I want to be careful, before I say more, that this is one of those probably issues rather than a definitely one. I also want to say this is largely a prudential case I am going to make, not a matter of necessity. I think there is enough wiggle room in the biblical data to say that what I am going to argue for here is not a matter of biblical mandate, it is certainly not so biblically clear we can demand it, and I think there is room for doing things differently. I have happily belonged to churches that did what I am going to suggest and I have happily belonged to churches that did other. So, before I say anymore, on this issue: let each be convinced in his own mind.

With that said, let me explain why I prefer weekly communion.

The early church majored on it

We may be going beyond the text to insist that the early church had weekly communion. I’m not convinced the text quite says that. But there is no denying the early church majored on communion. In Acts 2:42, we are told of four things they specifically focused on as the core essence of what it means to be a church: ‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.’ You can read here for why we should take ‘breaking of bread’ here to specifically mean communion. Whatever else we takes Acts 2:42 to be saying, evidently communion was a core part of their gathering, part of their formal coming together as a church. It strikes me that if this was a core and central practice for the early church – along with things like preaching and praying – it should rightly be a core and central practice for us.

Early historical practice was weekly

In the 1st century, the church produced a manual on Christian practice called the Didache. Whilst the scripture itself doesn’t directly affirm weekly communion, the Didache overtly does. It states:

On the day which is the Day of the Lord, gather together for the breaking of the loaf [Lord’s Supper] and giving thanks. (Didache 14.1)

The Day of the Lord is understood to mean Sunday and to be the weekly gathering of God’s people.

The Didache says this weekly gathering should include the Lord’s Supper, which is consonant with the Early Church practice we read in Acts 2 and would accord with what we read of church practice elsewhere in scripture. This practice is also reflected in the writings of the early church fathers between 1st and the 4th centuries.

What communion is doing

As we read the rest of scripture, passages that address the Lord’s Supper outline what it is supposed to be doing. The institution of the Lord’s Supper by Jesus, also picked up by Paul in 1 Corinthians, makes clear that we are remembering the Lord’s death until he comes. if anything is core to our identity as Christians, it is surely this. What are we if not united to Christ by faith and have become God’s people through his death and resurrection? If football fans sing the national anthem at every game – every time they gather – to represent who they are, one would imagine Christians would want to do something similar whenever they gather as God’s people.

Further, it becomes apparent are we read 1 Corinthians – not only the section of chapter 11 on the Lord’s Supper directly – that belonging is important. Indeed, it is important for churches to determine who belongs and who does not. The means we have been given by Jesus for doing this are baptism and communion. Baptism is a one-time affirmation of belonging by the church whilst communion is our ongoing affirmation of belonging. We give communion to those who belong and we withhold it from those who do not. It is an ongoing affirmation for believers that the church continues to recognise them as walking with Jesus when we receive communion. On that basis, it seems good to offer that weekly re-affirmation.

The benefits it brings

There are a number of benefits to weekly communion that may be lost when we do it less frequently. In no particular order, some of these things are:

1. Assurance offered to members of their ongoing standing
2. Overt clarity that there are those who do not belong present in the room who need the gospel
3. Weekly opportunity to raise and address matters of membership i.e. if you do not yet belong and cannot partake, perhaps speak to one of the elders about joining…
4. Imbues membership with tangible benefits that make it both attractive and meaningful for prospective members
5. Beyond teaching, it tangibly reinforces the benefits that are ours in Christ

Some of these things may be made clear if and when communion is taken less frequently. But a weekly pointer to these things (in my experience) causes more people to ask specifically about membership and creates opportunities both for the gospel and for building up the church.