40 Christian Funeral Songs: Hymns, Gospel and Worship Songs

This is a simple list of Christian hymns, gospel songs and contemporary worship songs that families use consistently for funerals. For each one you’ll find a little background, the mood it sets and where it tends to work best in a service.

I’ve also added some notes on how many songs you generally need, who should sing them and how to word them in the funeral program.

How Music Fits Into a Christian Funeral Service

Before you start choosing your favorites its good to know where the songs go. Most Christian funerals in the US will have a very similar structure, from a Baptist church to a Methodist chapel to a funeral home with a visiting minister.

• Prelude: Quiet music while people arrive and find a seat. Usually instrumental, around 10 to 20 minutes.
• Processional: Played as the casket or the family enters.
• Congregational hymns: Songs everyone stands and sings together. Most services have one to three.
• Special music: A solo, a choir piece or a recorded song that the family has chosen. This is often where contemporary Christian songs go.
• Communion music: For Catholic, Lutheran and Episcopal services that include communion.
• Recessional: Played as the casket leaves. This one can be a little more hopeful, even joyful.
• Graveside: Usually one short hymn sung without accompaniment, or none at all.

You don’t have to have a song for every slot. A simple service might only have one congregational hymn, one special song and a recessional.

You might want to ask the church if a song is ok before you fall in love with it. Some churches (Catholic parishes especially) have guidelines about what can be played during the funeral liturgy and secular or pop style songs may need to move to the visitation or the reception instead.

Traditional Hymns for a Christian Funeral

These are the hymns most people will know by heart and this makes them a safe choice for congregational singing. Most of them are also well over a century old which means they’re in the public domain and easy to print in full in your funeral program.

1. Amazing Grace

If there’s one song you can count on hearing at an American funeral it’s this one. John Newton, a former slave ship captain who became an Anglican clergyman, wrote the words, and they were published in 1779. The tune most of us know, called “New Britain,” was paired with it in the 1830s.

It talks about being lost and being found, about danger and about grace carrying someone home. It suits almost anyone, from a lifelong churchgoer to someone who came to faith late in life.

• Best for: Congregational singing, bagpipe processionals, graveside services
• Mood: Peaceful, grateful, familiar

2. It Is Well With My Soul

Horatio Spafford wrote the words in 1873 after his four daughters died when the ship they were sailing on sank in the Atlantic. His wife survived. Philip Bliss wrote the music a few years later and named the tune after the ship.

Knowing that changes how you hear it. It’s not a song from someone who had an easy life. It’s peace that was fought for.

• Best for: Tragic or sudden losses, the loss of a child, a solo or congregational hymn
• Mood: Grief and trust held together

3. How Great Thou Art

This one started life as a Swedish poem by Carl Boberg in 1885. The English version most Americans sing was written by Stuart K. Hine and became hugely popular through the Billy Graham crusades in the 1950s, where George Beverly Shea sang it hundreds of times. Elvis Presley won a Grammy for his recording of it too.

It builds slowly and finishes big, which makes it a lovely choice for someone whos faith was big and joyful. Just note that the English words are still under copyright so check with your church about printing them in the program.

• Best for: A soloist, a strong congregation, a celebration of life with a faith focus
• Mood: Awe, worship, triumph

4. The Old Rugged Cross

George Bennard, a Methodist evangelist, wrote this in 1912 and it’s been a staple in country churches ever since. It’s simple and slow and very personal. If your loved one was raised in a small Baptist, Methodist or Pentecostal church there’s a good chance this was one of their favorites.

• Best for: Grandparents, rural and Southern congregations, viewing or visitation
• Mood: Tender, devotional, old-fashioned in the best way

5. In the Garden

C. Austin Miles wrote “In the Garden” in 1912, imagining Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb on Easter morning. It was a favorite of an entire generation and you’ll often hear it at funerals for women who loved their flower beds. It’s gentle and quiet and works beautifully as a solo.

• Best for: Mothers and grandmothers, gardeners, a soloist with piano
• Mood: Intimate and calm

6. Abide With Me

Henry Francis Lyte wrote this in 1847 while he was dying of tuberculosis. He passed away just a few weeks after finishing it. The tune most churches use, “Eventide,” came later from William Henry Monk. Because it was written by someone facing the end of his own life it has a quiet authority that’s hard to match.

