Why only Communion once a month?

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Apryl

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As a Cradle Catholic, I was surprised when I realized that those that were not Catholic only had Communion once each month.

For many of these, they have Communion on the First Sunday.

Is there any reason for this? Why not more often? Why the first Sunday?

Do, tell!
 
Some only have it quarterly or less.

When you only think its a symbol, it’s not a big deal.
 
Many many protestants have communion more than once a month. All the churches, except my current church, that I attended had it weekly. I really hate that it’s not more often. Asking my Pastor, I was told that we are commanded to have it regularly and monthly is regularly. sigh I have never gotten any theological answer just those “because we’ve always done it that way” answers.

A search on Google gave me the same sort of answers:
www.elca.org:
As you probably know, back in the German background, once a month was pretty much enough. I went through that. And we then moved to holidays and special events and finally to two times a month. But when pastor’s Peterson came it was very clear that there was going to be communion every week. And that is what we do now. So it has become even more meaningful with that. 02:12:40 At first people said, That is too many communions. Because, again, being of the German background people wouldn’t even take it once a month. You would only take it a couple times a year. It was a heritage. In fact we always laughed, it used to be when I was a young man the people that were going to take communion would sit up front and the people that weren’t going to take communion would sit in the back. And when the time for the communion service came the back half would leave and the front half would stay. Because it wasn’t the thing to do to have communion every Sunday. But now it has been very well accepted.
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🤷 I don’t know how it goes back to being German but that is the most detailed answer I’ve seen yet.
 
The better question is “why every week” and the answer is “to make sure they keep coming back.”
 
water said:
and what is the main reason for making sure they come back?
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Clever. Either:

A. I make myself sound like a loony tune anti-catholic and start shouting “because the church wants to control your life” or…

B. I catch on to your implication that it is for our salvation and thus a very good thing.

Truth is communion every week is (relativly) recent. And quite frankly, to make it seem as if you need to every week really is a tool to make sure you attend service every week (which, as I understand, communion aside, missing a service except in situations of illness or other extreme circumstance is considered a mortal sin). As to whetherit’s because of the church caring for your spiritual well being, or for other, more earthly and less virtues reasons, well that’s highly subjective now isn’t it…?
 
I was raised in a Protestant church (Conference Baptist) that offered Communion once a month.

To us, the communion was a memorial service. It was not a happy time, it was a time to remember Jesus’s death, like the Bible says. IOW, like a funeral, even with the “pallbearers” staying in perfect step as they brought the matzo and grape juice down the aisle.

When you think about it, why would you want to go to funeral often? Not exactly a way to attract people to come to your church, especially when the “church down the road” was offering a rock concert, a Gospel singspiration, or a Top That Testimony Time.

I don’t mean this to sound harsh. It’s what I grew up with, everyone.
 
In the Christian Church of my childhood - the Lord’s Supper was done at every service. Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening - and if there were special services on other evenings, then too.

The non-denom and AofG churches of my teen/early adult years were once a month or once a quarter - except for one, they had the elements available in a little side room every Sunday for those who wanted to go in and help themselves 🤷
 
Syele said:
🤷 I don’t know how it goes back to being German but that is the most detailed answer I’ve seen yet.
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I wonder if it is because that Germany is where Luther was. Back in the day, Catholics did not commune weekly–even monthly was considered frequent. That’s why the rule was set about having to have communion at least once a year!

So, if I start a new church focused on sermons and I come from a background where even though the priest offered the sacrifice every week no one partook, it makes sense that the communion part of service only happen every month (or quarter or whatever) if that’s only as often as people are going to actually take communion.
 
do yourself a favor and don’t waste your time worrying about what false religions do. Instead work with those that are workable that you may bring them to the only true church of Christ which is ONE, HOLY, ROMAN, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC.:newidea:
 
richjaurigui said:
do yourself a favor and don’t waste your time worrying about what false religions do. Instead work with those that are workable that you may bring them to the only true church of Christ which is ONE, HOLY, ROMAN, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC.:newidea:
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You’re not being serious. I saw your post about “Lucifer/Martin Luther”
 
richjaurigui said:
do yourself a favor and don’t waste your time worrying about what false religions do. Instead work with those that are workable that you may bring them to the only true church of Christ which is ONE, HOLY, ROMAN, CATHOLIC, AND APOSTOLIC.:newidea:
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If all you can do is post a useless sarcastic comment then you shoudn’t post at all and you should perhaps spend your time by doing something more useful - such as prayer.
 
For those who read my last post in this thread (which I deleted)…I apologize. It’s more than 2 AM and I should be in bed instead of making stupid posts. :o
 
Frequency of Eucharist throughout history has an up-and-down history. As someone noted earlier, the Catholic Church finally had to mandate that people commune once a year; people were terrified of “taking the sacrament unworthily.”

In the Methodist tradition, despite the admonition from the Wesley’s that eucharist be celebrated “as often as possible,” it was celebrated only once a month for a very practical reason: there weren’t enough ordained folks to go around. Circuit rider presbyters would make the rounds, celebrate eucharist, and perform baptisms as needed; on most Sundays, lay leaders would preside over services of morning prayer and exposit upon the readings of the day.

Recently, in both Methodist and Episcopalian circles (more Episcopalian), frequence of eucharist has increased. Wesley’s sermon on the matter has become more instructive in recent years.
 
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