Planning for Funerals: Kiss the Corpse

In preparation for an assignment with a denomination that was new to us, we attended a funeral.  Memorial services place some very specific demands on the spaces in which they’re held, and the only way to understand them well is to go to one.  Everything we saw was pretty conventional, up until the minute people stood up and headed to the front where, one by one, they venerated the deceased.  ”Venerated,” is a two-dollar word for “kiss.”  When everyone else on our row turned left to walk up the center aisle, my coworker and I turned right and headed home.

As obvious as the need to plan for funerals would seem to be, it’s not unusual for the issue to escape discussion.  (The same goes for weddings.)  It’s a particular trap for young churches focused on engaging the living and celebratory worship.  Here are some questions to ask:

1. How big is your casket? According to a number of online sources, caskets (with a side bulge, rather than coffins, which are tapered or rectangular)  have changed little in the last two centuries.  Most are 84 inches long, 28 inches wide, and 23 inches tall.   As  Americans have gotten bigger, casket manufacturers are considering increasing the standard sizes.  In the meantime, oversize caskets, up to 52 inches wide, are available.  That’s wider than one of the leaves on a typical entrance.  Even a standard width casket can present challenges to passage when its being carried by pallbearers.
2. How will it get there? Turning corners is no mean trick in narrow hallways.  Much less in elevators.  Does the path require going up or down stairs?  Forget it.  Test the route while you’re still in the planning stages and give yourself extra room to make the turns.
3. Where will you stop and start? In the moments between the car and the door, and the hallway and the platform, the casket, whether on wheels or being carried, must park.  We’ve seen situations in older churches where the hardest part of the journey was stopping to wait for the scheduled entrance or to reposition the pallbearerers to go up or down stairs.
4. Is there an expert who can help? When working with a church that’s been around for a while, we’ve asked them which funeral home they work with most and asked the mortician to take a look at our plans.  They are usually in touch with current practices and can offer good advice.