It’s the only hymn that made the top 10 in the Co-op Funeralcare chart of the most-played funeral songs in the UK in 2025. It’s less common in the US but it’s a beautiful pick for an evening service or a loved one with British roots.

• Best for: Older adults, long illnesses, evening or candlelight services
• Mood: Reflective and still

7. Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Thomas Chisholm wrote the words in 1923, drawing on Lamentations 3, and William Runyan set them to music. It’s not a sad song at all. It’s a thank you song, a list of all the ways God showed up morning after morning. That makes it a wonderful choice for someone who lived a long and full life.

• Best for: Long lives, celebrations of life, the closing hymn
• Mood: Grateful and steady

8. Be Still, My Soul

The words go all the way back to Katharina von Schlegel in 1752, with the English translation by Jane Borthwick in 1855. It’s usually sung to “Finlandia,” a sweeping melody by the composer Jean Sibelius. If the family wants something that acknowledges how much it hurts while still looking for hope this is the one I’d suggest first.

• Best for: Raw or difficult losses, families who want to sit with grief honestly
• Mood: Comforting, patient

9. Nearer, My God, to Thee

Sarah Flower Adams wrote this in 1841. It’s tied up in American memory because it was President William McKinley’s favorite hymn and was sung across the country after his death in 1901. It’s also the song the band is said to have played as the Titanic went down (though historians still argue about whether that really happened).

• Best for: Traditional services, veterans, older congregations
• Mood: Solemn, longing

10. What a Friend We Have in Jesus

Joseph Scriven wrote this as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother who was far away in Ireland. Charles Converse added the music in 1868. Its warmth comes from how normal it is. There are no big theological words. It’s just about bringing your sorrows to a friend.

• Best for: Anyone with a quiet, prayerful faith
• Mood: Gentle, reassuring

11. Blessed Assurance

Fanny Crosby, who was blind from infancy and wrote thousands of hymns, wrote these words in 1873 to a melody her friend Phoebe Knapp played for her on the piano. It’s upbeat and works well as a recessional when you want people to leave with their heads up.

• Best for: Recessional, a celebration of life, a strong believer
• Mood: Joyful certainty

12. The Lord’s My Shepherd

This is Psalm 23 set to music. The words come from the Scottish Psalter of 1650, and the tune most people love, “Crimond” is from the 1870s. If you’d like to include Psalm 23 but don’t want it read aloud for the third time that day singing it is a lovely alternative.

• Best for: Presbyterian services, Scottish heritage, any family that leans on Psalm 23
• Mood: Calm and trusting

13. Rock of Ages

Augustus Toplady published this hymn in the 1770s and it’s been sung at funerals for well over two centuries. It’s short and very easy for a congregation to pick up even if they’ve only heard it a handful of times.

• Best for: Traditional Protestant services
• Mood: Steady, sheltering

Hymns About Heaven and Going Home

Some families want the whole service to be about reunion and heaven rather than sorrow. These older hymns are full of that hope and many of them have a lighter, almost bouncy feel that’s surprising the first time you hear them at a funeral. They’re especially good as a recessional.

14. Shall We Gather at the River

Robert Lowry, a Baptist pastor, wrote this in 1864 during a deadly epidemic in New York, when he was thinking about the river of life described in Revelation 22. It’s a song about meeting again which makes it a natural fit for the end of a service.

• Best for: Recessional, graveside, Baptist congregations
• Mood: Hopeful, communal

15. When We All Get to Heaven

Eliza Hewitt wrote the words in 1898 with music by Emily Wilson. It’s cheerful and quick and pretty much impossible to sing slowly. I’ve seen it work wonderfully for someone who was the life of every church potluck.

• Best for: A homegoing celebration, a recessional
• Mood: Celebratory

16. Softly and Tenderly

Will Thompson wrote this in 1880. It’s traditionally an invitation hymn, the kind sung at the end of a revival service, and its gentle “come home” theme makes it very moving at a funeral. The evangelist Dwight L. Moody is said to have told Thompson he would rather have written this hymn than anything he had done in his whole life.

