(RNS) “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,” Jesus told his disciples. But should that include taking Communion?
A lot of people in the Christian Reformed Church think so, but a lot don’t. So now a committee will help the church decide. The Faith Formation Committee has five years to come up with a statement on when youths should take Communion. At issue: whether children first must make a profession of faith, as now required, or whether being baptized is sufficient.
“This is an issue that gets to people deeper than who can serve in office, because it gets to the heart of the sacraments,” said the Rev. Tyler Wagenmaker, of Hudsonville, Mich.
In a survey of CRC pastors, 25 percent said their churches’ children take Communion before a public profession of faith. Children begin taking it anywhere from ages 5 to 18, said John Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.
