What is it?

“Close Communion” is the Biblical teaching that says only Christians who are completely united in what they believe should receive the Lord’s Supper together.  We honor that practice of the Bible by asking that only communicant members of Good Shepherd and communicant members of congregations in doctrinal agreement with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) receive the Lord’s Supper at our altar.

Why have it?

When we receive the Lord’s Supper, we not only receive a most personal assurance of the forgiveness of our sins, we also express something.  Our Lord tells us that partaking of the Lord’s Supper is an expression of unity.  “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.”  (1 Corinthians 10:17)

Whenever we commune with others we are saying that we are united with them in what we believe.

How do we know what someone believes?

Jesus said, “Thus by their fruit you will recognize them.”  (Matthew 7:20)  Jesus warns his people to avoid any attempt to judge someone’s faith.  Instead, Jesus does encourage his people to look at what people say and do (their confession or their “fruits”) to see if unity in faith exists.

Since not every Christian church (and not even every Lutheran church) has the same teachings, as a Christian you may have a different set of beliefs than we do.  If that is the case we should not say we enjoy a unity of faith by receiving the Lord ’s Supper together.

At Good Shepherd we make it possible for you to see what we believe and confess by offering such information in an Adult Bible Information Class.

Is church membership part of one’s confession?

Church membership ought to reflect a person’s agreement with everything that his church teaches.  The early Christians joined together and communed together because they all believed the same thing.  “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”  (Acts 2:42)

 When such unity and fellowship do not exist, the Lord urges: “Come out from them and be separate.”  (2 Corinthians 6:17)

What does attendance at the Lord’s Supper show?

 “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”  (1 Corinthians 11:26)  Our attendance at the Lord’s Supper with others shows a united trust in and a joint proclamation of the fact that Jesus died to save the world from sin for heaven. We show and proclaim this together because we are united in the same faith. 

If we are not so united, we should not say so by communing together.