How many protestant denominations use alter rails?

[Contarini]

My nephews go to a Lutheran pre school and I went to a little Christmas play they were in and noticed the alter rails in the Church and it got me thinking about just how many different Churches kneel and receive communion on the tongue.

-AJ

We have them. Most people stand to receive communion, but some kneel (I do both, on occasion).

Edwin

 

[ltwin]

Let me take this in a different direction for all the posters:
In evangelical and fundamentalist churches they have the “altar call” for people to come and pray or “get saved”. I’ve often called that the “Baptist Sacrament” . I personally have nothing against people coming forward for prayer during a service. The practice dates back to the Methodists.
But here is my question.
Does the evangelical “altar call” replace Catholic confession?

No. Evangelicals typically confess their sins directly to God in prayer and ask forgiveness. Of course, one can do that in church at an altar. Often in my church, people come to the altars during the singing portion of the service. I’ve done this while feeling conviction for sins many, many times in my life.

These are separate events from the altar call, which has an evangelistic purpose in reaching out to unconverted people. The altar call (if there is one) will usually take place after the preaching, when the unconverted have heard the Word preached and the Spirit is convicting them and drawing them forward to repentance.

 

[EvangelCatholic]

Many of us old time Lutherans remember when holy Communion was only distributed to those kneeling, the host was laid on our tongues and we never dared to touch the chalice. The pastor first communed all at the altar rail with the host and then came back around with the chalice. No one left the altar rail until all were communed, blessed by the pastor, we made the sign of the cross and bowed to the altar as we left. No one helped the pastor, there were no Eucharistic ministers, the acolytes either knelt at the altar or in some parishes preceded the pastor with paten-like device so that no particle of the host fell to the floor. The distribution of holy Communion easily took 30 minutes.

Once, I was taking communion with my mother when an old pastor was filling in at the parish and he lost track of what he was doing. He communed my mother with the chalice and immediately did it again. My mother could barely swallow two mouthfuls.

 

[JonNC]

Many of us old time Lutherans remember when holy Communion was only distributed to those kneeling, the host was laid on our tongues and we never dared to touch the chalice. The pastor first communed all at the altar rail with the host and then came back around with the chalice. No one left the altar rail until all were communed, blessed by the pastor, we made the sign of the cross and bowed to the altar as we left. No one helped the pastor, there were no Eucharistic ministers, the acolytes either knelt at the altar or in some parishes preceded the pastor with paten-like device so that no particle of the host fell to the floor. The distribution of holy Communion easily took 30 minutes.

Once, I was taking communion with my mother when an old pastor was filling in at the parish and he lost track of what he was doing. He communed my mother with the chalice and immediately did it again. My mother could barely swallow two mouthfuls.

The old parish I was raised in had no altar rails, so many received while standing - and always on the tongue. What we did have, however, was kneelers in the pews, so we always knelt during the Words of Institution.

Jon

 

[SteveVH]

My nephews go to a Lutheran pre school and I went to a little Christmas play they were in and noticed the alter rails in the Church and it got me thinking about just how many different Churches kneel and receive communion on the tongue.

-AJ

Anymore, unfortunately, there are few Catholic parishes that still use an altar rail. I have not been in one in the past 25 years.

 

[JonNC]

Anymore, unfortunately, there are few Catholic parishes that still use an altar rail. I have not been in one in the past 25 years.

Do most modern Catholic parishes still have kneelers in the pews?

Jon

 

[EvangelCatholic]

Do most modern Catholic parishes still have kneelers in the pews?

Jon

Yes, all Catholic churches have kneelers in the pews. Also many parishes have side altars or small chapels with kneelers. I also lament the practice of continuous communion with lines of communicants receiving holy Communion at different stations. For Lutherans in larger parishes, altar rails may rarely be used since holy Communion is distributed as it is in Roman Catholic churches and some Lutheran parishes don’t even have altar rails anymore.

 

[SteveVH]

Do most modern Catholic parishes still have kneelers in the pews?

Jon

Yes, most do. We kneel during the consecration of the Eucharist and after communion. But altar rails are the exception and not the rule, at least in the United States.

