Date

10-16-2024

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

Chair

Andrea Adams

Keywords

Lord’s Supper, Communion, Eucharist, Justin Martyr, Church, Ordinance, Sacrament, Patristic

Disciplines

Christianity | Religion

Abstract

This action research thesis project examines a historical, biblical approach to the Lord’s Supper, focusing on chapters 65-67 of the First Apology of the second-century church father, Justin Martyr. The research investigated five themes emphasized by Justin. These crucial subjects include defining those who are the rightful participants in the Lord’s Supper, what spiritual nourishment is found at the communion table, the importance of the regular receiving of the Lord’s Table, the communal nature of the communion meal, and how the church can provide ministry to those absent from worship with the ordinance. The project implemented a six-week small group study based on Justin Martyr’s historical biblical practice of the Lord’s Supper at Klondike Church of Pensacola, Florida. This study addressed an underdeveloped theology and some anemic practices observed in the congregation. Instead of approaching the Lord’s Supper with innocent misunderstanding, morbid introspection, or even flippancy, this action research thesis project countered these postures with a comprehensive understanding of communion, with the desire for the participants to have more faithful participation. This intervention included interviews, a longitudinal Likert survey, a six-week Bible study, and a focus group. The research indicates that transformation in how one participates in the Lord’s Supper to a more faithful practice is possible when dedicated teaching is utilized and the biblical practice, as described by Justin Martyr, is recovered. This research and small group study on the historical, biblical practice of the Lord’s Supper can lay the foundation for future projects on this ordinance of the church.

Download

Included in

Christianity Commons

Share

COinS