Weekly Communion and Congregational Autonomy
As taught in the Restorationist / Churches of Christ tradition
How the Stone-Campbell plea links the weekly Lord's table to self-governing local churches
The Restorationist tradition that grew out of the Stone-Campbell Movement is often introduced through its plea for Christian unity and its theology of baptism. Less frequently explained, yet just as defining for its weekly life, are two convictions that hang together: that the Lord's Supper belongs on the table every Lord's Day, and that each local congregation governs itself directly under Christ and the New Testament, without a wider denominational authority above it. For the heirs of Barton Stone, Thomas Campbell, and Alexander Campbell, these are not two unrelated customs. They are two consequences of the same governing rule, that the church should be ordered by what the New Testament expressly teaches or shows by apostolic example, and left free where Scripture is silent.
By the end of this lesson
- Explain how the Stone-Campbell rule of acting on what is taught 'in express terms or by approved precedent' grounds both weekly communion and congregational autonomy.
- Trace the doctrine of congregational self-government to the Last Will and Testament of the Springfield Presbytery and the Declaration and Address.
- Summarize the exegetical reading of Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 that supports weekly observance of the Lord's Supper.
- Distinguish the Restorationist memorial-and-frequency emphasis on the Supper from real-presence and presbyterian or episcopal positions, naming each fairly.
- Identify the distinction between matters of faith, approved precedent, and expediency, and how it has both unified and divided the movement.
Scripture
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