Methodist Funeral Songs
About Methodist Funeral Songs Funeral Songs
The Methodist funeral — formally called a "Service of Death and Resurrection" in the United Methodist Book of Worship — centres on a theology of grace that distinguishes it from other Protestant traditions. Where Baptist funerals emphasize "Blessed Assurance" (the certainty of individual salvation), Methodist funerals emphasize "Amazing Grace" — God's prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace that works in human lives from beginning to end. This theological framework shapes every musical choice. Charles Wesley, co-founder of Methodism with his brother John, wrote over 6,000 hymns that remain the denomination's musical DNA. "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" describes God's love as transformative, not merely comforting. "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing" celebrates grace that "sets the prisoner free." These are not passive hymns of resignation — they declare that God's grace has been active in the deceased's life and continues beyond death. The Methodist funeral service follows a structured order: gathering, proclamation of the Word, commendation, and sending forth. Music serves each moment differently. Gathering hymns like "Abide with Me" acknowledge grief. Mid-service hymns like "It Is Well with My Soul" subordinate sorrow to faith. The sending-forth hymn — often "Love Divine" or "For All the Saints" — points the congregation toward resurrection hope. Whether your church draws from the 1989 United Methodist Hymnal or projects contemporary worship lyrics, this guide covers the full range of Methodist funeral music.
Top Methodist Funeral Songs Funeral Songs
Amazing Grace
Traditional
This beloved hymn speaks of salvation and the journey from loss to grace, offering profound comfort to those grieving.
Precious Lord, Take My Hand
Mahalia Jackson
Its heartfelt plea for divine guidance through life's darkness resonates deeply with mourners.
It Is Well With My Soul
Horatio Spafford
Despite devastating loss, Spafford declared 'it is well' - a profound statement of faith that inspires mourners.
The Lord's My Shepherd
Traditional (Psalm 23, Crimond tune)
Frames death as walking through a 'valley of shadow' with a divine protector. The familiar words provide muscle-memory comfort even for those who haven't attended church in decades.
Tips for Choosing Methodist Funeral Songs Funeral Songs
Tip 1. Methodist funerals are governed by the United Methodist Book of Worship, which calls the service a "Service of Death and Resurrection" — the name itself frames death as passage, not ending. Choose songs that reflect this theology of resurrection hope.
Tip 2. Charles Wesley wrote over 6,000 hymns. His funeral staples — "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling," "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing," and "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" — form the backbone of Methodist funeral music. These hymns emphasize God's transforming love.
Tip 3. The United Methodist Hymnal (1989) is the standard reference. Hymns #57-152 cover "God's Nature" and #261-312 cover "The Grace of Jesus Christ," where most funeral selections are found. Familiarity matters — choose hymns the congregation already knows.
Tip 4. Methodist funeral music follows a progression: gathering hymns of comfort (Abide with Me), a congregational hymn of faith mid-service (It Is Well), and a sending-forth hymn of hope (Love Divine). This arc from grief through faith to hope is distinctly Wesleyan.
Tip 5. Unlike Baptist services that emphasize individual salvation certainty, Methodist funerals emphasize communal grace — "prevenient grace" that precedes any human action. Hymns like "Amazing Grace" take on a specifically Methodist meaning: grace that sought us before we sought God.
Tip 6. The pastor typically selects at least one hymn, but families choose the rest. Coordinate with your pastor and church organist — most Methodist organists know these hymns from memory and can adjust arrangements for the service.
Tip 7. For contemporary Methodist services, blending traditional Wesley hymns with modern worship songs like "10,000 Reasons" or "In Christ Alone" bridges generational preferences while maintaining theological substance.
Tip 8. The committal (graveside) service traditionally uses "For All the Saints" or a reading of the Apostles' Creed set to music. Ask your pastor about your church's committal traditions.
Complete List of Methodist Funeral Songs Funeral Songs
Traditional
A timeless hymn of redemption and hope that has comforted mourners for centuries.
Why it's meaningful: This beloved hymn speaks of salvation and the journey from loss to grace, offering profound comfort to those grieving.
Best moment: Often played during the processional or as a closing hymn.
Mahalia Jackson
Written by Thomas Dorsey after losing his wife and infant son, this deeply personal hymn has become the quintessential gospel funeral song.
Why it's meaningful: Its heartfelt plea for divine guidance through life's darkness resonates deeply with mourners.
Best moment: Perfect for processional or during reflection moments.
Traditional Hymn
A majestic hymn praising God
Why it's meaningful: Offers hope of reunion in heaven and celebrates faith
Best moment: Powerful as a congregational hymn or solo performance.
It Is Well With My Soul
Horatio Spafford
Written as Spafford sailed over the spot where his four daughters drowned, this hymn of faith emerged from unimaginable grief.
Why it's meaningful: Despite devastating loss, Spafford declared 'it is well' - a profound statement of faith that inspires mourners.
Best moment: Powerful testimony of faith during the darkest moments.
The Lord's My Shepherd
Traditional (Psalm 23, Crimond tune)
The metrical Psalm 23 set to the 'Crimond' tune, famous for its soaring descant. The bedrock of Presbyterian hymnody and the most requested funeral psalm worldwide.
