Memorial Service (Korean Protestant)

Definition and Meaning

A memorial service (Korean chudo yebae, 追悼禮拜) is a worship service held in remembrance of a person who has died. It is usually held by the bereaved family and church members on the anniversary of the person's death or on traditional holidays such as Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok (the harvest festival). Chudo means to think of the dead and mourn them, while the alternative term chumo (追慕) means to long for and honor the dead. A memorial service is understood not as a rite offered to the deceased but as worship offered to God. It is regarded as an occasion to reflect on the life and faith of the deceased and for the surviving family to receive comfort.

Biblical and Historical Background

Scripture does not directly describe a rite called a memorial service. Churches point to such passages as the fifth of the Ten Commandments, which commands honoring one's parents (Exodus 20:12), and Hebrews 13:7, which urges believers to follow the faith of the leaders who have gone before them. Protestantism does not accept prayers for the dead or rites directed toward the dead. Accordingly, prayers for the salvation of the deceased are generally not offered at a memorial service.

The memorial service is known to have developed within Korean Protestantism. In the early missionary period, the church regarded Confucian ancestral rites as idolatry and prohibited them. The memorial service is understood to have become established as a way of expressing honor for one's ancestors within the Christian faith. Its relationship to ancestral rites is discussed in the article Ancestral Rites and Memorial Services.

Practice in Korean Churches

Memorial services are usually held at home in the form of a family worship service. A pastor or other church minister may also lead the service during a pastoral home visit. The order of service generally consists of a hymn, recitation of the Apostles' Creed, prayer, Scripture reading, a sermon, remembrance of the deceased, and a closing hymn. When a pastor leads, the service ends with the benediction; otherwise it closes with the Lord's Prayer. Many denominations include an order for the memorial service in their books of worship. A shared family meal often follows the service.

Some practices are permitted to differing degrees depending on the denomination and congregation.

• Photographs of the deceased and flowers: These are commonly displayed.
• Bowing before the photograph: This is commonly omitted and replaced with a moment of silence.
• Setting out food on a table: Many churches avoid this because it can resemble ancestral rites.

When a family includes both believers and nonbelievers, conflict sometimes arises over whether to perform ancestral rites or hold a memorial service. The service held during the funeral period is distinguished from it as the funeral service. Churches sometimes also hold a remembrance service on occasions such as the first anniversary of a death.