Communion Time Questions

[Neto]

What type of questions are you asked before communion service?

[NOTE: This is NOT a thread for people to discuss or argue about who should be welcome to commune - just anyone who happens to come in, or members only, etc. That dead horse has already been dug back up multiple times to be beaten all over again.

Basically, if your congregation asks no questions at all, then please do not respond, unless you can theoretically place yourself into that sort of setting, without resentment.]

We used to file through a room where the ministers sat, but the congregation has become too large for that, so now we fill out a written questionnaire during the Preparatory service. I assume that the ministers will then (before the communion service) contact anyone whose answers are 'alarming' in any way.

The questions:
... peace with God and man?

... living in purity and in victory?

I do purpose to be loyal, faithful, and obedient to my commitment I have made to God and the church?

... desire and plan to commune?

Name _________________________

How would you understand each of the first two?
What is peace with man, in your understanding? What if you have found out that someone is holding a grudge against you, something you have tried to resolve, but have not yet been successful in doing so?

How can anyone claim to be living in purity and in victory? (Can you tell I do not consider myself to be perfect in every way?)

[Heirbyadoption]

My congregation's Lovefeast weekend (an annual 2 day meeting each of our congregations holds, and which also encapsulates our communion service) is coming up in 3 weeks. Our practice is to send the deacons (and sometimes ministers with them) out in pairs to each home in the district on a Friday or Saturday a couple weeks before communion to meet with each of the members and inquire after their spiritual health (along with a couple of specific question) and any suggestions/admonitions they might have to offer the congregation for consideration. There are always a few who can't make that day, and we try to catch up with them in the week before, preferably (though not always) in person. Some congregations also take up an offering at this time from any who wish to give. We then have what we call a Visit Council (or Preparatory Council) with the whole congregation the next Saturday (roughly 2 weeks before the weekend meeting), to consider anything that needs attention and pass out jobs for Lovefeast weekend (ushers, grocery committee, foot tub carriers for the footwashing service, table waiters, clean up duties, etc, etc).

As one of the deacons in our congregation, I get the privilege of going out on The Visit this year (next Friday, actually), so this is fresh on my mind. To the OP, after some informal conversation (and/or lunch, if that particular home is the one we are scheduled to visit over that time of day), we generally have a short time of devotions (reading scripture together, discussion, prayer), then one or the other of the Visiting brethren asks each of the members present 3 questions, and they are more or less the same questions we have asked for the last 200 hundred years or so (and they are also pretty much the same conference-wide among our congregations):

Question #1: Are you still of the same mind as when you were received into the church by your baptism?
Question #2: Are you still willing to receive and give counsel according to gospel order?
Question #3: Are you living, as much as possible, in peace and union with your fellow members, so far as you know?

After all three questions are answered in the affirmative, the members are all given opportunity to express themselves and suggest any encouragement, concerns, or admonitions for the congregation. Having said that, nothing is accepted which might be of a personal nature until the steps of Matthew 18:15-16 have been exercised to the best of their ability. And then one of the Visiting brethren or one of the brethren who lives in the home closes our time together with prayer again, and off we go to the next place. Our instructions (as the Visiting brothers) are recorded in our Faith & Practice booklet as follows: "The annual Visit is intended to be a time of sincere reflection, encouraging affirmation, and divine blessing. The visiting brethren should also be alert to any spiritual or natural needs on the part of those being visited, and be diligent in providing for a loving response. A sincere effort should be made to provide an atmosphere of spiritual interest and concern, accompanied with the sharing of Scripture and with prayer."

[MaxPC]

FWIW, I admire this approach. I think it is a stellar act of charity for both the church and the believers.

[Josh]

Before Communion, we have a week or two of revival meetings. (These used to be 2+ weeks and took the form of protracted meetings; nowadays they are typically 10 days in length and the evening meetings are kept to 1-2 hours max.)

During this time, it is expected each member (or pair of married couple members) will meet with at least 1 of the revival preachers (usually both of them) plus one of the local deacons or ministers. This typically is at a mealtime (which takes care of 30 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for the visiting revival preachers for the aforementioned 10 day period), but could also be non-mealtimes too. This is basically the bulk of what the revival preachers spend their time doing during the day.

Some of the evening meetings will be preaching services, but others will be "self expression", where each member gets up and talks for 1 - 5 minutes about their current Christian life. This could be positive, neutral, or negative. Everyone is strongly encouraged to share, although participation may be 99%, not 100%.

Towards the end, the ministers announce if they feel comfortable moving forward to communion and then the congregation will take a vote on if they feel comfortable too. If they do, then a "counsel meeting" is held, and each person announces if they feel at peace with God and man, if they love the church and her doctrines, and if they desire to go forward with communion. If some unresolved issue is pending in one's mind (perhaps a conflict with a worldly person that you can't get ahold of, or that doesn't want to resolve things with you), or perhaps a minor sin issue (perhaps you got upset at some stranger that morning and thought unkind thoughts about the), then you would add "on the basis of reconciliation" at the end.

