Must Communion Use Real Wine? Some churches insist the Lord’s Supper must be served with fermented wine—anything else is viewed as disobedience, invalid, or at least a compromise. Others insist the opposite: only unfermented grape juice is acceptable, often from a sincere desire to avoid causing a brother to stumble or to honor Christ’s purity. Still others quietly offer both and try to keep the peace.

Communion is one of the most sacred and defining practices of the Christian life. Also called the Lord’s Supper or Eucharist, it is a regular reminder of Christ’s death, a proclamation of the Gospel, and a foretaste of the coming Kingdom. Yet, confusion surrounds it. Is it merely a memorial? Is Christ actually present? How often should we take it? And does it matter how we take it?