Help!
I am a lay minister in the Church of England who has recently started attending a liberal, progressive, inclusive church in Sheffield.
I like everything that is being preached here. It is refreshing, thought-provoking and stimulating. Especially the church's emphasis on inclusiveness.
But my problem comes with a statement at the start of every Sunday morning service, which basically says that only those who are baptised can join in the communion.
Surely this is exclusive and not inclusive? I am really struggling with this. Would God deny those who are genuinely searching, or do people really have to jump through the hoop of baptism before they are welcome at the communion rail?
I believe in baptism. I have been baptised and confirmed myself. But I don't want to use it as a badge or a reason to exclude people. There are people on the journey who are pre-baptism and yet probably have more faith than I ever will. Yes, I would eventually want to encourage them to be baptised, but in the meantime they have to sit in their chairs, or just 'receive a blessing', because they haven't been baptised. Do they feel alienated and excluded because of this?
Please, will someone explain to me how you can be an inclusive Christian and still hold to this practise. I am disillusioned because I thought in liberal, progressive churches everything is up for grabs and discussion and re-examinination, including the sacraments.
I am genuinely not looking for arguments. I just want someone to explain this to me so that I am not in agony every Sunday morning when this is said.
Thanks.
Andrew Wooding
