Pro-Paedocommunion
(Children should be welcomed to the Table)

- No biblical text explicitly bars children
- Children are part of the covenant community
- Children participated in Passover (Ex. 12:26)
- Early church may have included children

- No explicit biblical warrant for inclusion
- Unclear historical evidence of
Passover participation - Lord’s Supper requires active obedience

- Baptized children are members of the church
- Welcome is based on grace, not comprehension
- Participation should be age- and ability-appropriate

Anti-Paedocommunion
(Children should not partake until profession of faith)

- 1 Cor. 11 requires self-examination and discernment
- Baptism is passive; Lord’s Supper is active
- Profession of faith ensures doctrinal understanding

- Risks overemphasis on cognitive readiness
- May imply baptism doesn’t confer membership
- Can delay participation unnecessarily

- Profession of faith is a pastoral tool, not a biblical requirement
- Should not replace baptism as entrance to church membership

Middle Path
(Age- and Ability-Appropriate Participation)

- Children can express sincere faith (“I love Jesus”)
- Cognitive disabilities and dementia already accommodated
- Encourages obedience without rigid comprehension standards

- Requires careful elder oversight
- Risks unthinking participation if not nurtured

- Elders must cultivate both gracious invitation and obedient participation
- Encourages theological instruction and pastoral care