Each month when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper at Cornerstone, we practice what is known as Open Communion or Open Table. In contrast to traditions that “fence the Table”—limiting access to communion only to baptized members of a specific church or denomination—we extend the invitation to all who sincerely desire to draw near to Jesus. As we often say:
“All who wish to draw near to Jesus are welcome to partake.”
Why Do We Do This?
Our approach to communion is grounded in a biblical vision of radical embrace—a vision rooted in Jesus’ own inclusive and transformative table fellowship. Throughout the Gospels, and especially in Luke, Jesus shares meals with tax collectors, sinners, and outsiders (Luke 5:29–32; Luke 7:36–50; Luke 15:1–2). These meals were not just social events; they were kingdom moments—acts of invitation that prefigured the grace of the cross and the final banquet to come (Luke 14:15–24).
As theologian Gordon T. Smith writes:
“Meals with Jesus were not reserved only for those who demonstrated an adequate level of holiness or sanctity. They were demonstrations of the inclusive love of God… There is something valuable in the perspective of those who insist that we should welcome whosoever should come to the Table.”¹
In this spirit, we believe the Lord’s Supper is both a meal of nourishment for the believer and also a sacrament of encounter for the seeker. It’s a place where one may, for the first time, experience the grace and call of Christ. This echoes Jesus’ own words: “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37).
A Converting Sacrament
This understanding is not novel. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, called communion a “converting ordinance”—an encounter where the grace of God awakens faith in the heart of the unbeliever. For Wesley, the Lord’s Supper could be a saving moment, when someone recognizes their need for forgiveness and meets the living Christ.
We have witnessed this reality at Cornerstone. One woman, a spiritual seeker attending Sunday services, accepted the invitation to come to the Table. Later, she movingly testified how in that moment, she saw that, “His body was broken for me! His blood was shed for me!” Shortly thereafter, she confirmed her faith in Christ and was baptized with her husband. Her story is not an anomaly.
We also acknowledge, with joy and reverence, that the overwhelming majority of those who come forward to partake in communion at Cornerstone are committed followers of Jesus. They come in obedience to Christ’s command: “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19), reaffirming their faith and receiving spiritual nourishment in communion with Him.
At the same time, we recognize that pre-Christians or seekers may choose to refrain, either out of reverence, uncertainty, or a desire to wait until they have come in faith. We fully respect that choice. The open invitation is never coercive—it is an offering of grace, not a demand. In that sacred space, the Spirit often works deeply, stirring hearts and drawing people toward Christ.
What About 1 Corinthians 11?
Some may ask, “But doesn’t Paul warn against taking communion in an unworthy manner?”
Yes, in 1 Corinthians 11:27–29, Paul does call the church to self-examination and warns against partaking in a way that dishonours the Lord’s body. However, a close reading of the context (vv. 17–34) shows that Paul is not warning against a lack of personal piety or the presence of spiritual seekers, but against a divisive and exclusionary approach to the Table.
In the Corinthian church, the wealthy were eating separately and even ahead of the poor, creating division in what was meant to be a communal meal. Paul rebukes this practice because it undermines the unity and equality of the body of Christ. He says: “Do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing?” (1 Cor. 11:22), and later instructs, “Wait for one another” (v. 33), emphasizing mutual regard.
As Smith explains:
“The wealthy were hosting the Lord’s Supper without regard to the whole body of Christ, highlighting differences rather than unity.”²
Thus, “discerning the body” (v. 29) refers both to recognizing the bread as the body of Christ, and discerning the communal body—the gathered church. The warning is not about being spiritually flawless, but about coming in a spirit that honors the unity and humility of the Table.
We come not because we are worthy, but because Christ is. As Paul writes elsewhere: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Grace, not merit, qualifies us for the Table.
A Witness To The World
The Lord’s Table is not just a ritual for insiders—it is a living witness to the grace of Jesus and the inclusivity of His Kingdom. In a world often marked by exclusion and division, communion proclaims: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).
An Open Table is not a denial of the need for discipleship or sanctification—it is a recognition that grace often precedes growth, and that belonging can lead to belief. Jesus often fed people before calling them to follow Him (Mark 6:34–44). He welcomed Zacchaeus before reforming him (Luke 19:1–10). He washed Judas’ feet, knowing what Judas would do (John 13:1–11). In each case, grace came first.
So we trust that in this sacred act, Christ Himself is present, inviting, convicting, transforming. “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ Let the one who is thirsty come…”(Revelation 22:17).
In Conclusion
It is the Lord’s Table—not ours—and we dare not restrict what Jesus has opened wide. We fence the Table only by reminding all who come that this is a meal of grace, a sign of the Cross, and a call to follow the One whose body was broken and whose blood was shed for us.
We say, joyfully and sincerely: “All who wish to draw near to Jesus are welcome to partake.” And in that simple invitation, we proclaim the Gospel.
¹ Gordon T. Smith, A Holy Meal: The Lord’s Supper in the Life of the Church, pp. 77–78. ² Ibid., p. 78.
