What is the history of weddings and funerals in Christian Science churches?

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(Updated May 5, 2023)

Patrons sometimes ask about comments by Mary Baker Eddy regarding weddings or funerals for Christian Scientists. Do Christian Science churches hold these services in their buildings?

There has never been a wedding or funeral in The Mother Church (The First Church of Christ, Scientist) in Boston. On five occasions, there have been memorial services for recently deceased individuals,¹ including those in honor of the late United States Presidents William McKinley, Warren G. Harding, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy.² A service was held in honor of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Some branches of The Mother Church have also held memorial services. After the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, a large outdoor gathering was held on September 14 at the Christian Science Plaza in Boston, but it was not a memorial service.³

On August 6, 1923, The Christian Science Monitor reported that the order of services for President Harding would “follow that used at the memorial service for President McKinley, Sept. 19, 1901.”⁴ Eddy had written this to her student Irving C. Tomlinson, who would be conducting a memorial service in honor of the late President McKinley in First Church of Christ, Scientist, Concord, New Hampshire: 

Be ready for the meeting in memorium so as to appeal to the hearts present. Leave out technical Science speak of the power of Love Divine to save to the uttermost and the sure hope of our nation….⁵

At one time, the Christian Science Board of Directors strongly preferred that weddings and funerals not be held in Christian Science branch churches. In recent years, however, branches have been encouraged to make their own decisions democratically, among their membership, regarding these activities. 

Reflecting the original position that the Board of Directors took, The Christian Science Journal of February 1976 reprinted a statement from the Board titled “Christian Science and the Wedding Ceremony.” It was preceded by this introduction:

It may be only natural for some students of Christian Science, when planning to be married, to wonder why there is no provision for wedding ceremonies to be held in their own branch church where they have, perhaps, many of their closest friends.

The Mother Church receives inquiries on this subject from individuals and branches and in response shares with inquirers the statement, “Christian Science and the Marriage Ceremony,” prepared by The Christian Science Board of Directors. It explains why our churches are reserved for the purpose of public worship and not for weddings, funerals, and other occasions of a private or personal nature.⁶

That Board’s statement, which had first been given to individual correspondents, explained, in part:

There is evidence that Mrs. Eddy gave profound thought to every aspect of marriage, including the way in which it is solemnized. She knew that, in general, the traditional churches regard marriage as a divinely ordained institution and the wedding service as a religious rite. This is in line with the commonly held view that God has created a material earth, a human race, and a system of procreation which are part of His divine plan and purpose.

 

Mrs. Eddy’s view is set forth in Science and Health (p. 56), where she writes, “Marriage is the legal and moral provision for generation among human kind.” This statement, like others in the same chapter, presents marriage as a human rather than a divine institution. The subject is viewed within the framework of moral law and legal obligation, not of religious sanction.

The statement then turned to the legal foundation of marriage:

Thus [Eddy’s] particular concern with marriage ceremonies was that they be in accordance with the laws of the land. She gives the title, “A Legal Ceremony”—not A Religious Ceremony—to Article IX, Section 1, of the Manual of The Mother Church, which reads: “If a Christian Scientist is to be married, the ceremony shall be performed by a clergyman who is legally authorized.”

Historical background on the Manual By-law referenced here explained its origin:

In the early days of Christian Science, there was a tendency to ask clergymen who had become Christian Scientists to officiate at weddings. A question arose as to their authority to do so, since they were no longer acting as clergymen of the denomination in which they had been ordained. The By-Law quoted above put an end to this practice. The emphasis of the By-Law is on legal authority rather than on the need for a clergyman to perform the ceremony. Although it assumes that Christian Scientists will normally turn to a clergyman for this service, it does not rule out their having a civil marriage in those countries and those situations in which this seems necessary or preferable to a religious ceremony.

Thirty-five years later, a piece in the September 2011 Journal offered a different message, in response to a question from a Filipino reader: “Why don’t Christian Scientists have weddings in their churches?” It was written by Lois Marquardt, a Christian Science teacher in St. Louis, Missouri, and reflected the fact that some branches of The Mother Church were holding weddings in their buildings. The response affirmed that, by then, The Mother Church was asking each branch to democratically decide its own policy:

The good news is that weddings can and do take place in Christian Science churches! Many people mistakenly believe that it’s not permissible to hold wedding ceremonies in our churches because we don’t have a clergy. In my teens I thought the reason we didn’t have weddings at the Christian Science church I attended was that the church didn’t have a center aisle! Fortunately, my understanding of the purpose of the wedding ceremony has deepened, and I have come to realize that place is not what is important, but that the ceremony represent the spiritual and legal elements of this union….

 

I see this Church By-Law [“A Legal Ceremony,” Article IX, Section 1] as a support to the marriage ceremony. First, requiring a clergyman to perform the ceremony is a recognition that the foundation of marriage is like building on the rock (see Matt. 16:18). A marriage rooted in a mutual and unified commitment to spiritual growth is a strong starting point. Second, the By-Law recognizes that the legal requirements of marriage are a vital protection of the union of the two individuals. Also, a wedding in a Christian Science church offers an opportunity for the couple to engage in interfaith discussion with clergy who are willing and receptive to conducting a ceremony that supports the teachings of Christian Science….⁷

While Marquardt’s response did not capture the complete variety of decisions on whether to allow on-site weddings in branch churches, it reflected a latitude on the part of The Mother Church that had not previously existed.

It is worth noting that the Church of Christ, Scientist, has no ordained clergy of its own. It is a church of laypeople, where each member has equal status and opportunities for service. In Christian Science branch churches, this includes election of members to the office of Reader, which includes conducting public worship services and meetings on Sundays and Wednesdays. But there is no office in the Christian Science church that includes ordination, which most often confers the legal privilege of conducting weddings and signing marriage certificates in the United States, where Christian Science originated, as well as in some other countries.

Mary Baker Eddy was married three times—first widowed after six months, subsequently divorced after 20 years, and then again widowed after five years. In each case, a Protestant clergyman officiated. Her last marriage, to Asa Gilbert Eddy in 1877, happened about a decade after her discovery of Christian Science. It was performed by Unitarian minister Samuel B. Stewart, in the parlor of her house at 8 Broad Street, Lynn, Massachusetts.⁸  After she passed away on December 3, 1910, a funeral was held for her on December 8 in her Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, home.⁹

In summary, weddings and funerals have never taken place in The Mother Church in Boston. On a few occasions, memorial services have taken place there. As members of a church of laypeople, Christian Scientists historically have been married by clergy of other denominations or by civil officials. The Church Manual includes By-Laws relating to marriage and decease. For many years, the Christian Science Board of Directors discouraged holding weddings and funerals in branch churches. “Christian Science and the Marriage Ceremony,” published in 1976, gave guidance. More recently, The Mother Church has encouraged its branch churches to democratically make their own decisions regarding weddings and funerals in their buildings.

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