Making the cemetery work – the role of cemetery staff in grave plot choice

This article analyses the role of cemetery staff in governing death culture based on a study of cemetery staff working for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark (ELCD). The article analyses the values that guide the staff’s practices as they conduct their role as frontline employees and navigate between rules, regulations and values in their encounters with the cemetery users. There is a specific focus on the process of guiding the choice of grave plot and the role of cemetery staff as central agents in the shaping of mortuary culture as part of contemporary lived religion. In doing so, it argues for the inclusion of a broader range of official professionals in the study of the lived religion of religious institutions today.