• Best for: Southern and rural services, a soloist
• Mood: Tender, inviting

17. When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder

James Black wrote this in 1893 after a girl from his youth group missed roll call one week. She was seriously ill and died not long after. It has a march-like rhythm, and it’s a favorite at Methodist and Baptist funerals for people who lived their faith out loud.

• Best for: Recessional, a lively congregation
• Mood: Confident, upbeat

18. His Eye Is on the Sparrow

Civilla Martin wrote this in 1905 with music by Charles Gabriel. It’s based on Jesus’s words about God caring for even the sparrows. Ethel Waters made it famous, and Whitney Houston and many gospel singers have recorded it since. It’s a soloist’s song more than a congregational one.

• Best for: A soloist, a mother or grandmother, someone who worried less than anyone you knew
• Mood: Comforting, personal

SEE MORE: Funeral Poems for Memorial Services

Gospel Songs for a Homegoing Service

In many Black churches a funeral is called a homegoing, and the music reflects that. Expect the choir to bring people to their feet, especially toward the end. These songs are as much about praise as they are about grief.

19. Precious Lord, Take My Hand

Thomas A. Dorsey, often called the father of gospel music, wrote this in 1932 after his wife died in childbirth and their newborn son died soon after. Mahalia Jackson made it famous, and she sang it at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral in 1968 because it was his favorite.

It’s one of the most beloved funeral songs in America. It’s a prayer from someone at the very bottom of grief.

• Best for: A soloist, the moment before the eulogy, any heartbreaking loss
• Mood: Raw, prayerful

20. I’ll Fly Away

Albert E. Brumley wrote this in 1929, and it’s been recorded by everyone from Johnny Cash to Alison Krauss. Bluegrass and Southern gospel churches love it, and so does nearly everyone else. If the service needs a moment of lightness, this is it.

• Best for: Recessional, a celebration of life, folks who loved bluegrass
• Mood: Joyful, foot-tapping

21. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

This African American spiritual is usually credited to Wallace Willis, a formerly enslaved man in the Choctaw Nation, before the Civil War. The Fisk Jubilee Singers brought it to audiences around the world in the 1870s. It’s slow, soulful and carries a lot of history with it.

• Best for: A choir or soloist, graveside services
• Mood: Longing, hopeful

22. Soon and Very Soon

Andraé Crouch wrote this in 1976, and it’s become a homegoing classic. It was sung at Michael Jackson’s public memorial in 2009. It’s about seeing the King, and it’s meant to be sung with energy.

• Best for: Recessional, a full choir
• Mood: Celebratory, triumphant

23. Going Up Yonder

Walter Hawkins wrote this in the 1970s, and Tramaine Hawkins’s lead vocal on the recording made it a gospel classic. It builds and builds until the whole church is singing. For someone who spent every Sunday in the choir loft, it’s hard to beat.

• Best for: Choir members, praise and worship leaders
• Mood: Exuberant

24. Because He Lives

Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote this in 1971, and it quickly became a Southern gospel standard. Its message is simple. Because of the resurrection, tomorrow can be faced. That makes it one of the most comforting songs you can choose for a family with young children.

• Best for: Young families, Easter-season funerals, congregational singing
• Mood: Reassuring, forward-looking

Catholic Funeral Songs and Hymns

Catholic funerals follow the Order of Christian Funerals, and music during the Mass is chosen with the parish music director. These are the songs you’ll hear most often. If you’re also choosing readings, our list of Catholic funeral readings can help you match the music to the Scripture.

25. On Eagle’s Wings

Father Michael Joncas wrote this in 1979, based on Psalm 91. It’s probably the most requested song at Catholic funerals in the US today. It’s gentle and sweeping and often used for the final commendation, as the casket is blessed one last time.

• Best for: Final commendation, Catholic Mass
• Mood: Sheltering, peaceful

26. Be Not Afraid

Bob Dufford, a Jesuit priest, wrote this in 1975 using lines inspired by Isaiah 43 and the Gospels. Its message speaks straight to the people in the pews, which is why it’s often sung at the entrance or the preparation of the gifts.

