Guide to At-Home Communion

Sample of a communion set prepared at home a for items already in the house, set apart for online worship.

As the stay-at-home orders  extend around the U.S. as a result of COVID-19 quarantines, and Christ-following churches adapt how Services of Worship are conducted,  among the adjustments to be made are rites commanded by Scripture, notably,  baptism and The Lord's Supper.

While the procedures connected with the above may be familiar to you, in the online community, these days pastors will encounter many variables in the process:

1. Countless people viewing will encounter Communion for the first time, but many with no prior knowledge except what they have heard. 
2. Many who know of and have participated in Communion will have different backgrounds regarding terminology, history or distribution of the elements. For example, is there a difference between "Communion," "The Lord's Supper," and "The Eucharist"?  Inquisitive viewers want to know.
3. Even the most versed, dedicated Christ-follower who partakes in Communion is likely to have concerns about conducting Communion at home.

These three matters are complicated by the fact that, because of the abruptness of transitions of the at-home church as a result of COVID_19, THIS Communion Sunday -- April 5, 2020 -- has crept upon us.  And, to spin the communion plates faster, take a moment to realize that THIS Communion Sunday is Palm Sunday denoting the start of Holy Week.

A Pastor Prepares

Before COVID stay-at-home restrictions, churches were planning  celebrations and reflections on Holy Week that may have included musical pageants, concerts or other artistic events.  Likely that would have included a hunt for palm branches for April 5.  Whether performing or not, it's likely the Holy Week benchmarks -- Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Resurrection  (Easter) Sunday -- would include The Lord's Supper.

Given the current circumstances, then, the challenge is:

"How does a pastor or family conduct communion at-home during an online experience taking into account the variables of diverse backgrounds, methods of partaking, intimacy at home, and Palm Sunday?"

Here are some ideas based upon a study by Darryl Jenkins, pastor of Faith Community Church in Itasca, IL,  plus our Kingdom Impact Theater Ministries experience serving and planning in-church communion services.  Pastor Jenkins recently presented his instructions in a Zoom webinar about Communion  for his congregation.  In addition to the content of the study, the 90-minute session is worth viewing as an example of how to conduct interactive worship and teaching online.

The following  are steps of preparation for Sunday and beyond.

A congregational prayer for Communion shared in the online Webinar, Faith Community Church, Itasca, IL.

1. Inform the Congregation Before Sunday

A benefit of not meeting in the building is the opportunity to enlist volunteers across your demographics.  Recruiting an on-going communications team is among them.  Recruit volunteers to do the following, which can also be training for potential virtual employment later on.

• Use multiple communication channels -- email, text, newsletter, social media, phone calls. video -- to tell the congregation you will be celebrating The Lord's Supper (or your Communion term) this weekend .  
• Establish a team to make these reminders, whether it's other staff, small group leaders, a media team, or other volunteers.  Such a team may be a good place to engage newer member or recent attendees in your congregation. 
• Include a script, or checklist of the information to be included in the communication.

2. Assemble the Elements

Regular church attendees may expect that providing Communion representative wine and bread elements is the duty of the pastor, deacons, designated shepherds, etc.  Now, it's the family's responsibility to prepare and serve.  Let the family know what needs to be gathered, and at the Communion ("kitchen") table before Palm Sunday, and BEFORE the service begins, just as you would have the elements pre-set in the building.

• Purchase, or pull out the representative unleavened bread: crackers, toast, wafers, etc.
• Assemble the representative wine: juice, water, wine (be clear about the purpose and restrictions of actual wine).
• Once assembled, place the elements where people at home will sit, or designate who will serve as the online communion leader directs.

Samples of guidelines for Communion at-home.

Video Training

3. Establish the Atmosphere

Pastor Jenkins asserts that the most essential part of The Lord's Supper is establishing an atmosphere of reverence.   This is certainly true in the sanctuary of the building, but more essential when in the home where a sanctuary of reverence must be created.   

Preparing to take the elements is a teaching moment for Believers and non-believers to understand how order in church and order at home are essential and related.  As the pastor at church leads the congregation, the head of the house is the pastor at home. 

Remind the viewers to establish an atmosphere of reverence by coming to the table as if coming to the church building.  Dress for church, sit with upright posture, anticipating the presence of God. State this in your pre-Sunday communication, and then...

1. Reinforce the atmosphere of assembling at the table when you go on-screen on Palm Sunday, at the beginning of service, or as part of the prelude during the countdown. 
2. If your service is live and interactive, meaning people can be seen on-screen (e.g., on a Zoom video chatroom), make sure the background or other content doesn't distract.
3. Have your Bibles or Bible apps open and ready. If you have a preferred Bible translation or Bible app, make certain to mention this to avoid confusion, especially for newcomers.

Having the Bible ready is a teaching moment to let everyone discover, or remember, that this is an ordinance of God. 

4. Conducting the Dinner

If you traditionally hold communion as part of Maundy Thursday or Good Friday services, yet, you're not planning to conduct video or online services, use Palm Sunday to teach the families how to hold The Lord's Supper at home by modeling how the dinner is conducted.

1. ​ Besides having the elements in place, make certain the pertinent Bible passages are noted for the viewers to use later.
2. Be sure it's clear what "commune" and "the Lord's Supper" and "The Last Supper" mean.
3. Emphasize that even though the Lord's Supper is a memorial, it is also a celebration.

In an upcoming article, we will outline some specifics about how a family may conduct The Lord's Supper without the pastor or streaming devices.

Read these in remembrance.

The Conclusion of the Matter

In his teaching, Pastor Jenkins asked his congregants to look at the word "communion" and to consider its base language roots.  Among the language root is "community."

So, imagine this Triumphal Entry on Sunday morning:  although millions are isolated from each other because of stay-at-home edicts, and there are no green branches or construction paper to be waved, envision millions more...perhaps, billions...simultaneously breaking bread and uplifting cups in the global, albeit virtual, community of one Lord, one faith, one baptism...and hear collective, "Hosanna! Save us, King Jesus!"

Then uplift your hands for a true Palm Sunday.