Welcome Communicants
A word of welcome to the newest members of our church.
This morning, we experience the joy of welcoming our newest communicant members into full membership in our church. For these children and their families, this momentous occasion culminates years of prayer and will stand as an Ebenezer for years to come. As we witness this moment, I want us to consider how we got here, and what comes next.
Non-Communing Members by Birth
Our church membership consists of “all those who make profession of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, together with their children” (BCO 2-1). The Book of Church Order goes on to clarify: “The children of believers are, through the covenant and by right of birth, non-communing members of the church. Hence they are entitled to Baptism, and to the pastoral oversight, instruction and government of the church, with a view to their embracing Christ and thus possessing personally all benefits of the covenant” (BCO 6-1). Scripture requires worthy partakers of the Lord’s Supper to “examine” themselves before eating and drinking (1 Corinthians 11:26), which we understand in include the capacity to understand the Gospel. Unless and until a child understands the gospel, accepts Christ personally, and confesses him before men (BCO 57-1), they are considered non-communicant members and kept from the Lord’s Supper. This restriction is not a punishment but a protection while they are nurtured and discipled under the care of the Church. It is one of our most fervent prayers as a church that each of our covenant children will experience the fruit of their baptism by believing the gospel and coming to the Lord’s Table.
Communing Members by Profession
“By virtue of being children of believing parents they are, because of God’s covenant ordinance, made members of the Church, but this is not sufficient to make them continue members of the Church” (BCO 56-4). At some point, our children must decide for themselves to obey the obligations of the covenant by repenting of their sin and believing the gospel. There is no set age in Scripture for this decision, which is why parents persist in praying with and for their children to this end. At CRPC, we bring interested communicants through a “Communicants Class” on the basics of the faith. Afterward, those who are interested meet with the Session to hear their profession of faith to grant admission to the Lord’s Table - this is always the scariest part for the kids! Once they have been granted admission by the elders, the communicants are presented to the church to make a public profession of faith in the presence of the congregation. As they affirm the five membership promises, they are publicly welcomed into full membership and communion with their church.
A Word to the Church
When our children received covenant baptism, you were asked the following question: “Do you as a congregation undertake the responsibility of assisting the parents in the Christian nurture of this child?” As a parent, thank you for keeping that promise! But let me beg you: do not stop now. This morning does not represent an arrival or a finish line, rather it serves as a signpost for a new kind of journey. As my children have grown, I have realized more and more the need for godly influences in their lives. We need the whole church to invest in the spiritual lives of our children. They need Sunday school teachers and assistants, youth leaders and chaperones, and even security volunteers to keep them safe. They need older women to be their prayer partners and older men to sit with them at Men’s Breakfast. They need you to seek them out by name after a worship service or send them a note of encouragement. And most of all they – and their parents - need your prayers. It truly takes a church to raise a Christian.
Join me today in welcoming these children and celebrating the faithfulness of our good Father to his covenant promises. And join me in looking to the future in hope as these new pilgrims join our caravan to the heavenly country and help us along the way.