Christian Funeral

Definition and Meaning

A Christian funeral refers to the entire set of funeral rites that a church conducts with the bereaved family when a church member dies, entrusting the deceased to God and confessing the hope of the resurrection. In Korean churches the term denotes a sequence of four services:

• The deathbed service, held shortly before or after death
• The encoffining service, held when the body is placed in the coffin
• The departure service, held when the funeral procession leaves the funeral hall
• The committal service, held at the cemetery or columbarium

Within the church, the death of a believer is commonly called socheon (召天), meaning "having been called by God."

Biblical and Historical Background

The Old Testament depicts the careful burial of the dead, as when Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 23). The New Testament records that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrapped the body of Jesus in linen cloths and laid it in a tomb (John 19:38–42). In 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14, Paul wrote that believers do not sorrow "even as others which have no hope." This passage is frequently cited as expressing the spirit of the Christian funeral. The early church is known to have generally chosen burial in keeping with its faith in the resurrection.

Practice in Korean Churches

Korean churches regarded certain elements of Confucian mourning rites (sangnye, 喪禮, the rites of observing a death), such as setting out a memorial offering table, bowing before the portrait of the deceased, and gok (哭, ritual wailing), as associated with idolatry or superstition. They have therefore replaced these practices with worship, prayer, and hymns. Today, at a Christian memorial altar, mourners place chrysanthemums before the portrait of the deceased and observe a moment of silence or pray. Detailed etiquette is covered in the article Christian Condolence Visits.

Even now that funerals are held mainly in funeral halls, each service is still usually led by the senior pastor or other ministerial staff. Members of the deceased's cell group and of the women's mission society often keep watch at the memorial altar and help receive guests. Some churches call the funeral service a "heavenly send-off service". As cremation has become common, services are increasingly held at the crematorium or columbarium in place of the committal service. After the funeral, many families hold memorial services on the anniversary of the death or on major holidays.

Differences among denominations are as follows:

• Most denominations, including the Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel churches, provide orders of worship from the deathbed through the committal in their respective service books, and the overall structure is broadly similar.
• The Anglican Church of Korea conducts funeral rites according to its prayer book.
• The Catholic Church offers yeondo (prayers for the dead) and a funeral Mass.

Denominational positions on how to regard ancestral rites are discussed in the article Ancestral Rites and Memorial Services.