While much has been done in the last 30 years to enliven the church’s celebration of the Lord’s Supper, there now seems to be a growing hunger for a renewal of our practice of baptism. In too many aging congregations, the baptismal font hasn’t been dusted off for use in years; and there is a longing to become again a baptizing community. Congregations exploring “missional church” models for ministry are keenly aware of the vital connection between baptism and discipleship, a link often invisible when we baptize mostly infants. Other churches are getting excited about their exploration of a renewed “catechumenate” -- where extended preparation for baptism (or for baptismal renewal) leads to spiritual growth, maturing discipleship, and congregational rejuvenation.

At the same time, churches whose revitalized eucharistic practices have begun drawing those who are outside the church into its fellowship, have felt their ministries of hospitality and evangelism at the Table frustrated by the understanding, embedded deeply in our theology and our polity, as well as in our ecumenical relationships, that the Lord’s Supper is the church’s meal, a meal of the baptized.

At its 1998 meeting, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) received an overture from the Presbytery of the Twin Cities asking that the Book of Order be revised to allow unbaptized persons to be invited to the Lord's Supper. A similar overture was received from the Presbytery of Central Washington in 2004. These overtures raise large theological questions about the nature of the sacraments, the relationship between baptism and eucharist, the understanding of conversion, the identity of the church, and the obligation of the church to define the meaning of its own sacraments, among others.

The General Assembly referred the overtures to the Theology and Worship Ministry Unit which created a "sacraments work group" and asked that it report to the General Assembly in 2006. Members of the work group include Marney Wasserman, convener, David Batchelder, Heidi Worthen Gamble, Scott Haldeman, Stan Hall, Martha Moore-Keish, Thom Nelson, Neal Presa, David Stubbs, Tom Trinidad, Jane Vann, Craig Satterlee, ecumenical representative, Alan Barthel, laison, Chip Andrus, laison, Paul Galbreath, staff.

The sacraments work group, which began meeting in April of 2003, has studied scripture, sacramental theology, the history of the church, ecumenical relationships concerning the sacraments, and has solicited insights and reflections from various groups throughout the PCUSA. In its report to the General Assembly, scheduled for 2006, the work group hopes to include a clear response to the overtures, an underlying theological statement on the relationship of Baptism and Eucharist, and recommendations for congregations concerning sacramental practice, along with resources for the church in implementing those recommendations.

The question of unbaptized persons being welcomed to the Lord's Supper arises out of several contexts. Children who were not baptized as infants, but who in every other way participate in the church alongside their baptized peers, are not invited to the Table. Likewise adult seekers, who were never baptized or weren’t raised in the church, are not invited to the Table, even though some of them attend worship regularly. It is understood that pastors have a responsibility to make wise and careful pastoral judgments in just such individual circumstances, but the overtures raise the question of whether something more is needed. The writers of the 1998 overture argue that "free access to the Lord's Supper does not diminish or cheapen God's love, but promotes evangelism and reconciliation: allowing the Lord's Supper to be truly sacramental, a means of grace . . . [A]ccepting the invitation may generate faith and lead to baptism." Others argue that it may lead only to the devaluation of baptism, by making it a strictly optional sacrament, and a redefinition of the nature of the church as a provider of religious services, rather than a community of committed disciples.

The work group is interested in hearing from congregational leaders and members as part of their reflections on this important question. Members of the work group will be at the Presbyterian Association of Musicians Conferences in Montreat, presbytery meetings, and synod meetings to host "public hearings." They especially want to hear descriptions of sacramental practice in congregations and the ways on-going practices have relevance for the questions raised by the overtures.

If you would like to share your thoughts with the work group a questionnaire/response form is available here: PDF version | HTML version

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