Das „Stiefkind unseres Gemeindelebens“?

Zur Abendmahlsfeier im deutschen Baptismus

Abstract

In the history of the German Baptist churches the problematical question of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper has been repeatedly thematised. Matters such as frequency, pre-conditions for participation, integration with other churches in worship services, procedures and form of the celebration have been considered. Even the meaning of the Lord’s Supper was disputed and explanations often took the form of disaffirmation of rejected understandings (such as trans- and consubstantiation etc.). During this history, the practice of fellowship meals as a supplement to the Lord’s Supper was established. The author shows important lines and developments of this discussion, taking into account areas such as ecclesiology, liturgy, and pastoral care. He depicts the current practice and gives a variety of suggestions on the implementation and forms of celebrating the Lord’s Supper, which use, in part, the procedures developed by the Regional Churches in Germany.