it this way, as translated by the NRSV, Anglicised:
33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. 34 If you are hungry, eat at home, so that when you come together, it will not be for your condemnation. About the other things I will give instructions when I come.
Our Global Methodist practice can be only to encourage and to allow in-person Holy Communion. To further clarify this matter, we will visit more of the Book of Doctrines and Discipline. It will come to our attention that Global Methodist clergy, as appointed ministerial leaders of the various local churches, have great responsibility in this matter.
Global Methodist Elders specifically have this authority as outlined in ¶413:
“In keeping with the historic practice of the Christian church, elders are ordained to oversee the sacramental life of the church and thus have full authority and responsibility to preside at celebrations of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.” (emphasis mine)4
The detail of “at” assists us to see where the elders are located during their presiding of Holy Communion. To extensively quote the Book of Doctrines and Discipline relating to Elders, here is this gem from ¶503.2:
“From among those ordained as deacons, some are called to carry on the historic work of the presbyteros or elder in the life of the Church to the ministry of Word, Sacrament, and Order. (Those who were not ordained deacon prior to ordination as elder will be granted deacon’s orders upon beginning their service in the Global Methodist Church. It is recommended that annual conferences recognize this grant through a special service.) Those called to the ministry of elder bear authority and responsibility to proclaim God’s Word fearlessly, to teach God’s people faithfully, to administer the sacraments, and to order the life of the church so that it may be both faithful and fruitful. Elders retain their calling as Laity to witness and service in the world, as well as their call as deacons to word, service, compassion, and justice among the people of God.” (emphasis mine)5
What a joy it is to administer the Sacraments! To administer, as defined by the Merriam-Webster’s second definition, part b is: “to give officially or as part of a ritual.”6 In other words, the ritual being performed is Holy Communion, at one location, with a clergy person presiding and Christians from the local church present.
This practice of the presiding clergy person and the local church receiving Holy Communion together, at one location, has been and will continue to be the practice of the Church Universal. This practice will only stop upon the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on the New Earth. However, in my previous denomination, and I hope not in my current denomination, there arose the practice of allowing online communion. Other variations of this practice included “drive-by Communion” and family communion throughout the day on Christmas Eve.
Online communion is faulty because the elements, the Body and Blood of Christ, are not shared among the participants. Even having the COVID response of church members picking up the pre-packaged elements at the church before Holy Communion is out of line. It takes being with one another for us to forgive one another. Forgiving a person when you are in the comfort of your own home, and they are at a distance from you does not exemplify being Christian. At most, it is cowardly, and at worst it is lazy.
“Drive-by Communion” and family communion also miss the point of addressing the Body of Christ. Though forgiveness within a family is admirable, the convenience of receiving when you have time disrespects the other believers in the local church.
Another form of doing Holy Communion is to have an Elder consecrate, or bless, the elements from a distance. I have heard that this practice involves churches who are without a clergy person to preside at Holy Communion. A nearby Elder, who serves another Global Methodist local church/charge, will be called upon to assist in remedying the issue. Literally, the Elder will be called, over the phone, to consecrate the elements. A variation of this practice is that a member of clergy-less local church will drive the elements to the Elder’s office for the blessing to happen in person. It may seem appropriate. Yet, the recognition of the Body of Christ is lacking. ‘Who knows,’ someone may say, ‘hey, the elements are consecrated, stop by when you can so you can have communion.’ It is like we have become a law unto ourselves. Or as Judges 21:25 (NRSV[A]) says, “In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes.”
What is the remedy for such a practice that has been shown to be foreign to the Global Methodist Church’s Book of Doctrines and Discipline? Thankfully, that same document prescribes remedies. As our new denomination pursues loving accountability at all levels, we do recognize that individual clergy may not practice all that is proscribed in our Book of Doctrines and Disciplines. In the pursuit of loving accountability, a clergy member of the annual conference can be charged with an offense. Paragraph 908.1d and e describe the chargeable offenses as:
“d. Promoting or engaging in doctrines or practices, or conducting ceremonies or services, that are not in accord with those established by the Global Methodist Church;
e. Disobedience to the order and discipline of the Global Methodist Church;”
It sounds harsh. It may be harsh. I would not want to have a chargeable offense brought against me for attempting to improve upon the practice of the Church Universal of having in-person Holy Communion. To keep our Global Methodist local churches and clergy from being placed in this position, I propose these alternatives.
