Baptist / homegoing funeral — the order of service

How a Baptist / homegoing service moves

A homegoing celebrates the arrival, not only the loss — which is why the order carries more music, more voices, and the reading of resolutions and acknowledgements aloud. Expect it to run longer, and to be right to do so.

• Musical selections appear throughout, not just at the ends
• Resolutions and acknowledgements are read aloud by name
• The eulogy is a sermon in its own right, delivered by the pastor

How the day runs

A homegoing is longer than most funerals and is meant to be. Two hours is normal, more if the church is full and the choir is good. The order carries more music than any other tradition on this site — selections open the service, cover the offering, sit between tributes, and close before the recessional — and the pastor’s eulogy is a sermon in its own right rather than a summary of the life.

Two elements are distinctive on the page. The obituary is read aloud, often by a church officer, rather than left for guests to read silently. And the resolutions and acknowledgements — the church’s formal statement of condolence and the family’s thanks — are read by name. Both need to be printed in full, because the reader reads from the programme.

What to print, and how much

Homegoing programmes run long: eight to twelve pages is ordinary, covering the order, the full obituary, the resolutions, the acknowledgements, and pages of photographs. Guests keep these for years, so print on the heaviest paper the budget allows and order twenty percent over your guest estimate. A saddle-stitched booklet — folded and stapled on the spine — holds up far better than loose sheets.

Questions families ask

Why is a homegoing service longer?

Because it celebrates an arrival rather than only marking a loss. More voices are given room — choir selections, multiple tributes, the reading of resolutions — and the eulogy is preached rather than delivered as remarks. Plan for two hours and do not apologise for it.

What are resolutions?

A formal statement adopted by the church or an organisation the person belonged to, expressing sympathy and recording their service. It is read aloud during the service and printed in the programme, usually signed off by the officers of the body that adopted it.

Who reads the obituary?

Usually a church officer or a family friend rather than close family, so the family is not asked to read aloud in the hardest hour. Some services have it read silently while a musical selection is played — if so, the programme must carry the full text.

Using this order

Open it in the editor and every item becomes editable. Set the tribute sequence first — it is the part that has to be agreed with the family rather than typed, and everything else moves around it. Draw hymns from the hymns library and readings from the readings library, and the booklet lays itself out as you go. Whoever is leading has the final word — bring them the draft before it goes to the printer.