A Christian funeral follows the 4 parts we already touched on above: the visitation, funeral service, committal service and finally the funeral reception.

The funeral service part is where most of the specific Christian funeral traditions occur. The funeral service takes the form of any other Christian mass with a couple nuances. The main purpose of a Christian funeral service is to pray for the soul of the deceased, and to provide support to the grieving family. 

The funeral service starts with guests entering the church or chapel and taking their seats. It is recommended that guests arrive about 15-20 minutes prior to the start of the service. There is then a small procession down the main aisle of the church by the immediate family and the pallbearers who are carrying the casket. The casket will generally be placed in front of the altar, and the immediate family and pallbearers will sit at the very front. Once everyone has gathered together, the priest will give an opening statement that is either a prayer or a statement of support for the family, or a combination of both. After the opening statement, the mass officially begins. A traditional funeral service typically includes scripture readings from the Bible, a homily from the priest, prayers, and hymns. A homily or sermon is a speech given by the priest after scripture has been read. The Priest will provide insight into the scripture readings and will relate it to the life of the deceased in some manner. Generally, the family will choose close relatives or friends to say the prayers and the scripture readings. The funeral service often concludes with the delivery of the eulogy. The eulogy usually covers the deceased’s life, his/her values, personality, accomplishments, etc. 

Since there are so many sects of Christianity there will be small differences between a catholic funeral compared to a Lutheran funeral, but for the most part the funeral rituals are the same.