For any Global Methodist local church within reasonable driving distance from me, let me know that you are without Holy Communion. Then, we can work out a time for me to be with your local church, other than Sunday mornings when I am at my appointment. At that time, I could preside over Holy Communion and your local church could receive Holy Communion. I would hope the Presiding Elders would find this advantageous for the churches in their district. I would also hope that the local churches could find a connection, beyond the name change on their respective doors to being a Global Methodist local church.
The other alternative is for a clergy-less Global Methodist local church to have love feasts. Kevin Watson describes, briefly, a love feast in his post, “Love Feast.”7 An ecumenical approach for Catholics and Anglicans, along with Methodists, can be found Paul Caleb Roland’s article “Wesley’s Method Part I: Frequent Reception of Communion and the Love Feast.”8 The Wesley United Methodist Church at Johns Island, South Carolina has the liturgy and background for a love feast.9
To my fellow Elders in the Global Methodist Church, what say you? Will you join me in being available for those clergy-less Global Methodist local churches to have Holy Communion? Will our Assembly of Bishops encourage us to be available, in person, for those clergy-less Global Methodist local churches to have Holy Communion? I think encouragement to have Love Feasts or a varied schedule for Elders to be in-person for clergy-less local churches sure beats the alternative of church trials for Elders who have gone away from the Book of Doctrines and Discipline. After all, is not Holy Communion about proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:26)? We can only proclaim the Lord’s death when we are in the same location, together.
The Rev. John L. Grimm is the pastor of the Ness City and Bazine Methodist Churches in the Northwest Kansas District of the Heartland Conference in the Global Methodist Church. He is married to his bicycling partner, the Rev. Maria W. Grimm (pastor of the Jetmore Methodist Church). They earned their Masters of Divinity degrees at Asbury Theological Seminary. This article was originally published on John's blog at www.johngrimmthemethodist.wordpress.com on December 5, 2024.
Ibid., p. 13
Ibid., p. 16-17
Ibid., p. 35
Ibid., p. 64
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Two points:
First, being recently retired and moving to a new community, my wife and I have had the opportunity to attend a number of different churches, from independent Bible to more liturgical (e.g., Lutheran) and a local GMC congregation. We both feel that many congregations today have so "downgraded" Holy Communion that it gives the impression that it's an afterthought at best and an interruption to the pastor's message at worst! We leave those services feeling we've missed something very important (God's means of grace through the sharing together of Christ's body and blood represented in the bread and the cup).
Second, being a recently retired GMC pastor, I can be available to congregations who do not have an ordained pastor available to serve Holy Communion - and am glad to do so. I suspect other retired GMC elders feel the same.
Thanks for reinforcing the power and priority of the Sacraments by referencing the Doctrines and Disciplines of the GMC. In contrast to those denominations and independent churches who have almost given up the practice of observing Communion (for all intents and purposes by their mode of observation), we need to restore the table's central place in our worship, hopefully creating a sense of awe and "thanksgiving" (eucharist) for Christ's great gift of himself for our salvation and sanctification!
Good piece. Thanks for making the case. We have been reluctant to get into anything very divisive around the sacraments. It has been hard enough for many of our leaders to say no to those who would refuse infant baptism. Now to call for a blanket 'no' to online communion, remote communion, and other less-than-perfect solutions is a helpful move. These conversations need to happen. How is the meal properly had? What conditions need to be met in order for us to do it in right relationship with God? I saw a sect of Anglicans recently put out a piece saying that the bread had to be made of wheat and that there had to be some natural alcohol content in the wine. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I have been pushing to close the table for some time, as I think it is properly seen as a covenant meal, and it makes no sense to have a covenant meal with people who aren't in the covenant.
Anyway, all that to say thanks for sticking your neck out. I hope your voice is one of many that helps the GMC to formulate a proper sacramental theology.