Protestant Funeral Rites Flashcards
A term used to describe many different denominations. These are Christian churches who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation.
- Differ in denominations and within the same denomination
Protestant Churches
Any Western Christian who is not adherent of the Roman Catholic faith.
Protestant
- Baptist
- Methodist
- Church of Christ
- Episcopal
- Lutheran
- Presbyterian
- Assembly of God
- Church of God
- Nazarene
Types of Protestant Churches
Structure of worship format they use.
- Liturgical (Eucharist centered)
- Non-Liturgical (Scripture centered)
One of the Main Differences Among Protestant Denominations
One which has a prescribed order of worship or a prescribed form of worship whic will be more or less consistant throughout the country or world.
- Rubrics
- May be defined based on the architecture of the worship place.
Liturgical (Eucharist Centered)
Determined by the local congregation and their clergy.
Non-Liturgical (Scripture Centered)
Directions to be followed for that service listed immediately prior to the service.
- Easy to follow the services from church to church
- May have slight variations
Rubrics
- One which is built in the shape of a cross, the cross bars forming trasepts or wings at the front of the church.
- Focal point is a cross or crucifix centered on an altar or immediately above the altar
- Center aisle with direct approach to the altar through a communion rail (rail may be closed but access around either end is possible)
- Two lecterns (Gospel on the left and Epistle on the right) or one.
Liturgical- Architecture
The pulpit or site from which the minister delivers sermons that is located traidtionally on the left side of the liturgical church.
Gospel Lectern
This is where readings and prayers are performed and is located on the right side of the church.
Epistle Lectern
- Notification of the Clergy
- Removal of the Remains
- Preparation of the Remains
- Dressing and casketing the remains
- Pre-Service considerations
- The funeral service
- The committal service
The Liturgical Protestant Funeral Rite
- No requirements for immediate notification, but is an important duty for the funeral director
- Necessary for the funeral director to establish a line of communication with the various ministers within thee churches in order to determine their preferences on such matters of the notification of the death of a congregation members.
- Establish and maintain a good interprofessional relationship with the clergy of all religions
Liturgical- Notification of the Clergy
- No restrictions based on church doctrine
- May be restrictions from the place of death to the cause or manner of the death or to meet some other civil requirements, not due to or effecting the religious beliefs or membership of the deceased.
Liturgical- Removal of the Remains
- Do not mandate o the method or extent to which this is done prior to disposition.
- The fact that the deceased was a member of a religious organization increases the likelihood that a funeral service would take place, which will dictate this. - allows time for planning and actual service to occur.
Liturgical- Preparation of the Remains
- Choice of clothing and type of casket is up to the family.
- Usually deceased’s own clothing or clothing from the funeral home.
Liturgical- Dressing and Casketing the Remains
- Demonination of the deceased
- Church or Funeral Home
- Seating locations and location of casket, processional and recessional
- Flowers
- Move furniture
Liturgical- Pre-Service Considerations
May play a role in the location of the funeral service. (Usually the Funeral Home or the Church).
Denomination of the Deceased
- If at funeral home- seating and positioning teh casket will be similar to all services held in the funeral home.
- Use of flowers (whether or not the casket is open during the service) and order or worship will depend largely upon the preferences of the officiating minister.
- If at a church- be aware of the layout of the sanctuary and location of light switches, thermostats, rest rooms, coat facilities and meeting locations for casketbearers and members prior to the service.
Church or Funeral Home
- Seating locations for the family, casketbearers, and honorary casketbearers or fraternal orgs.
- Placement of the casket may be determined
- Whether a processional and recessional will be used to begin and end the service
Seating Locations and Placement of the Casket, Processional and Recessional
If these are allowed, avoid blocking the view of the officiant or the congregation as they place these around the casket and altar area.
Flowers
May need to do this when a funeral is held in a church. The funeral home staff should seek permission to do this and replace them after the service.
- Also pick up flower petals, kleenex, service folders and other items which may have been left following the service.
Moving Furniture
- In a Church
- Rubrics
- Palls
- Processional
- Order of worship
- Recessional
- Cortege
Liturgical- The Funeral Service
If the funeral service is here, it is more likely that the service will follow a liturgical order or worship.
- Use of candles and inscence is common
Liturgical- In the Church
Procedures which the service will follow that may be found in a hymnal, in a separate handbook or prayerbook.
- Normally will already be distributed for use during the service. (funeral director should check to be sure).
Liturgical- Rubric
This is used to cover the casket during the service. It is normally draped over the casket just prior to the processional in which the casket is moved into the church.
Liturgical- Pall
The casket is moved into the church. Includes:
- Crucifer
- Clergy (following the crucifer)
- Funeral home member (following clergy)
- Casket and casket bearers (either in front of the casket or on alongside the casket).
- Another funeral home staff member or member of the family following the casket
- Funeral directors will position the casket and seat the casketbearers and the family.
Liturgical Processional
Leads the procession down the aisle carrying a crucifix.
