Distribution of the Bread and the Cup

Definition and Meaning

Bunbyeong-bunjan (分餠分盞) combines bunbyeong (分餠), "dividing the bread," and bunjan (分盞), "dividing the cup." It refers to the part of the Lord's Supper in which the presiding minister offers a prayer of thanksgiving over the bread and wine (in Korean Protestantism, usually grape juice) and then distributes them to the communicants. In Korean churches, those assigned to this task are sometimes called "bread servers" or "servers of the bread and cup."

Biblical and Historical Background

The Gospels and the Pauline Epistles record that at the Last Supper Jesus broke bread and gave it to His disciples and then gave them the cup (Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Paul linked the participation of many in one bread with the church's being one body (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).

Justin Martyr, a church father of the mid-second century, is known to have recorded that deacons distributed the consecrated bread and cup to those present and also carried them to those who were absent. In the medieval Western church, the practice of giving the laity only the bread and withholding the cup became established. During the Reformation, the Reformers held that all members should receive both the bread and the cup, and they restored the distribution of the cup to the laity.

Practice in Korean Churches

Methods vary according to the practices of each denomination and individual congregation.

• Presbyterian: After the pastor reads the words of institution and prays, the pastor hands the bread and cup to the elders, who move through the pews distributing first the bread and then the cup. This method is widely used, and participation is generally limited to baptized members.
• Methodist and Holiness: Commonly, the pastor presides while elders and others assist. In some churches, members come forward to receive the elements.
• Baptist: In many churches, the deacons are responsible for distributing the bread and cup.
• Anglican: A priest presides. Typically, members come forward to the altar to receive the bread and drink from a common cup.

In Korean Protestant churches, it is common to pass trays holding bread cut into small pieces beforehand or small individual pieces of bread, along with small individual cups. Some churches have communicants receive the bread dipped in the cup. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, some churches have used individually packaged communion sets containing both the bread and the cup in a single container to reduce contact. Debate has also arisen over online communion, concerning how to observe the Lord's Supper when in-person distribution of the bread and cup is not possible.