Occasionally people ask my opinion on various personal or church issues. I recently received the following question which I have reprinted below, followed by my response.
QUESTION
Bob,
We have always had men serving communion at our church. Recently we had a couple of women volunteer to serve communion. I’m sure it’s probably an old question, but I’m just curious how you would respond to these women.
MY ANSWER
There’s a good slogan in the Christian Church that says, “We speak where the Bible speaks and are silent where the Bible is silent.” Although the Bible says women in the church are not to assume authority over a man (1 Timothy 2:12) and the church elders are to be husbands (1 Timothy 3:2), the Bible gives no specifics about who is to pass the communion trays.
Therefore I regard women serving communion as a matter of opinion.
There’s another slogan that includes the phrase, ”In opinion, liberty.” When church leaders take a position on non-Biblical issues, I think it’s wise for them to make it clear to the congregation they are dealing with a church tradition and not a Biblical doctrine. Church leaders make a mistake when they make no decision or fail to communicate their position clearly. Silence and ambiguity breed gossip and division.
Two decades ago, the church elders where I served as pastor debated about asking women to assist in serving communion. The leaders discussed it in an elders’ meeting and determined it was a matter of opinion, and regardless of how it was decided, we would all stand united. Before we voted on what our stance would be, one elder said, “Last Sunday I sat behind a single mother with a young son about seven years of age sitting with her. When the communion servers came forward, I overheard the boy whisper, “Mom! Look at all the dads who are here!”
After hearing that story, the Southeast Christian Church elders voted to continue having only men serve communion and inform the congregation as to why. The responses of the women were 99% favorable. Many said, “We have plenty of areas to serve…that’s one area where the men need to step up to the plate.”
In our situation, having men pass the communion trays served to visually communicate to visitors that we hadn’t bowed to the pressures of the politically correct culture, and we were unapologetically led by Godly men/elders. Since retiring, I visit many churches (Including New Day Christian in Port Charlotte, Fla. where my son Rusty preaches) where both men and women serve communion with little controversy. It’s one of many areas where we can practice the slogan, “In doctrine, unity; in opinion, liberty; in all things, charity.”
– Bob
.
Follow BobRussellKY on Twitter and LIKE the Bob Russell page on Facebook
