Christian weddings in Protestant churches. Worship, sacraments and holidays in Protestantism

The founding fathers of Protestantism began their work by rejecting the symbolism of traditional churches: icons, sacraments, magnificent services and holidays. What is Protestant worship? Do Protestants have sacraments now, do they celebrate anything? Let's try to answer these questions.

From the Editor: For a better understanding of the essence of Protestantism and numerous Protestant denominations, we recommend that you read the article

worship

What is a Protestant worship? From singing church hymns, praying together, reading the Holy Scriptures and preaching.

Is there any denominational specificity of worship services? Extremely simple worship among the Quakers. Hymns are not sung, sermons are not read, there are no set prayers. Anyone who wants to can speak from their life experience. This is called "expressed service", "verbal shepherding".

Pentecostal worship is sometimes accompanied by glossolalia. In a number of American and Latin American communities of a charismatic persuasion, in connection with the doctrine of the spontaneous action of the Holy Spirit in the church, expressive manifestations are adopted in worship.

Elements of the Catholic service were preserved by the Anglicans and Lutherans. Thus, during worship, parishioners sit on chairs or benches, rising (or sometimes kneeling) only during prayer or at the most important moments of the liturgy. Candles, incense, the presence of an altar have been preserved.

Is Protestant worship regulated? Lutherans and Anglicans serve according to special services; in the New Apostolic Church, the order of worship is determined by the highest church leadership. In all other denominations there is an established order of worship, the content of songs and sermons is determined by the leadership of the community. Quaker worship is fundamentally spontaneous.

Do Protestants have icons? Basically - no. But Lutherans and some other denominations at the same time allow the presence in churches of paintings, frescoes and stained glass windows on biblical subjects.

Is there music in Protestant worship? The Lutherans and Anglicans use an organ in worship, while the Amish do not allow music. All other churches use different musical instruments.

A number of evangelical and charismatic communities have adopted worship in the style of rock (sometimes even in the style of "rap" and "metal").

Sacraments

Do Protestants have the concept of "sacrament"? There is, but it is understood more as just a symbolic action. Quakers, Salvation Army, Unitarians do not have the concept of "sacrament", and baptism and communion are not required.

How many sacraments do Protestants have? Seven - among the Anglicans, they recognize all the same sacraments as the Orthodox and Catholics (baptism, chrismation, repentance, communion, anointing, the sacrament of marriage and priesthood). Three - at the New Apostolic Church (baptism, sealing with the Holy Spirit, communion). All other denominations recognize baptism and communion as sacraments (in some cases, simply symbolic actions bequeathed by Christ), and other ceremonies - only rituals.

Baptism

Who can be baptized by Protestants? A person who consciously professes faith in Christ or (in those churches that recognize the baptism of children) children of believing parents.

Do Protestants Baptize Children? Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Reformed, Herrnhuthers, Methodists, and the New Apostolic Church practice child baptism. Hutterites, Baptists, Dunkers, Adventists, Disciples of Christ (Church of Christ) and Pentecostals recognize only adult baptism (usually at 12–18 years old, among Hutterites at 20–30 years old). Children in these churches are usually blessed by the pastor at birth, attend worship, but are not considered members of the church.

How do Protestants baptize? Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Mennonites, Methodists recognize various forms of water baptism: in practice, pouring is more often used, Methodists - sprinkling. In Baptism, Evangelical Christianity, Adventism, Pentecostalism, the New Apostolic Church, among the Disciples of Christ, baptism is performed exclusively by complete immersion. Among Dunkers, the person being baptized is immersed face-first into the water three times.

Communion / communion

What is the Protestant understanding of the Body and Blood of Christ? Lutherans and Hernguters believe in transubstantiation, i.e. into the actual presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the bread and wine, others reject this doctrine, considering the bread and wine to be mere symbols.

Who is allowed to take communion? Only adult members of the community. Among Anglicans, in some cases, it is possible to admit children who have not been confirmed to communion.