• Best for: Entrance hymn, offertory
• Mood: Encouraging

27. Here I Am, Lord

Dan Schutte wrote this in 1981. It’s about answering God’s call, so it’s a natural fit for a priest, a nun, a teacher, a nurse or anyone whose life was spent serving other people.

• Best for: Clergy, religious sisters, people in serving professions
• Mood: Devoted, purposeful

28. Ave Maria

Franz Schubert’s setting from 1825 is the version most families request. It’s usually sung by a soloist after communion or during the preparation of the gifts. Fair warning, it needs a strong singer. A recording is a perfectly acceptable option if the parish allows it.

• Best for: Soloist after communion, a devoted mother or grandmother
• Mood: Reverent, beautiful

29. Panis Angelicus

The words come from Saint Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century, and César Franck set them to music in 1872. It’s a communion piece, and it’s stunning when sung by a good tenor or soprano.

• Best for: Communion
• Mood: Sacred, still

Contemporary Christian Funeral Songs

These are the songs my nineteen-year-old cousin would have picked every time. They’re newer, they’re often played as a recording rather than sung by the congregation and they tend to mean a great deal to younger family members. Most of them are still under copyright, so you’ll want to list the title and artist in the program rather than printing the words.

30. I Can Only Imagine (MercyMe)

Bart Millard wrote this after his father died, wondering what it would be like to stand before God. It became a huge crossover hit in 2001 and was later made into a movie. It’s now one of the most played Christian songs at American funerals, and you’ll hear it at services for people of every age.

• Best for: A recorded song during the service or slideshow
• Mood: Wonder, anticipation

31. Goodness of God

Released by Bethel Music with Jenn Johnson singing lead in 2019, and later covered by CeCe Winans, this song looks back over a whole life and says that God was faithful in every part of it. It’s become a go-to for celebrations of life.

• Best for: A long, faith-filled life, the closing song
• Mood: Grateful, warm

32. 10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)

Matt Redman and Jonas Myrin wrote this in 2011, drawing on Psalm 103. Many churches already sing it on Sunday mornings, so a congregation under sixty can usually sing along without much help. It also mentions the end of life directly, which makes it surprisingly fitting.

• Best for: Congregational singing in a contemporary church
• Mood: Worshipful

33. In Christ Alone

Keith Getty and Stuart Townend wrote this in 2001, and it’s become a modern hymn sung in traditional and contemporary churches alike. It tells the whole gospel story from birth to resurrection, and its final verse is all about having no fear in death.

• Best for: A blended congregation of older and younger believers
• Mood: Bold, confident

34. Homesick (MercyMe)

Another one from Bart Millard, written out of a season of loss. It’s honest about wanting to be where your loved one is now. It’s best played during a slideshow or quiet reflection rather than as a big service moment.

• Best for: Slideshows, visitation
• Mood: Aching, honest

35. Blessings (Laura Story)

Laura Story wrote this in 2011 after her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It asks whether the hardest things in life might be blessings in disguise. It’s a gentle choice for families who walked through a long illness together.

• Best for: Long illnesses, caregivers, a reflective moment
• Mood: Questioning, trusting

36. Thy Will (Hillary Scott and the Scott Family)

Hillary Scott wrote this after a miscarriage, and it’s about not understanding God’s plan and choosing to trust anyway. Many parents who have lost a baby or a child find real comfort in it.

• Best for: Infant loss, miscarriage, the death of a child
• Mood: Broken but faithful

37. Even If (MercyMe)

Released in 2017, this song is about holding on to faith even when the prayer for healing isn’t answered the way you hoped. If your family prayed hard for a recovery that didn’t come, it says what a lot of people are feeling.

• Best for: Deaths after illness, cancer, a hard fight
• Mood: Honest, steadfast

38. Go Rest High on That Mountain (Vince Gill)

This one sits right on the line between country and gospel. Vince Gill started writing it after the death of fellow singer Keith Whitley and finished it after his own brother died. It was released in 1995, and it’s been a funeral favorite in the South ever since.

• Best for: Brothers, fathers, country music lovers
• Mood: Sorrowful, peaceful

Christian Songs for a Child’s Funeral

There’s no harder service to plan. If you’re in that place right now, I’m so sorry. Many families choose simple, childlike songs for a little one’s funeral, often the songs that were sung at bedtime or in Sunday school. Our child eulogy examples may also help if you’ve been asked to speak.

