When I was around twelve, I got swept up into a “Men’s Leadership” class at my suburban Detroit congregation. The class intended to prepare a new generation of young men to be able to lead in the worship assembly.
The problem was that we never learned how actually to lead anything.
We learned how to dress when called upon to serve. We learned what place on the front row to sit in, when to stand, and how many communion trays to take for our position. We learned to make sure our shirts were tucked in and our pants zipped before stepping up to lead a prayer. We learned how to hold doors and pass out bulletins as ushers.
We learned all the physical duties associated with leading, but nothing about how to lead. Consequently, when the call came asking me to lead a communion devotional a few years later…I was terrified and unprepared.
Today, as a church leader in the post-COVID era, not much of the pomp and circumstance I was taught remains. There is no need for a processional of servers when each person can just grab a “rip n’ sip” communion packet on their way to their seat. The atmosphere at our church is familial, comfortable, and relaxed.
Even so, we face the same old problem: people being asked to lead the congregation into a deep and meaningful celebration together at God’s table who have had no real training on how to do that. So, we decided to do what “worked so well” years ago when I was a kid. We had a class!
“We face the same old problem: people being asked to lead the congregation into a deep and meaningful celebration together at God’s table who have had no real training on how to do that.”
We did make one minor adjustment, though. Our class focused on how to lead people into the presence of God using Scripture as a guide, rather than on where to stand and what to wear. I will be the first to tell you that our class wasn’t perfect, but it was practical.
We found that people really desired a framework for talking about communion that got them away from telling a quick story or joke, and then leading a short prayer. They wanted us to help them draw people toward God’s holiness and the body’s community during that moment.
To prep for the class, we wanted to make a simple tool that could help people of all walks of life quickly find a scriptural starting point for a communion devotional. Leaning into some excellent articles by Nate Holdrige (NateHoldridge.com) and Jim Frech (Renew.org), we put together a one-page, two-sided, easy-to-follow infographic.
“They wanted us to help them draw people toward God’s holiness and the body’s community during that moment.”
The first side features a semicircle with six distinct purposes for communion and supporting verses. You can easily grab one of those purposes, read the associated scriptures, add a comment or two, and have a basic Bible-based communion talk.
The second side mirrors the format of the front but gives six simple guidelines for developing the talk. Guidelines such as “keep it grateful,” “keep it basic,” and “keep it biblical” can help to focus the lesson on what matters the most. Our members loved this tool, and some even took it home and studied through it as a family.
Let’s be honest, there is no perfect communion talk. As humans, we are messy people. But as our culture pushes more toward the impromptu, casual, and even cavalier, leaders may need to encourage people to put some time into going back to Scripture and bringing some reverence to a very sacred moment.
“As our culture pushes more toward the impromptu, casual, and even cavalier, leaders may need to encourage people to put some time into going back to Scripture and bringing some reverence to a very sacred moment.”
I hope that this tool will encourage your church as it has mine. I hope that something we built may benefit others. I hope that your communion meals will be feasts at God’s heavenly banquet table of grace. And who really cares if your shirt is tucked in or not?
One Response
Thanks for this, Brian. The graphic is very helpful.