A loved one's funeral needs an order of service, and funeral homes are able to help you put this together. It's essentially a running order of the service, listing and scheduling various components of the funeral, such as hymns (or other songs and music) and eulogies. However, there needs to be someone who is responsible for making sure that the funeral follows this order of service, and this is usually the person actually conducting the service. Have you given any thought as to who this person should be?
A Religious Service
Having a priest or other religious figure conduct the service can be traditional, and in some cases, maybe the only choice—if your loved one was religious. There's also the possibility of friction if your loved one wasn't religious, but other family members are insisting upon a religious service. There can be some room for compromise, with the priest conducting the service that performs the applicable religious funeral rites and liturgies, without necessarily dwelling on the theological elements of death. Of course, if your loved one (as well as you and your immediate family) don't have any religious beliefs, having a religious figure perform the service becomes unnecessary.
A Secular, Humanist Service
There are celebrants whose job it is to conduct funerals, taking a secular, humanist approach to the service. They will make some brief remarks about your loved one and their passing, before leading the congregation through the order of service. The funeral home can help you to select a celebrant if you have no idea where to start. However, you might wonder if having a hired professional conduct the funeral is a little too impersonal.
A Personal Service
You (or in fact, any other mourner) can conduct the funeral service. Consider this responsibility carefully. As well as any hesitancy when it comes to public speaking. You must think about if you're capable of conducting the service while dealing with your own grief. It might simply be too emotionally difficult for you, and that's okay. There aren't any set rules when it comes to who conducts a funeral, so you might wish to join forces with other family members to share the duties and to give your loved one a personal send-off from the heart.
Your loved one's funeral will be their final farewell, and so who conducts the service certainly shouldn't be an afterthought. It's important to choose the best person for the job, and that person may even be you.
For more information, contact a funeral home, such as Carter Funeral Home-Denbigh.
