In the more conservative Lutheran churches, people wanting to partake of communion had to be "official" members of the congregation and had to announce their intent to the Pastor, often undergoing some sort of doctrinal questioning or even a type of confession. No one was allowed to commune without first "pre-registering". As time progressed, sometimes the Pastor would delegate this to the elders (or vorstehers). The lists of those who comuned were kept, because in order to remain a member, church protocol (or constitution) called for a person to commune a certain number of times and make a contribution (of record) in the year previous. These lists served very practical purposes according to the protocol of the congregation and are an invaluable source of information today. Erv Milwaukee, Wi