Easter and the Funeral Ritual: helping families get past Saturday

Posted on March 23, 2008 by Bill Stalter
The Easter sermon is traditionally defined by Good Friday, and the hope and promise offered by Christ’s resurrection. However, clergy seldom seem to focus their lectures on Easter Saturday and the despair of Mary and Jesus’ followers. In a sense, the same is true for many clergy who officiate at a funeral. Who hasn’t attended a funeral where the minister started with an acknowledgment of the death and then provided reassurance about the deceased. What clergy do not seem to appreciate is that the deceased’s family is often focused on their own individual losses and need help just making it through Saturday.

While some theologians criticize the death care industry for directing the funeral ritual from the Christian burial to personalization, others are striving to understand the needs of surviving family members. This need is as old as the Easter story.

Personalization is not for everyone. But the 'value' of the Christian burial no longer resonates for many individuals, and perhaps it is because the purpose of the ritual is not adequately communicated by clergy. While cremation continues to confound some clergy, it's popularity requires new thought by funeral directors and ministers alike.

Paul E. Irion's book The Funeral: Vestige Or Value? provides a valuable resource to understanding the value of the Christian burial. Though the book is more than forty years old, it remains relevant today. In the upcoming weeks I plan to read Mr. Irion's book on Cremation in the hope it provides insight for both clergy and funeral directors alike.

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The Evolution of the Christian Burial: Church Columbariums

Posted on March 5, 2008 by Bill Stalter

Cremation is having a profound impact on funeral homes, cemeteries and churches alike. While Christian denominations prefer to reinforce the role the body plays in funeral liturgy, cremation offers churches the opportunity to establish a bond with parishioners that cemeteries once provided. It is becoming fairly commonplace to read about churches, like the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Longmont, Colorado, that are considering whether to establish their own columbarium. 

However, there are a number of issues churches need to evaluate before making the decision about a columbarium. The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship has an excellent article on its website, Better than a Cemetery: A Presbyterian church offers an alternative, that describes the approach taken by the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. 

A columbarium requires more of a commitment then some church leaders may initially understand. However, this article accurately conveys the planning and preparation that should be invested in the process.  Once a church makes the decision to establish a columbarium, it will need to address many of the same legal issues that face a cemetery, including the following:

  • Rules that will govern the columbarium, and that will allow the church flexibility with regard to future issues;
  • Contracts that define the niche owner's rights;
  • Endowed care trust requirements;
  • Applicability of state laws; and
  • Future sales.    
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