 

[JonNC]

Yes, all Catholic churches have kneelers in the pews. Also many parishes have side altars or small chapels with kneelers. I also lament the practice of continuous communion with lines of communicants receiving holy Communion at different stations. For Lutherans in larger parishes, altar rails may rarely be used since holy Communion is distributed as it is in Roman Catholic churches and some Lutheran parishes don’t even have altar rails anymore.

I attended a rather large Lutheran church near my son’s house, where they did that type of procession, the pastor distributing the host, and an assistant with the chalice. With no place to kneel , I simply bowed.

I find it funny that we Lutherans often follow the changes our Catholic siblings make in this regard. On the tongue then, now in the hand, etc.
Jon

 

[AJB328]

Thanks for all the replies. I can’t get over how strange it is that as Catholics we seem to have some of the most cavalier attitudes toward the Eucharist. Mind you I’m not saying on an individual basis, but to think the Catholic Church was once seen as the most formal of formal, reverential of reverential, etc and then to see how it swung so quickly to the opposite end of the spectrum.

 

[andrewstx]

When I was tiny I was taken by my Gramma to a Church of the Nazarene. They did not have communion rails but low benches at the front of the church they called “altars”. These benches were much too low to kneel at and so they kind of squatted around them.

The benches were used for “getting saved” and getting “sanctified”. I never did understand what getting sanctified was but I understand it is done in Holiness churches.

They did not have “altar calls” every time but at reevivals they would get very emotional and squat around them for what seemed like hours to a small boy. There were many tears shed and tissues consumed at those times.

 

[AbideWithMe]

When I was tiny I was taken by my Gramma to a Church of the Nazarene. They did not have communion rails but low benches at the front of the church they called “altars”. These benches were much too low to kneel at and so they kind of squatted around them.

The benches were used for “getting saved” and getting “sanctified”. I never did understand what getting sanctified was but I understand it is done in Holiness churches.

They did not have “altar calls” every time but at reevivals they would get very emotional and squat around them for what seemed like hours to a small boy. There were many tears shed and tissues consumed at those times.

The Church of the Nazarene buildings sometimes have altars and rails and sometimes don’t . In the Evangelical church I grew up in, and retain my membership in because I still go there when I can, we always go up and kneel at the altar rails for Communion, and it’s been like that since I was a child. The old building for that particular church is dated to about 1874, IIRC, but the new sanctuary is from the 1980 's and the Communion altar and rails were moved into the new addition.

As usual, Evangelicals have a variety of practices.

 

[skigirl1689]

I attended a rather large Lutheran church near my son’s house, where they did that type of procession, the pastor distributing the host, and an assistant with the chalice. With no place to kneel , I simply bowed.

I find it funny that we Lutherans often follow the changes our Catholic siblings make in this regard. On the tongue then, now in the hand, etc.
Jon

Reminds me when I first was confirmed and began taking Communion. I cannot physically take it myself, but my pastor at the time was pretty old school and would not let my mom (though everyone else received in the hand) take it in her hand and then place it on my tongue. We do individual cup so that was even a bigger issue due to his standing and me kneeling. After a few not so successful tries, he finally allowed my mom to “commune” me. But my pastor in college and every other pastor we’ve approached with my situation has been very accommodating.

Back to the topic, we do also use altar rails and except for confirmation, no one usually goes beyond the rails except if they are setting up the alter.

 

[ltwin]

When I was tiny I was taken by my Gramma to a Church of the Nazarene. They did not have communion rails but low benches at the front of the church they called “altars”. These benches were much too low to kneel at and so they kind of squatted around them.

Kind of like these:

http://www.wausauag.org/images/Church-Attendees.jpg

This is at an Assembly of God church in Florida. I think these are technically referred to as “mourner’s benches.” They go back to early American revivalism, and the idea was that penitents would sit on these benches at the front of the congregation while they prayed through their crises of faith.

The Nazarene Church in my home town has altar rails rather than benches. They serve the same purpose, so I think its more of an congregational preference for either one.

The benches were used for “getting saved” and getting “sanctified”. I never did understand what getting sanctified was but I understand it is done in Holiness churches.

In short, sanctification in holiness churches is an experience of deeper consecration to God. It’s somewhat analogous to the Pentecostal experience of baptism in the Holy Spirit, except holiness people do not believe or expect tongues to be a part of the experience.

 

[Cat]

I knew of a Baptist church once that bought an old church building (don’t know if it was Catholic or mainline Protestant), and had altar rails removed because kneeling was so…Catholic.

