How to Serve Communion

Christians of all denominations have been sharing communion for over 2000 years . The sacrament serves as a reminder of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, through the sharing of bread and wine or juice. Christ himself drank the wine and ate the bread at his final meal and commanded Christians to do likewise, on a regular basis. Communion is also known as the Eucharist, or the Lord's Supper.

Prepare the table. There are a variety of different ways to practice communion. If your church is affiliated with a denomination, there is probably an official way to share communion with the congregation. If there are no specific guidelines, simply place the bread and the wine on the table. The wine can either be poured into separate tiny glasses, or left in the chalice. Similarly, the bread can be divided into small portions, or just left as a loaf.

Read passages out loud from the Bible that talk about communion. This is generally done at the end of the church service. Tell the congregation that they will be participating in communion and start reading the Scripture. Common communion passages are Luke 22:14-20 and 1 Corinthians 11:26-28.

Invite anyone to the communion table who wishes to partake. If your church belongs to a specific religious background, there may be guidelines concerning who is allowed to take communion. If not, simply invite anyone who has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior.

Hand out the bread and the wine at the communion table. Tell the people that the bread is Christ's body, which He gave for them. Then, tell them that the wine is Christ's blood, which was shed for their sins.

Clean up the communion table. Some denominations believe that the preacher should finish the remaining wine. Following all guidelines set out by your denomination, put away the communion table and finish the service