Crucifer
Varies depending on the denomination and the preferences of the officiant. Some activities will take place at the altar, others from the gospel and epistle lecterns.
- Scripture reading and prayer
- Musical selection
- Eulogy and/or obituary
- Sermon
- Another musical selection
- Prayer
- Benediction
Liturgical Order of Worship
Following the benediction, the crucifer, officiant, casket, casketbearers and family move back out of the church. If a pall is being used, it would be removed in the narthex of the church and a casketpiece or flag would be placed back on the casket before being moved out to the waiting automobiles.
Liturgical Recessional
In most cases the officiant of a liturgical protestant church will wear these during services, including funeral services.
- Following the service, clergy may change out of these prior to going to the cemetery or committal service.
- If acolytes are used in the service, one or more may also be expected to go to the site of the committal service.
Liturgical Church Vestments
The type of disposition will largely determine the role of the officiant as well as the funeral director in the committal service. (If cremation- may have committal at the end of the service rather than that the crematory). Method of disposition may be:
- Interment
- Entombment
- Cremation
- Burial at sea
- Donation of the body to science
Liturgical- Committal Service
The usual procedure is to proceed to the cemetery and once at the cemetery more in a procession, led by the minister to the grave.
- Short service is conducted after casket is palced on lowering device, the casketbearers and positioned and the family is seated.
- Scripture reading, prayer and often making the sign of the cross on the casket with sand or flower petals.
- Benediction concludes service
Majority of Liturgical Dispositions are Interments
Most protestant churches are classified as this in their architecture and in the style of worship. One in which as a church body has no set or prescribed order of service or worship, but leaves the actual form or order up to the discretion of the pastor in charge.
- May have suggested order of service, but suggstions only.
- Baptist, Methodist, Church of Christ, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, Church of God and Nazarene.
The Non-Liturgical Protestant Funeral Rite
- Not required in most churches, sometimes is done.
- Funeral director should determine the preferences of each individual minister in order to maintain a smooth working relationship.
Notification of the Clergy- Non-Liturgical
- No restrictions on the time or the day
- Cause and manner of death may affect this, religious factors will not.
Removal of the Remains- Non-Liturgical
- Embalming is accepted
- Choice if the deceased person is to be embalmed is entirely up to the family.
Preparation of the Remains- Non-Liturgical
- No special requirements for type of clothing
- Usually decedents clothing or clothing purchased at the funeral home.
- No special requirements or restrictions as to the type of casket used. Choice is the family’s.
Dressing and Casketing the Remains- Non-Liturgical
- Clergy determines the order or worship based on their own preferences (more variation). Important for funeral director to meet with each member of the clergy to determine preferences.
- Less difference between a funeral held at the funeral home and one held in a non-liturgical church.
- Become familiar with the surroundings of the church.
- Placement of flowers should be determined.
Pre-Service Considerations- Non-Liturgical
- No set order of worship or rubrics, candles, or palls
- No epistle and gospel sides of the church, just a single pulpit from which all scripture reading, prayer, and the sermon are delivered.
- Clergy normally will not wear vestments, with the exception of some who choose to wear a black robe.
- No acolytes or crucifers
Non-Liturgical Churches will Have Less of a Difference Between the Funeral Home and the Church
- The physical facility and the less formal approach by clergy combine to create most of the variances in procedure. (vary little)
- Preferences of the clergy determine the order and content of the service.
- Visitation and open casket viewing is more likely to take place in the sanctuary rather than the vestibule of the church.
- Option for the family to close the casket for the final time.
- Wishes of the family and guidance of the clergy determine the procedure to be followed.
- With no visitation, processional may be used
- Recessional may not take place
- Most likely incudes opening prayer, serveral music selections interspread throughout the service, scipture reading, a sermon and eulogy and a benediction of closing prayer.
The Funeral Service- Non-Liturgical
No acolytes or crucifers will be used, so the clergy will lead this in the church followed by:
- Funeral director
- Casket
- Casketbearers
- Family
- Additional funeral directors may be included to assist the casketbearers with the casket and to insure the proper seating of the casketbearers and the family.
Non-Liturgical- Processional
Since may funeral services end with final viewing by the family and friends, this may not take place. If this is held, it will follow in the same order as the processional.
Non-Liturgical Recessional
- Dictated by the preferences of the officiating clergy.
- Procession to the grave site is led by the clergy wtih teh casket and casketbearers and family following.
- Prayer, scripture reading and a benediction or closing prayer.
- Preference of clergy determines if there will be a sign of a cross with sand or flower petals.
- If disposition is other than earth burial, this may be held immediately following the funeral service with no processional to another site.
Committal Service- Non-Liturgical
- Not common
- Public facility- community or school auditorium, a government building or in a private facility (lodge, civic club or service organization building).
- May be strictly religious or combined with a fraternal or military service. Procedure dictated by type of facility and type of service to be held.
- Funeral director is a coordinator
- Separate service may need to be held immediately before or following the religious service or at another time altogether.
Protestant Funerals in Other Facilities
