Editing Open communion (section)

== Practitioners ==
{{More citations needed|section|date=April 2025}}
Most [[Protestant]] churches practise open [[Protestantism#Christ's presence in the Eucharist|communion]], although many require that the communicant be a baptized Christian. Open communion subject to baptism is an official policy of the [[Church of England]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/more/policy-and-thinking/canons-church-england/section-b#b28 |title=Canon B28 of the Church of England |website=[[Church of England]]}}</ref> and churches in the [[Anglican Communion]]. Other churches allowing open communion (with or without the baptism requirement) include the [[Church of the Nazarene]], the [[Evangelical Free Church]], the [[Church of God (Anderson)|Church of God]], [[Community Church movement|Community Churches]], the [[Presbyterian Church (USA)]], [[ECO:_A_Covenant_Order_of_Evangelical_Presbyterians| Presbyterian - ECO]],  the [[Presbyterian Church in America]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcahistory.org/pca/2-294.pdf |title=PCA Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Fencing the Lord's Table |website=[[Presbyterian Church in America]]}}</ref> the [[Cumberland Presbyterian Church]], the [[United Church of Canada]], [[United Church of Christ]], [[United Methodist Church]], the [[Free Methodist Church]], [[Global Methodist Church]], [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stpetersame.com/3/miscellaneous6.htm |title=St. Peter's AME Church |publisher=Stpetersame.com |date=18 January 2010 |access-date=11 October 2013}}</ref> [[Foursquare Gospel Church]], [[Association of Vineyard Churches]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.houstonvineyard.org/communion.html |title=The Vineyard Church &#124; Houston, Tx |publisher=Houstonvineyard.org |access-date=11 October 2013}}</ref> [[Metropolitan Community Church]], [[Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)]], [[Churches of Christ]], [[Assemblies of God]], the [[Reformed Church in America]], [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventists]], [[Free Will Baptists]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fwbhistory.com/?page_id=113 |title=What Free Will Baptists Believe and Why – Free Will Baptist History}}</ref> [[Seventh Day Baptists]],<ref>Communion | Seventh Day Baptist Church</ref> and most churches in the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] (where ultimately the decision is made by each local church).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baptiststandard.com/news/baptists/closed-communion-not-in-most-southern-baptist-churches/ |title=Closed communion? Not in most Southern Baptist churches |date=12 September 2012 |website=[[Baptist Standard]]}}</ref> All bodies in the [[Liberal Catholic Movement]] practise open communion as a matter of policy. The official policy of the [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal Church]] is to only invite baptized persons to receive communion. However, many parishes do not insist on this and practise open communion. Among Gnostic churches, both the [[Ecclesia Gnostica]] and the Apostolic Johannite Church practise open communion. The [[Plymouth Brethren]] were founded on the basis of an open communion with any baptized Christian: today, following [[John Nelson Darby]], [[Exclusive Brethren]] practise closed communion, and [[Open Brethren]] practise open communion on the basis of "receiving to the Lord's table those whom He has received, time being allowed for confidence to be established in our minds that those who we receive are the Lord's."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://brookstreetchapel.com/2010/11/04/brook-street-chapel-history-presentation/ |title=Brook Street Chapel History |website=[[Brook Street Chapel]], [[Tottenham]]}}</ref>

Most churches in the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] practise their own form of open communion, offering the Eucharist to adults without receiving catechetical instruction, provided they are baptized and believe in the Real Presence.<ref name= ELCA>{{cite web|url=http://www.elca.org/Growing-In-Faith/Worship/Learning-Center/FAQs/Communion-Age.aspx |title=At what age do ELCA congregations allow members their first Communion? |website=[[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] |access-date=17 January 2010}}</ref> The [[Christian churches and churches of Christ|Christian churches and]] the [[Calvary Chapel]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.calvaryftl.org/about/history-beliefs/our-beliefs/statement-of-faith/ |title=Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale &#124; Our Beliefs: Statement of Faith |publisher=Calvaryftl.org |access-date=11 October 2013}}</ref> as well as other nondenominational churches also practise open communion. The [[Uniting Church in Australia]] practises open communion, inviting all attending to participate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ucaqld.com.au/new-here/what-to-expect-in-church/ |title=What to Expect in the Uniting Church |website=[[Uniting Church in Australia]], [[Queensland]] |access-date=26 April 2018}}</ref>

The Churches of [[Church of Denmark|Denmark]], [[Church of Norway|Norway]] and [[Church of Sweden|Sweden]] are open communion churches.