Let me take this in a different direction for all the posters:
In evangelical and fundamentalist churches they have the “altar call” for people to come and pray or “get saved”. I’ve often called that the “Baptist Sacrament” . I personally have nothing against people coming forward for prayer during a service. The practice dates back to the Methodists.
But here is my question.
Does the evangelical “altar call” replace Catholic confession?

That’s a really interesting question!

One thing that happens in a lot of Evangelical Protestant churches is an altar call to Christians to come forward and re-dedicate their lives. Generally, the response to this specific altar call is quite large; many dozens or even hundreds (depending on the size of the congregation) will come forward to repent of their sins and re-dedicate their lives to the Lord Jesus.

Many Evangelical Protestants, including me and my husband, can testify to responding to many altar calls to re-dedicate their lives to the Lord. This isn’t something that only happens once or twice in a lifetime.

Soooo…I think your question makes a lot of sense! Christians (those who are baptized) have the Holy Spirit prompting them to confess their sins and be absolved. Since most Protestant denominations do not practice any kind of “confession” sacrament, the altar call to re-dedicate their lives is perhaps the way that Evangelical Protestants handle this prompting of the Holy Spirit. Yes, it’s not the way that Jesus intended for Christians to confess their sins. But for those who are not Catholic, it demonstrates a desire to repent and faith in Jesus to forgive sins–it’s certainly better than harboring a hard heart and refusing to repent, and I’m hoping that the Lord will honor their intentions and forgive their sins.

Thanks for posting this question! It’s a great thought, and I’m looking forward to telling my husband about this.

 

[Cat]

I don’t want to derail the thread further. Some people do “church hop” for selfish reasons. But, based on what I’ve seen, heard, and read, often others do so because they’ve been hurt by a person(s) in a church and they find it too stressful to stay.

Other times families are trying desperately to keep their teenagers and children engaged in a church–any church–against the overwhelming present-day influence of popular media, so they look for a “high-stimulation” type of service.

I think both sorts of reasons are sad, but I’m not going to get on my high horse about it.

Absolutely! You are so right.

If you can find it online, there is a great book about people who have been hurt by churches. It’s called Exit Interviews by William Hendricks. Here’s the link: amazon.com/Exit-Interviews-Revealing-Stories-Leaving/dp/0802423183

I’ll warn you–the book is hard to read. I could only handle a chapter at a time, and then I had to put it aside for a few days. The stories are heartbreaking.

 

[MethodistEsq]

I’ll just pop in to point out that in my particular UMC establishment, we’ve always had altar rails which are used, among other things, for kneeling prayer immediately after the reception of Communion via intinction. Of course, if the other primary method of Communion is used, one is already at it and kneeling to receive the elements. The altar rail is also ‘open’, if you will, for prayer by the laity and clergy at any point, during a standard service. I’ve seen it done multiple times, often by the same people. Their reasons vary, but our clergy always make a point to try and pray with the individual in question.

I have not seen a UMC sanctuary configured for kneeling in the pews or for the serving of Communion in same, although I’m told other demoninations do one of, if not both of those.

Regarding what are the Mainline churches, I always wondered if the name might come from the Philadelphia Main Line communities, which are very wealthy, “old money” suburbs of Philadelphia. I figured I was probably wrong in speculating that way, but a few years ago I looked it up on the web and found a number of articles giving that as a viable theory to account for the origin of the name.

I’ve heard the Philadelphia explanation before myself; it sounds totally plausible. As for who counts, it’s my understanding that “mainline” applies primarily to the big American Protestant churches (minus the Southern Baptists), at least for some political science purposes.

In case I forget to say it anywhere else, merry Christmas.

 

[ltwin]

I’ve heard the Philadelphia explanation before myself; it sounds totally plausible. As for who counts, it’s my understanding that “mainline” applies primarily to the big American Protestant churches (minus the Southern Baptists), at least for some political science purposes

Yeah. In some ways, the boundary between mainline and non-mainline is quite arbitrary. One wonders why denominations like the Southern Baptist Convention and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (which are quite large and historical) were not considered mainline while similar denominations like the American Baptist Churches and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America were considered mainline. The only difference is that the former churches managed for the most part to resist theological modernism and resisted unguarded ecumenicism.