The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod congregations vary in how often they serve the Lord’s Supper — some every month, some twice a month and some more often. This Commission on Theology and Church Relations report on the subject of the Lord’s Supper provides this information:
11. How often should the Lord’s Supper be offered in a congregation?
No fixed number can be given in response to this question. However, it should be remembered that the Lord’s Supper is not to be regarded as an “extra” or an “appendage” to regular Christian worship. While some churches relegate the Lord’s Supper to an incidental and occasional role in the church’s worship, the Scriptures place “the breaking of bread” at the center of worship (Acts 2:42; 20:7; cf. 1 Cor. 11:20, 33).
Practices regarding the frequency of communion vary from congregation to congregation in the LCMS. Some congregations offer communion at every service; others every Sunday, at alternating services (early/late worship); others every other Sunday, etc. Since the Bible does not contain any specific commands or prohibitions in this regard, congregations are free to make their own decisions about how often to offer communion.
The Synod has adopted resolutions in recent years that encourage every Sunday communion and the frequent celebration of the Lord’s Supper. It has stopped short of requiring its pastors and congregations to observe “every Sunday” or “every service” communion, however, or of making some “church rule” about the frequency of communion, simply because it is not possible to do this on the basis of Scripture. The Bible does not specifically mandate “every service” observance of the Lord’s Supper, and the LCMS believes that it would be wrong to “legislate” in this (or any area) where Scripture itself does not do so. Individual congregations and pastors are certainly free, however, to celebrate the Lord’s Supper as frequently as they wish to do so. If you have strong feelings in this regard, therefore, I would urge you to speak with your pastor and congregational leaders.
This information is provided in the Christian Cyclopedia on the meaning of Transubstantiation: http://www.lcms.org/ca/www/cyclopedia/0 … TANTIATION
“Transubstantiation is the teaching, held to by Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, that the bread and the wine in the Lord’s Supper “change into” the body and blood at the moment of consecration, so that from that moment on there is no longer “bread” or “wine” in the Lord’s Supper but only “body” and “blood.” Lutherans do not now, nor have they ever, held to this teaching.
Lutherans believe that Scripture teaches that BOTH bread and wine AND Christ’s true body and blood are present in the Lord’s Supper, and do not speculate about precisely “when” this happens or “how” this is possible.
While Lutherans agree with Roman Catholics and the Orthodox regarding the fact that Christ’s body and blood are “really present” in the Lord’s Supper, therefore, we reject their attempts (by means of the human theory of “transubstantiation”) to explain “how” and “when” this happens.