How is the sacrament administered by Protestants? During worship, ministers distribute bread and wine (for Methodists, Adventists, Disciples of Christ, in some charismatic communities, grape juice is used instead of wine).

Among the Amish and Dunkers, as well as in a number of Baptist, Adventist and Pentecostal communities, before the communion of bread, the rite of washing the feet is performed as an element of the Last Supper.

Priesthood

How is the priesthood understood by Protestants? The main structural unit in Protestantism is the community, which is managed by the pastor and the congregation of believers. Church officials are considered ordinary delegates of the community of believers, all believers are holders of the priesthood.

Is there an ecclesiastical hierarchy? Quakers basically have no priesthood. There are no clergy in the strict sense of the word in the Salvation Army, but there are ranks similar to military ones: general (head of the Salvation Army), colonel, major, captain, lieutenant, senior sergeant, sergeant, soldier.

Presbyterians and Congregationalists have a fundamentally two-part structure (deacon and pastor/elder). Baptists, Methodists, Pentecostals formally have a tripartite structure, but the bishop is understood more as a senior pastor in charge of a particular region than a higher order of the priesthood; among the Disciples of Christ, the bishop is only the head of a separate community. Among Lutherans, the number of hierarchical levels is not strictly regulated and depends on established traditions: for example, a tripartite (episcopal) exists in Sweden, a two-part one in North America. Reformed, Anglicans, Herrnhuters, Amish, Unitarians retain a tripartite hierarchy (deacon, priest/pastor, bishop).

The most developed hierarchy is in the New Apostolic Church, which, however, retains a tripartite structure:

Apostolic order: Chief Apostle (leader of the New Apostolic Church), District Apostle and Apostle;

Priesthood: Bishop, District Elder, District Evangelist,

pastor, community evangelist, priest;

Deacon ranks: deacon and junior deacon.

Who appoints the clergy among the Protestants? In the Lutherans, Anglicans, Reformed, in the New Apostolic Church, the clergy are ordained by the higher leadership (in the Salvation Army, he assigns ranks). Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Hutterites, Amish, Disciples of Christ are ordained by the congregation that elected them, all others, as a rule, have a combination of congregation choice and its confirmation through the ordination of higher clergymen.

How is the election of a clergyman among Protestants? By appointment - from those where the superiors ordain, election at the community meeting (and subsequent confirmation from the superiors if there is such a requirement) - from all the rest. Among the Amish, Hutterites, and Hernguters, the clergy are chosen by lot.

After the appointment or election of a new clergyman, they solemnly pray, as a rule, with the laying on of hands. Among the Anglicans, the priesthood is considered a sacrament (see above) and is performed according to a special order.

Does a Protestant clergyman need special education? For Anglicans, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Adventists, a mandatory requirement for a pastor is to study in a seminary, in closed communities (Hernhuters, Hutterites, Dunkers, Amish), knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and experience in conducting joint prayers are considered education, in all other denominations a theological education for a clergyman is desirable. In principle, the clergy of the New Apostolic Church (on the model of the early Church) do not receive theological education.

Do Protestant clergy have special vestments? Anglicans (especially in the so-called High Church) have vestments similar to Catholic ones. Among Lutherans, pastors wear a talar (black robe) or alba (white liturgical robe). In the Salvation Army, officers wear special service dress, reminiscent of military uniform. In the New Apostolic Church, a black suit is required for clergy. All other Protestant denominations do not have special clothing. But many pastors wear a shirt with a collar (a special collar with a white stripe or inset).

Do Protestants recognize a female priesthood? By the beginning of the XXI century. many Protestant churches recognized the female priesthood: Anglicans, Unitarians, most communities of the Disciples of Christ, a number of Lutheran, Methodist and Pentecostal churches of the charismatic persuasion, some Presbyterian and Baptist associations. In the Salvation Army, officer positions are equally open to men and women. Among Seventh-day Adventists, a woman can be a deaconess. In Russia, women's priesthood exists only in a number of charismatic churches.

