Protestants, when did your child start taking Communion

[BigMamaBird]

Hi all,

 

This week my 6 year old came home from Sunday School asking about Communion. She said she wants to take it and I explained what it was and what it meant and why we do it. I'm satisfied with her reasons and attitudes and she understands that she's expected to stay for the whole service and how she needs to behave. I was curious though, at what age have other Protestants allowed their children to start taking Communion.

 

Thanks!

[MindyD]

For us, communion is for baptized believers so we don't have an age. They only take communion after making a profession of faith and baptism. I'm Baptist with Presbyterian leanings if that helps. =)

[SonshineLearner]

For us, communion is for baptized believers so we don't have an age. They only take communion after making a profession of faith and baptism. I'm Baptist with Presbyterian leanings if that helps. =)

 

When you're at an age that you want to be a "Christ follower" which is then followed by immersion baptism and then communion. I kinda like the "reformed" way of thinking about children being "brought up in the faith" which gives a "big family" atmosphere and seriously "catechizing" their children as they go.

:)

(So, to just answer your question, the next time there's communion after "accepting Jesus", but hopefully baptizing them as soon as possible)

[Jean in Newcastle]

For us, communion is for baptized believers so we don't have an age. They only take communion after making a profession of faith and baptism.

 

For me it was around age 12. Ds was 11.

[tomandlorih]

My dd is 8 and asked about it in service one time but that obviously was not the time to discuss it and forgot about it until now..but she must have as well=D

 

I would agree with the pp who said profession of faith and baptized. Not an age really but an awareness. I guess I've always thought older though, like 12 or 13 & up.

[TechWife]

When a person receive Christ, they may participate in the Lord's Supper. A public profession of faith or baptism is not required in our church, communion is open to all believers.

 

My son was six.

[Jan in SC]

We have infant baptism, so communion can be as soon as the child can take it. My dc all started around one.

[homemomandnild]

Three of mine asked about communion, and we told them after they were baptized. Then we talked about why we get baptized and about being saved, it wasn't until we were comfortable with their profession of faith that we allowed them to be baptized. Mine were 5, 7, 7, and soon my current five year old, who has been asking for months, will be baptized. I think mine were rather young, but they do tend to the gifted side and made it clear to us that they understood what it all meant.

[2_girls_mommy]

We have infant babtism too. They take communiun as soon the parents have them do it. My kids were 2 and 4.

[jewellsmommy]

We are S. Baptist. Dd made a decision to follow Christ when she was 7. She started taking communion after that. She was baptized shortly afterward.

 

Lord's Supper is for any believer (baptized or not) in our church.

[LadyMSews]

For us, it is after their profession of faith, but before baptism, so usually around age 6 or so for our family. In our church, it is up to each family to decide when their children participate, there is no rule for the church as a whole.

 

FTR, most children in our church are not baptized until around the age of 12 or so...we consider it the final commitment to the faith and wait until the child is mature enough to understand the step they are taking.

[TheCoffeeChick]

Our church doesn't have a strict rule on the age, but everyone has to complete confirmation classes as a child or adult instruction in order to take communion. Typically confirmation ends in 8th grade, but this varies from church to church. At some it is as young as 3rd grade.

[Gailmegan]

In our denomination (PCA) children must be approved by the session before taking communion. Some churches will allow it with a simple expression of faith, but ours is stricter. My oldest expressed interest when he was 8, but didn't have the nerve to meet with the session until he was 9. They grilled him with some pretty tough questions about the nature of the sacrament, but he passed. The 8 year-old hasn't asked yet.

[J-rap]

We grew up in the Lutheran church, and they had a really neat course that the kids in that church had to take over about a six-month period. I can't remember the age, but maybe 8th grade? They talked a lot about communion and what it meant, and then they took their first communion as a group on Maundy Thursday. (The Thursday before Easter, which is when the Last Supper is observed.) It was very, very meaningful for my kids.

 

That was my first three. Then we changed to a Baptist church, and it was totally different! No discussion on what it meant happened at all, and parents could decide when their children could take it. It seemed really strange to me! Parents were letting their 4 year-old kids take communion.

 

I know there isn't a right or wrong with this at all. However, my husband and I preferred to wait until our kids were older and really had an understanding of what it meant. We required them to read through the book, Hurlbut's Story of the Bible before taking their first communion:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Hurlbuts-Original-Edition-Yesterdays-Classics/dp/1599151782/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333382722&sr=8-1

 

So, I think we waited until our younger two were at least 12 or so to take their first communion.

[Kathryn]

Hi all,

 

This week my 6 year old came home from Sunday School asking about Communion. She said she wants to take it and I explained what it was and what it meant and why we do it. I'm satisfied with her reasons and attitudes and she understands that she's expected to stay for the whole service and how she needs to behave. I was curious though, at what age have other Protestants allowed their children to start taking Communion.

 

Thanks!

 

 

This happened here last year at 5.5 and we let him start. We are Episcopalian.

[Tess in the Burbs]

For my children it was after a public profession of faith. My dd had it before her profession at a large group event that wasn't the place to scream NO across the room, lol. But once they professed Christ as Lord we allowed communion.

[Princess Peach]

Our church has no rules about it, but for us it was after they were each baptized.

[WiseOwlKnits]

We do infant baptism (Presbyterian - PCUSA). Our two oldest started taking communion when they were 2ish. DD2 isn't even on table food yet, but I assume she'll start taking it around the same time.

[Dustybug]

My DD is 6 and she has made a profession of faith already, but has not been baptized because she is scared of having water in her face (even in the bathtub, etc) so we are holding out for that so it isn't a traumatic experience for her. We would allow her to take communion now.

[BigMamaBird]

Thank you everyone for chiming in, it's so interesting all the differences.

[Carrie12345]

I was brought up ELCA. Infant baptism, 6th grade communion. I think confirmation was around 9th grade.

[QueenCat]

In our church, when you take communion is not connected with when you are baptized. Most are baptized as infants, with confirmation when they are older. Communion can be received by any believer, regardless of age. Most children receive communion when they are 3-4 years old, if there parents desire. If they don't wish for them to partake, the child receives a blessing instead (but most partake, usually it is a visitor that doesn't realize it's okay, and has their child keep their hands folded rather than open). Visitors are also welcome to partake, it is open communion, for all believers.

[LostSurprise]

We decided that a child who had heard/read the gospels in order to understand what being a Christian means and then made a confession of faith (had chosen to be a Christian and had asked God for forgiveness and help with their life) could take Communion, as long as they took it seriously and were able to pray/meditate on Christ's sacrifice when that time came.

 

My youngest is 7 and he hasn't yet. The others ranged from 7-10 when they started. They take Communion on days they feel ready. They don't on days when they're less focused.