Journal: Emmaus Journal
Volume: EMJ 16:2 (Winter 2007)
Article: “The Remembrance Meeting” The Theology of the Lord’s Supper Among The Christian Brethren
Author: George Bristow

EMJ 16:2 (Winter 2007) p. 183

“The Remembrance Meeting”
The Theology of the Lord’s Supper Among
The Christian Brethren1

George Bristow

A native of Pittsburgh, George Bristow worked as an architect in Chicago and has lived in Istanbul, Turkey for the last twenty years with his family, serving primarily in church planting. In addition to teaching Bible and theology, George has written several apologetic and expository works in Turkish. His Old Testament introduction, “The Promise of God,” was also published in English (Gospel Folio Press, 1997). This article was originally written as a research paper for Dr. Henri Blocher at Wheaton Graduate School.

Studies of sacramental theology identify the need for more regular celebration of the Lord’s Supper and the tendency of evangelical churches to reduce its importance and frequency. While discussing Karl Barth’s controversial non-sacramentalist position, James Buckley asks a revealing question: “Can churches

EMJ 16:2 (Winter 2007) p. 184

that only baptize adults find reason regularly to celebrate the Lord’s Supper—or will the Supper continue to be an exception rather than a rule?”2 The Christian Brethren3 movement provides an affirmative answer. Since their beginning in the early 1800s, the paramount meeting of Brethren “assemblies” has been and (generally) still is a weekly communion service, often called the “remembrance meeting,” with some distinctive features. “The morning meeting gave quintessential expression to the piety of the members and was central to its practice.”4 F. F. Bruce, writing in a collection of articles by Brethren authors answering the question, “Who are the Brethren?” identifies this practice as foundational to the Brethren ethos (as do all of these authors):

The Open Brethren have no doctrinal peculiarities…. It is practice rather than doctrine5 that marks them out…. They observe the Lord’s Supper every Sunday morning (and occasionally at other times), and hold that the Lord’s Table is for all the Lord’s people. This, in fact, is their most distinctive gathering. When they meet for communion, together

EMJ 16:2 (Winter 2007) p. 185

with any Christians who care to join them for this occasion, their devotions are conducted by no presiding minister and follow no prearranged sequence, but are marked nevertheless by a reverent spontaneity a...