Heimbigner, Kent: In the Stead of Christ: The Relation of the Celebration of the Lord’s Supper to the Office of the Holy Ministry

Who may celebrate the Lord’s Supper? In recent years, ‘offices’ such as ‘lay minister’ have begun to arise whose holders, among other duties, officiate at celebrations of the Lord’s Supper. Are such celebrations actually the sacrament which Christ instituted? Are they God-pleasing? Do they offer the forgiveness of sins? In this important book, Pastor Heimbigner examines Holy Scripture and the writings of the early church fathers, church orders and liturgies in order to find an answer to these questions. Heimbigner’s research reveals that the Church has always understood that Christ entrusted the celebration of the Lord’s Supper to the Office of the Holy Ministry. The Church acknowledges that the Office was instituted by Christ to convey the forgiveness of sins to God’s people. The Office of the Holy Ministry, therefore, is occupied by men who have been called by Christ through the Church and ordained into the Office by men who already occupy the Office.