39. Jesus Loves Me

Anna Bartlett Warner wrote the words as a poem in 1860, and William Bradbury added the tune in 1862. Nearly every child raised in church learns it first. Hearing a room full of adults sing it slowly is one of the most moving things I’ve ever witnessed at a funeral.

• Best for: Babies and young children, Sunday school teachers
• Mood: Simple, tender

40. Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam

Nellie Talbot wrote this cheerful children’s song around 1900. It works best as a recessional, letting the service end on the brightness that a child brought into the world.

• Best for: Recessional for a young child
• Mood: Light, sweet

SEE MORE: Funeral Prayers

How to Choose the Right Christian Funeral Songs

• Start with their favorites. Ask who heard them sing or hum something regularly. Check the bookmarks in their Bible or hymnal. A song they loved will always mean more than a song that’s supposed to be played.
• Think about who will be singing. If most of the room is over sixty traditional hymns will be sung loudly and well. If it’s a younger crowd a contemporary song played as a recording may work better than asking people to sing something unfamiliar.
• Balance grief and hope. A good pattern is something reflective in the middle of the service and something hopeful to close.
• Talk to the pastor or music director early. They know what the organist or pianist can play, what the church allows and how long each part of the service will run.
• Keep it to three or four. Every song adds three to five minutes. Most funeral services last 45 minutes to an hour and a eulogy or two will take a good chunk of that.
• Have a plan for recordings. If you’re playing a recorded song give the funeral director the file well ahead of time and ask them to test it in the room.

It’s also worth knowing you’re in good company if you’re going for more traditional. According to Pew Research Center’s 2023 to 2024 Religious Landscape Study of nearly 37,000 Americans, 62% of US adults still identify as Christian, and for many of those families a funeral without at least one hymn just wouldn’t feel finished.

How to List Songs in the Funeral Program

The funeral program (or order of service) usually lists each song where it falls in the service. For hymns in the public domain you can print all the verses so people can sing along. For newer songs, just list the title and artist. Here are a few ways to word it.

Prelude … Instrumental Hymns, played by Mrs. Ruth Allen
Processional … “Abide With Me”
Congregational Hymn … “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” (Please stand)
Special Music … “I Can Only Imagine” performed by MercyMe
Recessional … “I’ll Fly Away”

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Hymn of Comfort
“It Is Well With My Soul”
Chosen by her children, who heard her sing it in the kitchen every Sunday morning

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A Song She Loved
“In the Garden,” sung by her granddaughter, Emily

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Please join us in singing Dad’s favorite hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross.” The words can be found on the back page.

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If you’d like a short verse to print beneath the list of songs this is one we wrote that you’re welcome to use.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most popular Christian funeral song?

“Amazing Grace” is still the most widely recognized and requested hymn at Christian funerals in the US. Among contemporary songs, “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe is one of the most common choices. At Catholic funerals, “On Eagle’s Wings” is requested more than almost anything else.

How many songs do you need for a Christian funeral?

Most services include three to five songs. A typical pattern is a processional, one or two congregational hymns, one special song and a recessional. A short graveside service may have only one song or none at all.

Can you play contemporary Christian music at a funeral?

Yes, in most Protestant churches and funeral homes. Catholic parishes may ask that recorded or non-liturgical songs be played at the visitation, the graveside or the reception instead of during the funeral Mass. Always check with the officiant first.

What hymn is played when the casket leaves the church?

There’s no single rule, but hopeful hymns such as “I’ll Fly Away,” “Shall We Gather at the River,” “Blessed Assurance” and “When We All Get to Heaven” are common recessionals. Some families prefer something quieter, like “Amazing Grace” played on bagpipes.

Do I need permission to print hymn lyrics in a funeral program?

Hymns written before 1929, like “Amazing Grace,” “It Is Well With My Soul” and “Abide With Me,” are in the public domain in the US, so you can print them freely. Newer songs are still under copyright. Many churches hold a CCLI license that covers printing lyrics, so ask the church office before you print.