Ex-Church of Christ Support Board

Anyone with 'one cup' experience- is communion "open" or "closed"- meaning if a visitor comes, and they don't know anything about him, will he be offered/allowed communion?

Jack1 wrote:Anyone with 'one cup' experience- is communion "open" or "closed"- meaning if a visitor comes, and they don't know anything about him, will he be offered/allowed communion?

From what I observed and heard about other congregations among them they are open communion.

I was on a short trip with my parents recently over a weekend. We had to attend services of course, and I didn't want to create a conflict so I went along with finding the nearest mainline COC...however, after some internet research I figured out a One Cup church was actually closer. I was really tempted to point us in that direction just for the experience, and the knowledge that it would have made my parents very uncomfortable.

You are not suppose to take communion if you are not a member of the one cup church, but they don't stop anyone from taking communion. The cup and loaf are passed around the whole church, pew by pew. You either take some or just pass it on. I believe someone says before communion who can take it.

Has anyone ever witnessed or even heard about someone being told not to take communion or prevented from doing so? Either in a one-cup or mini-cups church? I know the CofC theoretically has "closed" communion, but has anyone ever seen it enforced?

I always thought it was odd how they insist on 100 percent agreement in doctrine yet have open communion. That's why the denominations that have close communion have it set up like that, you have to be one of them and/or at least be in harmony with their doctrine to commune.

My only experience with a local one-cup congregation is that they pretty much policed the Lawd's Supper - they had a very small membership roll, and essentially knew who had or hadn't been dipped. They also quizzed any of their (very few) stray visitors they didn't know personally as to their membership status elsewhere, so there wasn't any real question of an open communion with this group.

THe one I went to let me take communion and I was a member of a mainline church at the time. There are apparently differences between them on this.

NeverAgain wrote:Has anyone ever witnessed or even heard about someone being told not to take communion or prevented from doing so? Either in a one-cup or mini-cups church? I know the CofC theoretically has "closed" communion, but has anyone ever seen it enforced?

I have seen some of the men take a "non-Christian" aside after witnessing him take communion and counsel him that he should not in the future, because, of course, he'd be eating and drinking damnation to his soul.

NeverAgain wrote:I know the CofC theoretically has "closed" communion, but has anyone ever seen it enforced?

Fellow Traveler wrote:I always thought it was odd how they insist on 100 percent agreement in doctrine yet have open communion.

So which is it? Does the COC practice open or closed communion?

Lev