Given the amount of personal and corporate preparation involved, plus the amount of commitment needed from the visiting revival preachers, it should be apparent why this only happens once per year.

Afterwards, if the congregation feels a need, they may proceed with an election and then possibly an ordination.

[Neto]

... 3 questions...:

Question #1: Are you still of the same mind as when you were received into the church by your baptism?
Question #2: Are you still willing to receive and give counsel according to gospel order?
Question #3: Are you living, as much as possible, in peace and union with your fellow members, so far as you know?

....

Regarding the third question, do you think it was worded in this way to focus only on one's fellow members? I'm not being critical, but the thing that had me anguishing for several days is a conflict that has only very recently come to our attention, hard feelings toward us that go back more than 20 years. This is someone outside of our congregation, but also believers. I finally decided I would just write it out in my response, that I have complete peace with everyone in our congregation to the furtherest of my knowledge, but am not "at peace" with some other people. (If you look back at our own congregation's question, it doesn't even specify if 'man' refers to believers, or also includes non-believers.) I expected to receive a call from one of our preachers, but didn't. I prayed for some revelation from God, but the only 'word' I got was that after writing that out honestly and submitting it, I felt more at peace about it than I had for many days. (We have been interacting with those concerned ever since they voiced this complaint.)

[steve-in-kville]

Question #1: Are you still of the same mind as when you were received into the church by your baptism?
Question #2: Are you still willing to receive and give counsel according to gospel order?
Question #3: Are you living, as much as possible, in peace and union with your fellow members, so far as you know?

We call them spring deacon visits. They are to take place before spring counsel so the deacons can give a report during counsel meeting. Our current church doesn't do them in the spring anymore, but allow the deacons all year to do the visits.

[Heirbyadoption]

... 3 questions...:

Question #1: Are you still of the same mind as when you were received into the church by your baptism?
Question #2: Are you still willing to receive and give counsel according to gospel order?
Question #3: Are you living, as much as possible, in peace and union with your fellow members, so far as you know?

....

Regarding the third question, do you think it was worded in this way to focus only on one's fellow members? I'm not being critical, but the thing that had me anguishing for several days is a conflict that has only very recently come to our attention, hard feelings toward us that go back more than 20 years. This is someone outside of our congregation, but also believers. I finally decided I would just write it out in my response, that I have complete peace with everyone in our congregation to the furtherest of my knowledge, but am not "at peace" with some other people. (If you look back at our own congregation's question, it doesn't even specify if 'man' refers to believers, or also includes non-believers.) I expected to receive a call from one of our preachers, but didn't. I prayed for some revelation from God, but the only 'word' I got was that after writing that out honestly and submitting it, I felt more at peace about it than I had for many days. (We have been interacting with those concerned ever since they voiced this complaint.)

It's a valid question (yours, that is, lol). Part of the wording is a hold-over from our previous conference and the multi-century perpetuation of the exact same question, along with an emphasis upon one's fellow members only. We never actually held an OTC position like the Holdemans, but there was certainly some historical resemblance..."). It's also tied to the fact that we still practice close communion (members of our conference only) at this point.

Having said all that, we actually do make a distinct point to specifically address that aspect of question 3 on our Annual Visit with each member, as our group tends to be significantly more open to fellowshipping and interacting with other likeminded believers than we were historically (when we were part of the larger conference we developed from 15 years ago). The thought is that the need for peace between Christians begins first and foremost with those closest to home (ie. our fellow members), but that it does indeed extend beyond our membership to other believers in other fellowships, and even nonbelievers if there's a conflict where the individual being Visited has not exhausted their own effort to make peace (ie. "as much as lies within you...").

[steve-in-kville]

One fellowship we were part of used the spring deacon visit to nitpick members about minor trivial issues that took place in the last 12 months. Typically instead of sending two deacons (which was common), It'll be a deacon and a minister. And they literally pull a notebook out of their pocket with all their beefs.

[Judas Maccabeus]

One fellowship we were part of used the spring deacon visit to nitpick members about minor trivial issues that took place in the last 12 months. Typically instead of sending two deacons (which was common), It'll be a deacon and a minister. And they literally pull a notebook out of their pocket with all their beefs.

I hope that was not a congregation from the same conference that I am currently part of. I would be making those visits, and have never been asked to, or seen anything like that. We ask a few questions:

1. Can you confess peace with God?

2. Can you confess peace with the brotherhood and with all men as far as it depends on you?

3. Do you have a desire for communion?

4. Do you plan to be present for the communion service on the evening of October 1st?

5. Are you in harmony with the Mennonite Confession of Faith and willing by the grace of God to support the Church and to live in obedience to the Word of God?

6. List texts or subjects you would suggest for use in future sermons.

7. Please share any comments, concerns, counsel or testimony.

I has been done in writing and orally at a service.

Is your experience different?

[steve-in-kville]

I hope that was not a congregation from the same conference that I am currently part of. I would be making those visits, and have never been asked to, or seen anything like that. We ask a few questions:

Nope. You're safe this time