In the 19th century, on the heels of the evangelical revival of the 18th century, and as Nonconformists gained influence and increasingly cooperated together, open communion slowly became the majority practice among English Baptists. Those who practiced it, defended it by appealing to the reality of the Universal Church and the need for greater unity among evangelicals. Some Baptists began to push for open membership, promoting an individualized view of the ordinances, separate from the local church.

The sermon is over. The lights dim. As music begins to play, the pastor issues an invitation, “The tables are now open. No matter who you are or where you’ve come from, if you’ve responded to Jesus, then you can come. As the band plays our last song, feel free to make your way up to one of the tables. This is between you and Jesus.” Here in the 21st century, this has become a standard part of evangelical liturgy – an individualistic view of the Lord’s Supper, with minimal accountability.

This practice can be traced back to a debate which began in the 17th century and reached a turning point in the 19th century. For most of their history, English Baptists had practiced strict communion, which restricted communion only to those who had been baptized as believers. But in the 19th century, on the heels of the evangelical revival of the 18th century, and as Nonconformists gained influence and increasingly cooperated together, open communion slowly became the majority practice among English Baptists. Those who practiced it, defended it by appealing to the reality of the Universal Church and the need for greater unity among evangelicals. Some Baptists began to push for open membership, promoting an individualized view of the ordinances, separate from the local church.

This was the debate that Spurgeon found himself in as he took up the pastorate at the New Park Street Chapel in London. He grew up in a Congregational family but became convinced of the Baptist position as a teenager. The Baptists he grew up around tended to practice strict communion, but New Park Street practiced open communion. These various factors made Spurgeon sympathetic to both sides of the argument. On the one hand, he cherished a gospel unity that existed beyond his own denomination or church. On the other hand, he also valued the unity and purity of the local church, pictured in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. So how did Spurgeon fence the Lord’s Table?

All members were encouraged to participate regularly at the Table, and were given tickets which not only gave them access, but helped the elders keep track of their people. While the ticketing system may have been unique given their large size, there was no debate about having church members participate.[i] The question was what to do with the hundreds of visitors that turned out every Lord’s Day to hear Spurgeon.

[Editor’s note: This article is incomplete. The link (URL) to the original article is unavailable and has been removed.]