Contents
CHILDREN AT THE LORD’S TABLE
What Parents Need to Know
- Communion: first Sunday of every month, 9:30 am.
- All children and families in worship for entire service (Family Sunday).
- Children are welcome to receive Communion and a blessing.
- If parents don’t want their children to take Communion the children are still invited to come forward for a blessing.
Trinity’s Position
At Trinity we believe all children are welcome at God’s table and are therefore invited to participate in Communion. While many churches have subscribed to the tradition of not allowing children to partake in Communion until they are confirmed, Trinity recognizes children as full members in the body of Christ. As full members of the body they are fully included in the Lord’s Supper.
The Denomination’s Position (RCA)
The following resources (all PDFs) address the theological and procedural questions concerNing baptized children participating in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
- We Come To Your Table: A Booklet for Families on the Sacrament of Communion
This booklet has been prepared as a resource for families. It may be used in preparing children for coming to the Lord’s Table for the first time. It is also to be used in continually nurturing children for meaningful life-long participation in the sacraments. (Originally printed 1991, updated 2012)
Baptized Children and the Lord’s Table: 1990
Baptized children are welcomed to the Lord’s Table because they are members of the church and thereby fitting recipients of the grace which God makes available to the covenant community through word and sacrament. In the Reformed tradition, baptism is regarded as a sign and seal of incorporation into the body of Christ. Children are to be baptized because they, no less than their parents, have been promised “the forgiveness of sins through Christ’s blood and the Holy Spirit who gives faith.” (Heidelberg Catechism, Question 74.) There are no second class citizens of the covenant community.
For More About Children Taking Communion