Rites

Is there some kind of rite of "fixing" after baptism, similar to chrismation? In some Protestant denominations there is a rite of confirmation - a public confession of faith (in Lutheranism, Anglicanism and Reformation after baptism, in Baptism, Adventism and Pentecostalism - before baptism). Confirmation is carried out after catechesis and not earlier than reaching a conscious age: at 13-14 years old for Lutherans, at 14-16 years old for Anglicans. For Lutherans and Anglicans it is organized by a pastor, for Anglicans by a bishop. In the New Apostolic Church there is a "sealing with the Holy Spirit" (the laying on of hands with the utterance of prayer and blessing), similar in meaning to the sacrament of chrismation, it is performed only by the apostle.

Do Protestants Have Confession? In one form or another, there are in many denominations, except for the churches of the Calvinist tradition. Obligatory at gernguters (before communion).

What is confession? Telling your pastor or personal counselor about your sins. Methodists practice general confession before communion. The Amish only recognize public confession in case of grave sin.

Do Protestants get married? Blessing of the bride and groom is in most Protestant denominations.

How is the wedding going? Anglicans and Lutherans have a special rite, which is conducted by the pastor in the church. In all other denominations, the venue and the form of the oath are arbitrary.

How are Protestant funerals held? Lutherans and Anglicans conduct a funeral ceremony, in many ways similar to the Catholic one. Most Protestant denominations do not adopt special ritual attire for the deceased, do not provide for any specific dates for burial and funeral vigils. In the coffin, the deceased is laid on his back, joining his hands on his chest. It is not customary to put symbolic or personal items in the coffin along with the deceased. Cremation is permitted and practiced in many Western communities.

The funeral ceremony is conducted by the pastor, usually in the church building. The rite symbolizes the transfer of the soul of the deceased to God, proclaiming the hope for the obligatory resurrection of those present alive. They don't pray for peace.

Holidays

Do Protestants have holidays? Everyone has it, except Quakers and Seventh-day Adventists (they honor only the Sabbath, they can celebrate other holidays, but do not recognize them as mandatory).

What holidays do most Protestants celebrate? Christmas, Easter and Pentecost.

Are there specific Protestant holidays? The Anglicans have preserved almost all the holidays of the Catholic Church, including the days of veneration of the saints, the Lutherans have the 1st Sunday of Advent, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, All Saints' Day (despite the fact that Lutherans do not recognize the veneration of saints), All Souls' Day. Lutherans since the 16th century celebrate Reformation Day - October 31, and many other denominations celebrate it with them.

Lutherans and Baptists celebrate the Feast of the Harvest (September-October). Baptists and the New Apostolic Church celebrate Thanksgiving. Hernguters celebrate the founding day of their community - March 1, the day of the renewal of the community - August 13, the day of the death of Jan Hus, who is considered their founder - July 6.

“The Protestants go to church in the same order as the Orthodox,” says Good Tone, “but the friends and best men do not enter the church, but wait for the bride in the sacristy in pairs; each boyfriend with his best man enters the church after the bride. The groom arrives at the church first. The bride enters the church arm in arm with her father. A few steps before the alteoi, the groom meets her and takes her by the hand, and they then approach the altar together. Relatives and acquaintances are placed on the benches and sit all the time of the service. During the ceremony of exchanging rings, those present should stand, and the bride and groom should kneel. Friends and best men stand on both sides behind: friends - to the left, best men - to the right. The daughter's father is standing to her left. After reading the prayer, the pastor asks in a clear voice: “Who is giving this woman in marriage?” "I," the bride's father replies, and hands her right hand over to the priest. Then the young swear allegiance to each other. The rings, blessed by the pastor, are put on each other's fingers by the bride and groom. After congratulations, the young people kiss and leave the temple first.

