Skip to content
Pastor.CareShop

Funerals

Lay Funeral Leader Kit: lead a funeral with confidence

Asked to lead a funeral and not sure where to begin? This kit is the order of service, the committal and graveside words, five sermon outlines and prayers of comfort, all in one print-ready set, with the Eulogy Writer included. $65, instant download.

By Jon Horton · Updated

You were asked. You said yes. Now what?

The family is grieving, the funeral home is waiting for a plan, and everyone assumes you know what to do. You can. A funeral follows a simple pattern, and this kit gives you the words, the order and the timing, so you can focus on the family instead of the paper in your hands.

For lay leaders and chaplains

The family is counting on you to know what comes next

Everything you need to plan and lead a funeral, in one print-ready set, with the Eulogy Writer included.

  • Complete order of service (church, chapel, graveside)
  • Committal and graveside words
  • Funeral sermon outlines (5 themes)
  • Prayers of comfort by tradition
  • Their name and pronouns filled into every prayer, script and cue card
  • Eulogy Writer included ($25 value)

$65

one-time · instant access

Instead of a clergy honorarium at $150–$400

  • Secure checkout by StripeWe never see your card.

  • Instant accessYour download link is on screen and in your email. It works for 7 days, and we re-send it any time.

  • 30-day no-questions refundNot right for you? Email us and we refund you.

  • Opens in Word, Google Docs and CanvaNo special software. PDFs print as they are.

  • A person answershello@pastor.care is read by a real person.

What happens after you pay

  1. Pay with Stripe
  2. Download your files on the next screen
  3. Type their name once, so every prayer and cue card has it

After checkout

Their name, already in every page

After checkout, type the person’s name and choose he or she. Every prayer, script and cue card in the kit arrives with the name and the right pronouns filled in, so you read the words aloud instead of editing brackets.

Names of readers and other family members stay in brackets for you to add. The kit also comes as print-ready PDFs.

You type, once

  • Name
  • He or she

Arrives filled in

  • Every prayer
  • Every script
  • Every cue card

Who the Lay Funeral Leader Kit is for

Anyone who is not a pastor and has been asked to lead a funeral, a memorial service or a graveside service. In our experience, that is usually one of these people:

  • A church elder, deacon or lay minister covering for a pastor who is away, sick or has just left.
  • A chaplain at a hospice, hospital, nursing home or workplace, asked to lead a service for someone with no church.
  • A friend or family member the family trusts more than a stranger, who has agreed to lead the service.
  • A small-church leader who has not led a funeral before and wants a reliable plan.

If you are leading a graveside service only, start with our free graveside service script. It is the same wording the kit uses.

What is inside the kit

1. A complete order of service, for three settings

A timed order for a church funeral, a chapel service and a graveside service, with who leads each part and sample words to say. You will always know what comes next and about how long it will take. See a free version in our funeral order of service guide.

2. Committal and graveside words

The committal in the traditional wording of the Book of Common Prayer (1662) and in plain modern language, with notes for burial, cremation and entombment, and what to do with the soil, the flower and the silence.

3. Five funeral sermon outlines

For a faithful believer, a sudden or tragic death, a long life, a person whose faith is unknown, and a child. Each has Scripture, structure, sample lines and a list of what not to say. A free preview is in our funeral sermon outlines.

4. Prayers of comfort, labeled by tradition

Opening prayers, prayers for the family, prayers for a death after long illness or sudden loss, and closing blessings. Each is labeled Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox or any Christian tradition, so you can choose the ones that fit the family. Scripture is quoted from public-domain translations, and each is named.

5. Cue cards and a day-of run sheet

A one-page run sheet with times, names and cues, and large-type cue cards for your parts of the service. Fold them into your Bible or a folder.

6. A family meeting guide

The questions to ask the family beforehand (what they want, what to avoid, who will speak) and what to confirm with the funeral director.

7. The Eulogy Writer, included

See below. The tool alone is $25.

Sample pages from the kit

These are real pages from the kit, as they look in the PDFs. Where the person’s name goes, the PDF shows [Name] and [he / she]. After checkout you can have every prayer, script and cue card arrive with the name and the right pronouns already filled in. The kit is formatted for letter-size paper and for reading on a phone.

