Planning Christian funeral services
Today we received a funeral planning folder from a local organization. Many people are planning their funerals, but their family finds later that those plans are not approved by the pastor conducting the service. Since most of us don't know who will be conducting our funerals, are there guidelines for a WELS funeral? Which songs are appropriate? Which Bible verses? What should and should not be included in the service folder? Since genealogists use obituaries as a source of information about a person, should the newspaper account differ from that used in church, where to list a person's accomplishments seems to put works before grace? I've spoken to a number of people on this subject recently while attending funerals, and we all agree that we need some guidelines.
I am not sure what funeral service plans you have in mind that were not approved by a pastor. I can only guess that perhaps people, on their own, made the request in their plans to have certain friends or family members serve as musicians or officiants in the funeral service. Then, when the time came for those plans to be implemented, family members were surprised to learn that those individuals would not be able to serve in those capacities after all because they are outside our fellowship.
Otherwise, pastors will work with the suggested hymns and Bible readings. Pastors will receive information from families and gauge what biographical information is to be included in the funeral worship service folder. Local practice will determine to what degree the content of a newspaper obituary aligns with the service folder information.
Your question about funeral service planning is a good reminder of what we all can do to make a challenging time less stressful for our loved ones. Different organizations do provide funeral planning guides, as you noted. I would like to make you aware of one that is included in a packet of information from WELS Ministry of Christian Giving. The document is called “Estate Planning for the Christian Steward” and is available via this link. (Scroll down to File C once you land on the website page.) Pages 25-27 of the document have application to your questions.
Congregations would do well to encourage their members to make funeral plans, submit them to their pastor for review and have the plans filed at the church office. Again, that preliminary work can make a challenging time for loved ones less stressful.