Then there is the departure of the young people accompanying them to the ceremony for the solemn wedding feast. At the end of the marriage ceremony, the pastor gives the newlyweds a hand and congratulates them, after which the bride turns to her mother, who brings her to her mother-in-law. Congratulations follow; but we must take care that they are not prolonged at the altar. You can also congratulate later, in the sacristy or at home. You shouldn't crowd around the altar.

The groom returns from the church with the bride. Then everyone goes to the wedding feast.

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This scenario is a classic Christian ceremony of marrying a young couple into a family union in the presence of the Lord God in the presence of parents, guests and witnesses.

The ceremony is based on the immutable biblical principles of self-sufficiency and the inviolability of the marriage union of a man and a woman, and to this day is performed in evangelical churches around the world.

The ceremony includes elements such as pledges of fidelity to the newlyweds, exchange of rings, prayer of blessing, gratitude to parents, and declaration of marriage.

Best regards, Ivan and Oksana Privalov

Grand entrance

- parents;

- pastor, groom and witness;

- a witness

- a boy with rings;

- a girl with rose petals;

- the father of the bride brings his daughter to the altar.

Introduction:

The pastor offers a prayer of thanksgiving.

Dear newlyweds, if you have seriously and prayerfully considered your next step and willingly, reverently desire to enter into a marriage union in order to be one in everything until death, please join your right hands.

Ivan, in the presence of Almighty God and the witnesses gathered here, do you promise to love, appreciate, respect Oksana, standing next to you, whose right hand you hold?

Do you promise to take care of her in sickness and health, in joy and sorrow, in prosperity and need, in youth and old age?

Do you promise to be faithful to her until death?

Oksana, in the presence of Almighty God and the witnesses gathered here, do you promise to love, appreciate and respect Ivan, who is standing next to you, the right hand that you hold?

Do you promise to take care of him in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, in prosperity and need, in youth and old age?

Do you promise to be a faithful and devoted wife to him until death?

May the Lord bless you in your firm promise!

Brief instruction

The union you enter into is the most tender of all human relationships.

– instruction for the husband [Ephesians 5]

- guidance for the wife

- teachings about love

– instruction to parents [Matthew 19:5]

Mutual promises:

Groom's Promise:

I promise to love you, care for you, and be faithful to you until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ or until the day when the Lord separates us by death.

Bride's Promise:

I promise to love you, care for you, and be faithful to you until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ or until the day when the Lord separates us by death.

Ring exchange:

Since ancient times, the ring has always been used in important events. Wedding ring is a symbol of marriage, - made of precious metal, the ring is a perfect circle that has no beginning and end.

It signifies your desire, our desire, and God's desire that there be no end to your happiness and your love in married life.

It denotes your joint desire to have infinite love for each other, with God's help. Therefore, whether together or apart, let these rings be a constant reminder to you of the promise you make today.

The witness takes the rings from the baby and gives them to the pastor.

Groom:

With this ring I seal my promise to be a loving and faithful husband. God is my Witness.

Bride:

With this ring, I seal my promise to be a loving and faithful wife. God is my Witness.

Pastor:

By giving and receiving these rings as a symbol of boundless love, purity, devotion and dedication, you are united in a marriage union.

Your solemn promises are sealed with this symbol and the Word of God forever.

Drinking the "Cup of Life":

Entering into a marriage union, you agree to jointly go through and overcome many everyday difficulties. As a symbol of your unity and readiness to endure all the hardships of life together, I ask you to drink from one cup this vine juice.

Let this simple act be the first act of your life together.

The bride and groom take turns drinking grape juice.

Prayer:

- Bride

- Groom's parents

- Parents of the bride

– Pastor

Thanksgiving parents:

Starting a life together and leaving the house of their parents, the young people wished to express their gratitude to their parents, who raised and raised them for each other.

Young people give their parents valuable memorable gifts and bouquets of flowers.