  • Lay Funeral Leader Kit page: the timed order of service for a 50-minute church funeral, with a table of times, parts and who leads each one, and a leader's note
    A timed order of serviceOrder of service: a church funeral in 50 minutes, with who leads each part
  • Lay Funeral Leader Kit page: the traditional committal words from the Book of Common Prayer 1662, with a leader's note about pausing after dust to dust
    The words at the graveCommittal words: the traditional 1662 wording, with a note on what to do at the grave
  • Lay Funeral Leader Kit page: funeral sermon outline 2 of 5, God near the brokenhearted: a structure table with timings for each part, and sample lines to say aloud
    A funeral sermon outlineSermon outline 2 of 5: God near the brokenhearted, with timings and sample lines to say
  • Lay Funeral Leader Kit page: prayers of comfort for a sudden loss, each labeled by tradition (Catholic, Orthodox, any Christian tradition) with a note on when to use it
    Prayers, labeled by traditionPrayers of comfort after a sudden loss, each labeled Catholic, Orthodox or any Christian tradition
  • Lay Funeral Leader Kit page: the day-of run sheet, a blank table with times, parts, who and cues, plus a contacts table for the funeral director and musician
    The day-of run sheetRun sheet: print it, fill it in, and keep one copy for the funeral director
  • Lay Funeral Leader Kit page: the family meeting guide, listing questions to ask about the person, their faith and what the family wants, with a leader's note
    The family meeting guideFamily meeting guide: the questions to ask before you plan anything
Lay Funeral Leader Kit cue cards: card 1, Before you begin, and card 2, Opening sentences, in large type, side by side on one sheet to cut and fold into a Bible
Large-type cue cardsOne card for each part you speak. Print, cut and fold them into your Bible. The PDF pages show [Name] where the person’s name goes. After checkout, you can have the name and pronouns filled in for you.

The Eulogy Writer is included

Leading a funeral almost always means someone needs to speak about the person, and that someone is often a family member who has never written a eulogy. The kit includes the guided Eulogy Writer. The family member answers a few questions about the person, and gets a full, personal draft with two revisions: shorter, warmer, funnier or more faith-filled. It never asks how the person died, and their answers are not stored.

How it works on the day

  1. The week before. Meet with the family using the family meeting guide. Choose the order, the readings and the speakers. Send the order of service to the person making the program.
  2. The night before. Print your cue cards in large type. Read your parts aloud once, slowly. Pack a pen, water, tissues and a spare copy.
  3. At the service. Arrive early. Greet the family. Check with the funeral director. Follow the run sheet. If something changes, the cue cards tell you how to adjust.
  4. Afterward. Thank the readers and musicians, give the family your cue cards if they would like them, and follow up with a call the next week.

What is free and what the kit adds

We believe in giving useful help away. Many of the pieces of this kit are free on this site: the graveside service script, the funeral order of service, the funeral sermon outlines, and eulogy examples. If you are comfortable assembling those yourself, you may not need the kit.

What the kit adds is the work of putting it together: one complete, consistent set for the whole funeral, in print-ready and editable form, with the cue cards, the run sheet, prayers of comfort by tradition, the family meeting guide and the Eulogy Writer. It is for the person who has two days and wants one thing to open.

What the kit is not

  • It is not counseling. pastor.care helps with words, rites and logistics and does not counsel.
  • It is not legal advice. Funeral and burial rules differ by state, cemetery and funeral home. Ask your funeral director.
  • It does not replace the family’s own pastor or priest. If the family belongs to a church, invite their pastor to take part.
  • It is not a substitute for your own care. If you are carrying a lot of grief yourself, find someone to talk to. A licensed counselor or a local grief group is a good place to start, and 988 is available any time.

Also planning the program? See the funeral program templates. Looking for readings? Bible verses for a funeral. For the people who are grieving, condolence messages. Everything is linked from the funeral planning hub.

Lead the service with a plan in your hands

The order of service, committal words, five sermon outlines, prayers by tradition, cue cards and the Eulogy Writer, in one set.

$65

one-time · instant access

Eulogy Writer included.

Secure checkout by Stripe. 30-day no-questions refund. Questions? hello@pastor.care. Not ready? Browse the free funeral help.

Common questions

Do I need to be ordained to use the Lay Funeral Leader Kit?

No. The kit is written for people who have been asked to lead a funeral without being clergy: elders, deacons, lay ministers, chaplains, friends and family members. Where a tradition has rules about who may lead a rite, the kit says so and suggests how to work with the family’s priest or pastor.

Which Christian traditions is it for?

The order of service, committal and sermon outlines are written for Protestant and nondenominational settings, with plain language that works in most churches. The prayers of comfort are labeled by tradition (Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, or any Christian tradition), and the kit notes where a Catholic Mass or Orthodox service has its own fixed rites.

What format is the kit in?

A set of print-ready PDFs you can read on a phone or print in large type, plus editable versions so you can change a name, a reading or a prayer. You can download it immediately after checkout.

How does the included Eulogy Writer work?

The Eulogy Writer (a $25 product on its own) is included with your kit. It helps you or a family member write a full eulogy from guided questions, with two revisions. Access is unlocked with your purchase, in the same browser you used at checkout.

I only need the graveside words. Is the kit worth it?

Probably not. The graveside service script is free on this site, and so are the order of service and sermon outlines. The kit is for people who are leading the whole funeral and want everything in one print-ready set, with prayers by tradition, cue cards and the Eulogy Writer. If you only need part of it, start with the free pages.

Can I use it for more than one funeral?

Yes. The kit is yours to keep and use for as many services as you lead, in your own ministry or care team. Please do not resell or share the files.

What if I am not happy with it?

30-day no-questions refund. Email hello@pastor.care and we will refund you, no questions asked.

Keep reading