Suspension from the Lord's Supper

Definition and Meaning

The Korean term suchan jeongji (受餐停止) literally means "stopping (停止) the receiving of the sacrament (受餐)." It refers to a penalty by which the church forbids a member who has sinned from participating in the Lord's Supper for a period of time. It is one form of church discipline and is regarded as a lighter penalty than excommunication, which deprives a person of church membership itself. The penalty is described as aimed not at punishment for its own sake but at leading the person to repentance and restoration and at preserving order in the church. Once repentance has been confirmed, the censure is lifted and the person is again permitted to participate in the Lord's Supper.

Biblical and Historical Background

Passages frequently cited in support of suspension from the Lord's Supper include the following:

• 1 Corinthians 11:27-29: warns against eating and drinking the Lord's Supper unworthily.
• 1 Corinthians 5:11: urges believers to break off fellowship with a church member who persists in sin.
• Matthew 18:15-17: describes a step-by-step procedure for admonishing a brother who has sinned.

The early church had the practice of excluding members who had committed grave sins from the eucharistic community for a period of time and then readmitting them after penance. During the Reformation, John Calvin argued in Geneva that the church's governing body should have the authority to bar people from the Lord's Supper. Chapter 30 of the Westminster Confession of Faith lists admonition, suspension from the sacrament of the Lord's Supper for a season, and excommunication as the censures of the church.

Practice in Korean Churches

Presbyterian churches: Suspension is prescribed as one type of censure in the disciplinary provisions of each denomination's church constitution. For ordinary members, the session hears the case and renders a decision. The suspension may be imposed either for a fixed term or indefinitely, and the lifting of the censure is likewise decided by the session. Because the Lord's Supper is a rite in which baptized members participate, this penalty does not apply to members who have not been baptized.

Other denominations: Methodist, Holiness, and other churches define the types and names of disciplinary measures separately in their own denominational law. In congregationally governed churches, such as Baptist churches, the congregation of the local church decides whether to exercise discipline.

Actual application: Because many churches observe the Lord's Supper only a few times a year and discipline itself is rarely exercised, cases of actual application are reportedly few. On the other hand, there have been cases in which, during church disputes, one side passed resolutions imposing suspension from the Lord's Supper or excommunication on members of the opposing side, intensifying the conflict. This has given rise to criticism that church discipline is being used contrary to its original purpose.