Announcement of husband and wife:

As a servant of God, by authority given to me by God, I pronounce you husband and wife, united in purpose, purpose and a happy life.

What God has joined together, man shall not separate.

Witness your union with a kiss...

Representation:

Dear friends, brothers and sisters, let me introduce you to Oksana and Ivan Familia, legally married husband and wife.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

I invite, first the parents, and then all the guests, to congratulate the young people on their wonderful decision!

- theologian, publicist; site administrator Uucyc.ru [since 2000]; head of the Children's Olympic Games, Kiev; leader of the youth and teenage movements; founder of the Life in Truth movement.

Representatives of the Reformed Evangelical Church of the canton of Vaud, who gathered for a synod last weekend at the Ryumin Palace in Lausanne, agreed on how same-sex couples should be married. The regulation was adopted by 55 votes, with seven abstentions and three against. According to the proposed procedure, the rite contains some elements of a traditional wedding. It includes a solemn worship service and a sermon. The priest will remind the registered partners of the bonds that bind them and will pray for the new couple. In this case, the pastor may refuse to perform the ceremony for theological reasons.

Unlike the traditional wedding ceremony, the ceremony for same-sex couples does not include a blessing. A press release from the Reformed Evangelical Church specifies that "the clergyman entrusted with solemn worship will be careful to avoid confusion with the symbols inherent in the wedding." The new rite will appear in the Protestant churches of the canton on January 1, 2014.

The decision to study in more detail the issue of introducing a special liturgical act for same-sex couples was made by the Synod in 2012. At the last meeting, the details were determined, according to which the new ceremony will take place. Thus, the Reformed Evangelical Church of the Canton of Vaud will be the first French-speaking church in Switzerland to offer this service to registered partners. Until now, same-sex parishioners could celebrate their union in nine churches of the Confederation, including the parishes of Bern and Fribourg. In Geneva and Neuchâtel, on the contrary, there is no such procedure.

The model adopted by the Canton of Vaud is a registered partnership. Recall that the registration of homosexual couples in Switzerland became possible in 2007 due to the entry into force of the Federal Law "On Registered Partnerships Between Persons of the Same Sex" (LPart). Between 2007 and 2011, 511 couples were linked in the canton of Vaud, two thirds of which were men.

According to the newspaper "Tribune de Genève", many Genevan homosexual couples would like to receive parting words from the pastor at the beginning of their life together. It should be noted that back in 1992, the issue of same-sex weddings was raised at a meeting of the Protestant Church of Geneva (EPG). Thus, the priests thought about the fate of homosexual couples long before the legislation on registered partnership was adopted in the canton (in the early 2000s). The second time the issue was raised by the Protestant Church in 2006, however, then the financial difficulties experienced by EPG at that time became a priority. Thus, while Geneva gays have to seek blessings from other denominations - the Evangelical Lutheran (American or German) and the Christian Catholic Churches, which provide similar services to their parishioners.

It should be noted that not everyone liked the decision of the Reformed Evangelical Church. Thus, the newspaper "24Heures" reports on the feedback received from the parishioners of "EERV" after the decision was made by the Synod. Some Protestants in the canton feel betrayed and are threatening to leave the church. However, the president of the EERV Synodal Council, Esther Gaillard, believes that negative reactions would have followed in the event of an opposite decision. “The question is really very delicate,” she says, noting, however, that in this case, dissatisfaction is expressed primarily by representatives of the evangelical wing. However, the ongoing changes show that the Reformed Evangelical Church is trying to keep up with the times.

We think that the attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to same-sex marriage our readers are well aware. According to the chairman of the Synodal Information Department V. Legoyd, "Orthodox believers, representatives of other traditional religions of Russia, many non-religious people oppose the propaganda of same-sex relationships. They are supported by many Christians, Jews and Muslims in the West, and some world media stubbornly try to create a picture that distorts reality ".

Prepared according to the materials of the sites