The Act of Consecration of Man

What Does It Mean to Be Human?

As machines take over more of our tasks, what will be left for human beings to do?

This might seem an unusual question with which to introduce a leaflet about a church service, yet from ancient times, humanity has sensed a connection to the divine—a cycle of life in which earthly experiences can enrich the spiritual world, like a pleasing fragrance to the Lord. Bringing offerings and sending prayers are amongst the most ancient of human activities, which could never be replaced by machines.

Seeking Christ is a deeply personal journey, yet it can be strengthening to walk alongside others. The Communion Service, celebrated with bread and wine since Christ’s time, unites individual paths in a shared act of devotion. In The Christian Community, this celebration is called The Act of Consecration of Man.

Why Consecration of the Human Being Instead of Divine Service?

Since ancient times, people have gathered before altars to serve the gods, often with a mixture of reverence and fear.

With Christ, the divine became human—not as an ordinary person, but as the Son of God, leading us back to our spiritual origins and to our true human nature.

At the altar in The Christian Community, we do not come in fear, but with the longing to awaken the divine within us. To consecrate the human being is to serve the divine—not through submission, but by intensifying Christ’s presence and deepening our own humanity.

The Sign of the Cross

Throughout the service, the community makes the sign of the cross—on the forehead, chin, and heart. The priest makes a larger cross, enclosed in a circle.

The cross symbolizes how heavenly forces (the vertical) unite with earthly existence (the horizontal). The priest’s gesture gathers these prayers, directing them toward the divine.

Listening to the Gospel

The first step in the Act of Consecration of Man is the reading of the Gospel. Each week, the priest and the community bring to life Christ’s words and deeds—his teachings, his healing, his power to reconcile and transform.

On Sundays, a sermon is usually included. Rather than explaining the Gospel, it seeks to deepen our connection to it, linking it with personal experience.

What Is the Offering?

The second step is the offering.

To offer something means to relinquish it. In the service today, we do not offer material things, but the highest forces of our souls: pure thought, heartfelt love, and devoted participation.

Nothing is demanded—no money is collected during the service. Instead, we are invited to be inwardly active, co-celebrating in the Act of Consecration of Man.

The Transformation of Matter

The third step is transubstantiation. Christ changes the bread and wine (in The Christian Community, unfermented grape juice) into His body and blood.

How can this be understood?

If taken in a literal sense, it might seem disturbing. If we see it as nothing more than a symbol, it would lose meaning. We know from our own experience: our earthly identity is bound up with our bodies, to which we are existentially connected. For Christ to become present in the bread and wine means that his identification with the earth is complete.

The Lord’s Prayer

As in every Christian service, the Lord’s Prayer is central. The priest prays it aloud, and the community joins inwardly. It marks the completion of the transubstantiation.

Communion and Membership

The fourth step is communion—union with Christ.

The priest takes bread and wine at the altar, not for their own personal nourishment, but for the whole community. Through this, a gathering of individuals becomes a Christ Community.

Additionally, each person may come forward to receive the transformed substances individually. The priest touches the cheek in blessing and speaks Christ’s words of peace.

At this moment, the prayer deepens—it reaches not just the soul but also the body. Communion is a step toward becoming part of the community.

Membership in The Christian Community is not defined by doctrine but by participation in the sacraments. One may also choose to formally join by expressing this wish to a priest, often in connection with the Sacramental Consultation (for more information, follow this link).

Written by Claudio Holland, edited by Tom Ravetz