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15-June-1998 
GA98036 
 
    Theological Issues And Institutions Takes Up 
    Lay Communion  And Baptism 
 
    by Allison Politinsky 
 
CHARLOTTE, N.C.--The Assembly Committee on Theological Issues and 
Institutions debated two significant pieces of theological policy during 
the first of the group's meetings for the 210th General Assembly. The 
committee referred to the plenary a resolution to allow ordained lay 
leaders to give communion to shut-ins. Committee members also tackled the 
question of  whether baptism should be required in order to take communion. 
    Discussions were heated on both issues. During the open hearing on the 
issue of requiring baptism for communion, pastors and commissioners debated 
the implications of changing the requirement to allow "all people of faith" 
to participate in the Sacrament. 
    Several spoke out affirming that opening the communion table to all 
people of faith would "promote evangelism and reconciliation."  "Communion 
is to affirm faith not to evangelize," according to James Harper, pastor of 
First Presbyterian in Hanford, Calif.  Some expressed discomfort with the 
ambiguity of the term "people of faith." One speaker said he has "faith" 
the light switch will come on, but that is not the same as faith in Jesus 
Christ. 
    Others were worried that excluding family members from Christ's table 
would cause unnecessary strain in the congregation. Christ's table was open 
to all people sinners and believers alike, they said. 
    "There could be significant implications of this issue on new 
agreements with other churches such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of 
America and the Reformed Church of America," said Paul E. Detterman, 
Associate for Worship in the Office of Theology and Worship...Let's allow 
the process to work through and be closely examined. We need to find out 
where the threads we are tugging on are connected...We have the 
responsibility to study the questions of the interweaving of this into the 
fabric of the constitutionality and other places as well." 
    The issue was sent to the Committee on Theology and Worship to conduct 
a study and give a response in two years to the 212th General Assembly. 
    Another issue tackled by the committee was whether to approve ordained 
lay persons in the church to take Holy Communion to homebound members of 
the congregation. John Nelson of First Presbyterian Church in Sapulpa, 
Okla. said preventing lay leadership from serving communion to the 
homebound makes no sense. "They already take it to the nursery down the 
hall so I don't see the difference," he said. 
    The resolution was passed with a change in wording to ensure that it 
was the responsibility of the congregation to offer communion to the 
homebound, not the responsibility of the individual to ask the congregation 
to come. 

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