Methodist Resources for The Lord’s Supper

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The United Methodist order for Holy Communion Rite II is still in use by a few Global Methodist churches and many of the former United Methodist congregations who remain unaffiliated yet choose to self-identify as Methodist. There is no point in this. If your church is going to use the rites of another denomination, then you can do a lot better than the UMC. Even the weakest and briefest of the rites posted here (all from the Methodist tradition) is far more faithful to the Biblical narrative and the character of God than the UMC Rite II.

A Draft Amendment to Incorporate Wesley’s Treatise On Baptism Into Our Doctrine

It is crowd-sourcing time.

When I arrive at a new appointment, I always pull one person aside (usually the music director) and say to them, “I don’t know what you think your official responsibilities are, but your most important job is to keep me from doing anything stupid without fair warning.” Dear reader, you are invited to take on that responsibility.

It has been suggested that Wesley’s Treatise on Baptism be adopted by the Global Methodist Church as an official statement. I concur. That prompts more than one question. Why? What is the effect of an “official statement?” Where does it belong in the Book of Doctrine and Discipline? I believe I have answered those questions.

You will find below a draft amendment to incorporate the Treatise into our doctrine, a very brief defense of the amendment, and a link to a PDF file of the full text of Wesley’s Treatise on Baptism.

Have at it.

A Prayer to A Crucified God

We thank you, precious Lord, for gathering us into this sanctuary—a safe and holy place—as we pray for those who are in places far less safe and comfortable than this house. Award them a greater sanctuary through the omnipresence of your Holy Spirit and grant them your peace.

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An Order for The Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, also called Holy Eucharist
with additional resources for the restoration of
An Exhortation, the Decalogue, and A Summary of the Law
and including
A Defense of the Rubrics

{I inadvertently published this while it was still being edited. By the time I noticed the error, there were a couple of hundred downloads out there that have a few annoying typos and awkward formatting of the endnotes. My apologies if you have one of those. 8/21/23}

Others, more qualified than I, are employed in developing liturgical rites for the Global Methodist Church. We are eager to taste that fruit which takes time to ripen and cannot be rushed. Meanwhile, many of us are developing rites for the Eucharist independently or adapting such rites as are familiar to us. This is one such effort and is intended as a temporary resource.

I offer the work in both PDF and Word.doc format. Do not to be reticent with comments and correctives. That is the purpose of a connectional church and the duty of its members. I have tough skin.

Lord’s Supper PDF

Lord’s Supper Word.doc

The links below contain only the Rite and are formatted to be printed as a bulletin on a single 81/2 X 14 sheet front and back,

Congregational Use PDF

Congregational Use Word.doc

Recovering Doctrinal Integrity V: The Church in the World

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2

“May God bless and keep the tsar…far away from us.” Fiddler on the Roof

The rabbi’s prayer in Fiddler on the Roof has something in common with Paul’s instruction to Timothy. Pray for those with authority over us so that we may live a quiet and peaceable life.

Recovering Doctrinal Integrity IV: Nature and Ministry of the Church

Time has lapsed since I began the series on Recovering Doctrinal Integrity through the Thirty-Nine Articles, and a summary of the premise is in order. When something is lost you begin to look for it in the last place you saw it. The last place Methodists saw a clear and complete statement of our Articles of Religion was in the Thirty-Nine Articles, not the abridged twenty-five we currently hold.

Recovering Doctrinal Integrity III: The Way of Salvation (Revised)

The Global Methodist Church (GMC) is doing excellent work at recovering doctrinal integrity. The efforts of the authors of the Transitional Book of Doctrine and Discipline (TDD) are commendable. They direct us onto the path of that primitive religion which we are taught through Holy Scripture, was guarded by the early church, and is restored in the Methodist movement.

Recovering Doctrinal Integrity II: The Rule of Faith

Thomas Cranmer

John Wesley

This third essay in the series addresses the section of the Articles of Religion that are known historically as the Rule of Faith. The Rule of Faith identifies the ultimate authoritative source for the church from which all other teaching and practice must be judged. In the original Thirty-Nine Articles this section contains two statements on the authority of Holy Scripture and one on the place of ecumenical creeds. They comprise a total of seven sentences plus a list of the books of the Bible. The Rule of Faith for the Church should be that simple and that easy to locate.

Recovering Doctrinal Integrity I: Nature of the Triune God

The preceding article recommended a path to recovery of doctrinal integrity through the Thirty-Nine Articles which were accepted during the rise of Methodism. The hope is to generate discussion among common laity and clergy ahead of the time when will be asked to ratify our doctrinal standards.  Those of us coming from the UMC have lived in an environment where doctrine was ignored and anything could be believed and preached. We are products of that environment. Each of us comes with preconceptions that may be challenged for the first time. This essay examines what we lost in the abridgement to Twenty-Five Articles from Thirty-Nine and invites consideration for the return of at least some of them.