Baptist Funeral Program Template

The order of a homegoing service

Baptist churches are independent, so no book hands down one fixed liturgy. Even so, homegoing services across many congregations follow an order close enough that guests recognize it immediately. The service builds toward the eulogy, which in most Baptist churches is the sermon itself, preached by the pastor.

A typical printed order looks like this. Your church may add, drop, or reorder pieces, and that is normal.

A common order of service

• Processional, with the family and clergy entering as music plays
• Scripture reading, often one passage from the Old Testament and one from the New
• Prayer of comfort
• Selection by the choir or a soloist
• Acknowledgments, resolutions, and cards, read by the church clerk or secretary
• Reading of the obituary, aloud or in silence as music plays
• Remarks, often limited to two minutes each
• Selection
• Eulogy, preached by the pastor
• Recessional

Music carries the service

In a Baptist homegoing, music is not decoration. The choir and the soloists carry the family from one moment to the next, and a well-placed selection often says what no speaker can. Most services include at least two selections, and many include more.

In the program, these are usually printed simply as Selection, with the choir or soloist's name beneath. If the family has requested specific songs, print the titles and the names of those singing. If a favorite hymn will be sung by the congregation, print the words or the hymnal number so everyone can join in.

Acknowledgments and resolutions explained

If you are new to this part of the service, here is what it means. Acknowledgments are the reading of condolences, cards, telegrams in an earlier day, and expressions of sympathy sent to the family. Rather than read every card aloud, the reader usually summarizes and thanks the senders on the family's behalf.

Resolutions are more formal. A resolution is a written tribute, often from the church, an auxiliary, a lodge, or another organization the deceased served, composed in a traditional form. It opens with Whereas clauses honoring the life, and closes with Therefore be it resolved, committing the body to comfort the family and honor the memory. Resolutions are usually read by the church clerk or church secretary, and the originals are given to the family afterward.

In the program, one line covers both. Acknowledgments and Resolutions, followed by the reader's name. Many families also print a short acknowledgment of their own on the back panel, thanking everyone for their kindness, flowers, and prayers.

What varies from church to church

Because every Baptist congregation governs itself, details differ, and none of the differences are wrong. Some churches include a viewing or final glance before the service begins, and some close the casket before guests arrive. Some print Homegoing Celebration across the cover, others print Celebration of Life or simply Funeral Service. Some invite open remarks, and some limit remarks to two named speakers with two minutes each, a limit worth printing so the service keeps its shape.

The order around the obituary varies too. In some churches it is read aloud by a family member or the secretary. In others the congregation reads it silently while a soloist sings. Print whichever your church practices, and when in doubt, write Obituary followed by the reader's name or the words read silently.

Confirm the order with the pastor

Before anything goes to print, sit down with the pastor or whoever is officiating and read the order straight through, name by name. Pastors carry the service in their heads, and they will hear at once if a selection is in the wrong place or a speaker is missing.

Give the church clerk the same chance to review the acknowledgments and resolutions line. A few minutes of checking spares the family the small grief of a program that does not match the service. When the printed page and the pulpit agree, the whole house can settle in and worship.