The second BCO clause, which refers to prior approval by the session, is not a lower bar, but a higher one, and is rarely used. The standards that would guide the session would be the same. The difference is that the session would not necessarily take the word of a would-be communicant; they could inquire of them rather than operating on a sort of sacramental honor system. This does not preclude accommodation: a session might learn that a communicant comes from a church that eschews formal membership and might elect to consider the person’s profession and attachment to a certain church (such as it is) as de facto membership.
For reasons we don’t fully understand, many PCA churches omit the requirement of church membership altogether when inviting people to the supper. It is common to hear, “If you love/are following/believe in Jesus, this table is for you.” This ought not to be. We confess “there is no ordinary possibility of salvation” outside of the “visible church… the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God.” To dispense with church membership requirements for Lord’s Supper participation is to contradict and denigrate our high doctrine of the church.
Furthermore, “You are welcome if you love Jesus” might not, to some would-be communicants, preclude Oneness Pentecostals, Roman Catholics, unbelieving mainliners, Mormons, or “spiritual but not religious” types who lean Christian.
Why is the church membership standard often dropped? We can think of a few reasons that ministers or sessions might offer:
-It’s awkward.
-It’s complicated.
-I don’t agree with it. (Presbytery, we have a problem!)
-The BCO is unclear. (Reading comprehension, we have a problem!)
-It takes too long.None of these is a good reason.
Brad Isbell | “Careful Reverence: The Words at the Table Matter” | November 25, 2025
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Brad Isbell
Brad Isbell is a ruling elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Oak Ridge, TN, board member of More In The PCA, co-host of the Presbycast podcast, editorial member of Presbyterian Polity, and treasurer of the Heidelberg Reformation Association.
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