A guide for families and mourners
Protestant funerals
Protestant funerals vary more than any other tradition covered here, and that is the first thing to understand rather than a caveat at the end. At one end an Anglican, Episcopal or Lutheran funeral follows a printed liturgy with a defined order. At the other, a service in a Baptist, Pentecostal or independent church may have no set text at all, and is shaped by the minister and the family together.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America says as much about itself: it has no formally approved teaching document on funeral practices, offering guidance rather than rule. So the honest description of a Protestant funeral is a common shape and a common emphasis, not a fixed order of service.
The emphasis is consistent even where the form is not. The death of a Christian is treated as an occasion for thanksgiving and for proclaiming the resurrection, which is why some churches call it a service of death and resurrection rather than a funeral.
- Burial or cremation
- Both accepted across most churches
- The service
- Set liturgy in some churches, no fixed text in others
- Eulogy
- Usually welcome within the service itself
- Ashes
- May be buried, interred in a columbarium, or scattered
One thing to hold in mind
This page describes the common shape, anchored to the Book of Common Prayer for the liturgical end of the tradition and to Lutheran guidance for the emphasis. It will fit an Anglican, Episcopal, Lutheran or Methodist funeral closely and a free church service only loosely, because many free churches use no set order at all. The minister taking the service is the person to ask, and they will expect the question.
What happens, in order
The order below follows the Burial of the Dead in the Book of Common Prayer, which is the clearest published example. Many Protestant funerals follow something close to it; some follow none of it.
The gathering
The service opens with anthems said or sung as everyone stands, on the theme of resurrection and of God's care for the faithful, followed by a collect. There are separate opening prayers for the funeral of an adult and of a child.
The readings
The people sit for the readings. There is normally a reading from the Old Testament with a psalm, then one from the New Testament with a psalm or hymn, and where Communion follows, a gospel reading always comes last. Families are usually invited to choose from a set list, which is one of the few real decisions to make in advance.
The sermon, and the tribute
A homily may be preached, and the Apostles' Creed may follow it. Unlike a Catholic Funeral Mass, a tribute or eulogy about the person is commonly given within the service itself, and in many Protestant churches it is expected. If several people want to speak, say so early.
The prayers
Prayers of intercession follow, for the person who has died and for those who mourn. Where there is Communion the service continues through the Peace and the offertory, with prayers proper to a funeral.
The commendation
The ministers take their places at the body, and the person who has died is commended, entrusted to God's keeping. In the Church of England's Common Worship this prayer of entrusting is not treated as an optional extra. It is the moment the service turns from remembering towards letting go.
The committal
The committal is usually the most solemn point. Earth is cast on the coffin, or the coffin is lowered, or at a crematorium it is moved out of sight. The Book of Common Prayer allows the committal to be said in church instead, or to take place before the service, and it may be used before a cremation.
Cremation, ashes, and what is permitted
This is where Protestant practice diverges most sharply from Catholic and Orthodox teaching, and it is worth being precise rather than vague about it.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America states that a body may be buried in the ground, entombed above ground, committed to the sea, cremated, or donated for medical research or organ donation, and that the church regards all of these as acceptable for a Christian. There is no ranking and no permission to seek.
Ashes are treated with the same latitude. Some congregations provide a columbarium, where individual urns are interred in niches in or near the church building, or a memorial garden near the building where ashes may be buried or scattered and the names recorded.
If you have read our Catholic guide, the contrast is stark: scattering ashes is not permitted in Catholic teaching and is ordinary practice in much of Protestantism. If your family spans both, that difference is worth surfacing early rather than discovering it while making arrangements.
What to ask the minister
Ask first whether the church uses a set liturgy or not. It determines how much is fixed and how much is yours to shape, and it is the single question that most changes what the day looks like.
Ask who may speak and for how long. Tributes are usually welcome, but a service with a fixed order has limits, and it is much easier to agree this in advance than to compress three speeches on the morning.
Ask where the committal falls: at the graveside after the service, at a crematorium, or within the church. The Book of Common Prayer permits several arrangements, so it is a genuine choice rather than a fixed sequence.
If cremation is planned, ask what the church can offer afterwards. Many have a columbarium or memorial garden, and interring ashes somewhere with a name recorded gives people a place to return to, which scattering does not.
If you are attending
Protestant funerals are usually the most accessible to someone outside the tradition, but a few things still catch people out.
Can I attend if I am not religious?
Yes, and it is very common. There will be hymns, prayers and probably a sermon, and nobody expects you to join in with any of it. Standing and sitting with everyone else is enough.
Will there be Communion?
Sometimes, though less often than at a Catholic funeral. If there is, practice on who may receive differs between churches, and the minister will usually say. If in doubt, stay in your seat: it is unremarkable.
What should I wear?
Dark and smart is always safe. Protestant families are among the most likely to request bright colours or a particular team shirt, so read the funeral notice, which usually says.
Flowers or a donation?
Follow the notice. Flowers are generally welcome, unlike in several other traditions, but many families name a charity instead.
Where this comes from
We are not writing from inside this tradition, so everything on this page is drawn from the sources below and we have said what each one was used for. Nothing here is scripture quoted at you, and nothing has been filled in from assumption.
- The Burial of the Dead, Rite One, the Book of Common Prayer (Episcopal Church)
Used for: The order of service: the opening anthems, the collects for an adult and a child, the Old Testament, New Testament and gospel readings with their psalms, the homily and the Apostles' Creed, the prayers, the Commendation at the body, the Committal with the casting of earth, and the rubrics permitting the committal to be said in church, before the service, or prior to cremation.
- What are the marks of a Christian funeral? Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Used for: The emphasis on thanksgiving and the proclamation of the resurrection, the ELCA's own statement that it has no formally approved teaching document on funeral practices, and the list of acceptable dispositions, burial, entombment, committal to the sea, cremation and donation, together with columbaria and memorial gardens where ashes may be buried or scattered.
Tell us if we have this wrong
If you belong to this tradition and something here is inaccurate, incomplete, or simply put badly, we would genuinely like to know. We would rather be corrected than be politely wrong on a page that grieving families are reading. Corrections are made quickly and we will say what changed.
Send a correction