ANSWERS: 5
  • Jesus said let the dead bury the dead and come and follow me. The pastors preach to the families and friends. We believe that this may be the only time some will hear the gospel.if person who is asleep, has been a faithful church member, they may tell of his faithfulness to our Lord. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
  • It's unique in that instead of "funeral" it's called a "home going." A home going because the "brother" or "sister" has gone home to be with the Lord. Although there is sadness because the person is loved and will be missed; there is comfort in knowing exactly where they've gone! There are words spoken in celebration of the person's life by family, friends and clergy. Songs of faith are sung by the choir and God's word is delivered by the Pastor or Preacher with it's encouragement for those who are Christians and an invitation extended to others to accept Jesus Christ as their savior.
  • It is important to point out that the service is not for the dead, but the living. The celebration of a saved person's life and rejoicing that he or she is now with Jesus is what it is all about. Anonymous too's answer is excellent,speaking of a saved person. We also do services for unsaved people. These services are for celebrations of a person's good attributes, and remembrence of their love. My own father's service was one of these. Whether the service is for a saved person or not, the most important part is the invitation. This is the time when all present are offered the chance to change their destination in death. What greater service to the living can there be than to be assured they will not go to hell themselves? What greater blessing can there be than seeing someone find life in another's death? This is the difference between a Baptist homegoing service and a Protestant or Catholic funeral.
  • There is really not a set ritual or liturgy for Baptist funerals. Each congregation is free to shape its ceremonies as the members see fit or as the pastor prefers, and in most cases the family itself determines what is included. Usually the pastor guides the family, but one funeral can differ quite a bit from the next, even in the same church congregation. Most Baptist funerals include the singing of hymns, sometimes congregational singing, sometimes solos or groups. There often are prayers for comfort for the bereaved and thanksgiving for the life of the departed and for the Lord's work in salvation. Usually there is a funeral message, which may, or may not, be evangelistic in nature. Usually there is a portion of the message devoted to eulogy, or remarks about the deceased. Sometimes there is viewing of the body, depending upon local custom or family preference.
  • There is no set ritual or form among Baptists. It depends upon the local culture, the family, the personality of the preacher, and any number of factors. Here is what I, as a Baptist preacher do: 1) Meet with the family and get to know the person through them if I did not know them personally. Collect favorite songs, scriptures, poems, and sayings. 2) Think about what sort of message would meet the family's needs and honor the memory of the deceased. 3) At the service I introduce myself, make an opening statement, have an opening scripture and/or prayer, then, perhaps, a song. After that, I talk about memories and share one or two myself before inviting the people in the congregation to share their stories. We laugh and cry and give thanks. After that, we may sing again and then, I bring a message integrating elements of that person's life with scriptural insights. Then we close with a prayer and I usually sing a song. 4) My messages almost always have 3 elements:(a) The significance and meaning of this person's life and our gratitude for having known him or her. Each person is special to God and to those who love him or her.(b) The reality of grief and how we can begin to find healing - God knows, cares, and acknowleges our grief and pain. (c) Hope and challenge - Where to we go from here? How do we trust God for eternal life? How how we embrace the days we have and carry on the legacy of the deceased? We make a new commitment to live, love, laugh, and lift someone else up every day. Everything is personalized and the details are all different every time. i have conducted about 750 funeral, memorial, gravesides services and celebrations of life.

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