Notable exceptions include the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Church]], the [[Catholic Church]], [[Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement|Reformed Seventh Day Adventists]], traditional [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] churches, and some [[Reformed churches|Reformed Protestant]] or [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] denominations (in which you must be a baptized member). All these typically practise some form of [[closed communion]].

[[Churches of Christ]], though holding to a closed communion view, in practice do not prohibit visitors from taking communion, on the view that per 1 Corinthians 11:28 the visitor must "examine himself" and decide to partake or decline (i.e. it is not for the minister, elders/deacons, or members to decide who may or may not partake);<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Waddley |editor1-first=John |title=Introducing the Church of Christ |date=2008 |publisher=Star Bible Publications |location=Fort Worth, TX |isbn=0-933672-72-1 |page=58 |edition=Ninth Printing}}</ref> thus, the practice is more akin to open communion.

[[Assemblies of God]], [[Baptist]] and other churches that practise [[congregational polity]], due to their autonomous nature, may (depending on the individual congregation) practise open or closed communion.

Other groups that practise open communion are the [[Moravian Church]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moravian.org/faith-a-congregations/rites-and-sacraments/the-sacrament-of-holy-communion.html |title=The Sacrament of Holy Communion |publisher=Moravian.org |access-date=11 October 2013}}</ref> [[Wesleyans]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kenschenck.com/communion.html |title=The Wesleyan View of Communion |publisher=Kenschenck.com |access-date=11 October 2013}}</ref> and the [[Christian and Missionary Alliance]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livingrockchurch.com/livingrock/faqs |title=FAQs |publisher=Living Rock Church |access-date=11 October 2013}}</ref>

Within the [[Latter Day Saint movement]], the [[Community of Christ]] practices open communion. The [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS Church]], on the other hand, views its corresponding ceremony (known as the [[Sacrament (LDS Church)|Sacrament]]) as having meaning only for church members (though without actually forbidding others from participating).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chapter 20: The Sacrament, a Memorial Ordinance |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/eng/manual/doctrines-of-the-gospel-student-manual/20-sacrament |access-date=2024-06-04 |website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org |language=en}}</ref>

Some [[Independent Catholicism|Independent Catholic Churches]], such as the [[American Catholic Church in the United States]],<ref name=ross>{{cite news|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/critical-mass/ |title=Critical Mass: An Austin church remakes Catholicism without the Pope, celibate priests, or most of the other rules |first=Robyn |last=Ross |access-date=4 May 2018 |newspaper=[[Texas Monthly]] |date=June 2017}}</ref> [[American National Catholic Church]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Frequently Asked Questions|url=http://americannationalcatholicchurch.org/faq/ |website=[[American National Catholic Church]] |access-date=22 March 2017}}</ref> and [[Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church]]<ref>{{cite book|author-link=Edward Jarvis (author) |last=Jarvis |first=Edward |title=God, Land & Freedom: The True Story of ICAB |publisher=Apocryphile Press |location=Berkeley CA |date=2018 |pages=69–70}}</ref> practice open communion, sometimes even allowing non-baptized and non-Christians receive commission.<ref name=ross/>

In the [[Anglican Communion]], as well as in many other traditional [[Christian denominations]], those who are not baptized may come forward in the communion line with their arms crossed over their chest, in order to receive a blessing from the priest, in lieu of Holy Communion.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Episcopal Handbook |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C_s5hetFBYoC&q=Anglican+Cross+Arms+over+Chest+communion&pg=PA24 |access-date=25 June 2012 |date=1 September 2008 |publisher=Church Publishing, Inc |isbn=9780819223296 |quote=Pastoral blessings are often available for children or adults who are not communing. Simply cross your arms over your chest if you wish to receive a blessing.}}</ref> This practice is also used in the Roman Catholic church at funeral masses, where attendees frequently include non-Catholics.

Within the [[Nontrinitarianism|Nontrinitarian groups]], the [[Church of God General Conference]] practices open communion, as well as many [[Unitarianism|Unitarian]] and [[Universalist]] Christian churches such as [[King's Chapel]] in Boston, Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cggc.org/about/what-we-believe/about-the-lords-supper/ |title=About the Lord's Supper {{!}} CGGC |website=cggc.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207055141/http://www.cggc.org/about/what-we-believe/about-the-lords-supper/ |archive-date=7 February 2012}}</ref>