Why it's meaningful: Frames death as walking through a 'valley of shadow' with a divine protector. The familiar words provide muscle-memory comfort even for those who haven't attended church in decades.
Best moment: After the Old Testament reading or during reflection. The congregation knows the words instinctively.
Jerusalem
William Blake / Hubert Parry
Blake's visionary poem set to Parry's majestic march. A secondary national anthem in England evoking fierce resilience and the triumph of building heaven on earth.
Why it's meaningful: Less about personal grief, more about collective resilience and victory. Sends the congregation out on a triumphant, defiant note.
Best moment: Almost exclusively a recessional. The rousing march requires a strong organ and confident congregation.
Amazing Grace (Bagpipe Version)
Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
The world-famous 1972 recording that made bagpipe music a global phenomenon. The definitive funeral bagpipe piece.
Why it's meaningful: Combines the most beloved hymn with the most emotionally powerful instrument. The recording that started it all.
Best moment: Any moment — processional, reflection, or recessional. Universally appropriate.
In the Garden
Traditional Hymn
A beloved hymn about walking and talking with Jesus in a peaceful garden setting.
Why it's meaningful: Offers comfort through its imagery of personal communion with the divine.
Best moment: Often requested by elderly individuals for their own services.
The Old Rugged Cross
George Bennard
A cherished hymn about sacrifice and salvation, beloved by older generations.
Why it's meaningful: Reflects the deep faith that sustained many through life's trials.
Best moment: Meaningful for those who held strong religious convictions.
Abide With Me
Traditional Hymn
A beloved hymn asking for divine presence through life's journey and at the hour of death.
Why it's meaningful: Offers comfort through faith in God's constant presence.
Best moment: Traditional evening hymn often requested by the elderly.
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Traditional
A stirring American patriotic anthem with deep historical significance.
Why it's meaningful: Honors those who fought for freedom and justice throughout American history.
Best moment: Powerful choice for military and veteran services.
His Eye Is on the Sparrow
Ethel Waters
Inspired by a disabled couple's unwavering faith, this hymn assures God watches over the smallest creatures and us.
Why it's meaningful: The message of divine care and protection brings comfort, reminding us loved ones remain in God's watchful care.
Best moment: Beautiful during quiet reflection or meditation.
Because He Lives
Bill and Gloria Gaither
Written during the turbulent late 1960s, this song finds hope in Christ's resurrection as the answer to life's uncertainties.
Why it's meaningful: Christ's victory over death gives mourners hope that their loved one shares in eternal life.
Best moment: Hopeful choice for celebrating resurrection faith.
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Traditional Hymn
Written by Joseph Scriven to comfort his mother after his fiancée drowned, this hymn emphasizes Jesus as the ultimate friend who bears our sorrows.
Why it's meaningful: Scriven's personal tragedy inspired words that comfort millions facing loss.
Best moment: Comforting during quiet reflection or congregational singing.
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
John Greenleaf Whittier / Hubert Parry (Repton)
A hymn calling for silence, calm, and the 'still small voice.' The Repton tune is one of the most beautiful melodies in English hymnody.
Why it's meaningful: Its meditative quality provides genuine rest from grief: 'Drop Thy still dews of quietness, till all our strivings cease.' A sonic sedative.
Best moment: Post-sermon reflection or during prayers. Perfect for those who valued inner peace.
Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
Henry Francis Lyte / John Goss (Lauda Anima)
Based on Psalm 103, a hymn of pure objective praise that shifts focus from the mourner's feelings to God's sovereignty. Sung at the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II.
Why it's meaningful: Reframes the service from grief to gratitude: 'Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven.' The full organ and choir descant create genuine majesty.
Best moment: Entrance processional. Begins the service with focus on God rather than loss.
Be Not Afraid
Bob Dufford, SJ
A product of the St. Louis Jesuits that speaks from God's voice directly to the believer: 'I go before you always.' Deeply embedded in American Catholic consciousness.
Why it's meaningful: Reassures the soul facing death that they will not face it alone. The refrain is simple enough for grieving congregations to join.
Best moment: Recessional hymn — sends the family out with divine assurance rather than human despair.
Here I Am, Lord
Dan Schutte
Based on the calling of Samuel and Isaiah. Reframes the deceased's life as one of answering God's call and service to others: 'Whom shall I send?'
Why it's meaningful: Celebrates a life of service. The call-and-response format between cantor and congregation creates communal participation.
Best moment: Offertory or Entrance. Works for anyone who dedicated their life to serving others.
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
Charles Wesley / Blaenwern or Hyfrydol
One of Wesley's masterpieces focusing on the 'new creation' — asking God to 'finish thy new creation' so the believer may be 'lost in wonder, love, and praise.'
Why it's meaningful: A powerful closing hymn that looks forward to the beatific vision. The final verse transforms grief into anticipation of glory.
Best moment: Closing hymn in Methodist and Anglican services. Strong congregational singing is essential.
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Thomas Chisholm
Based on Lamentations 3:23 — 'The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.' A hymn of profound daily gratitude with deep roots in the Methodist and Holiness traditions.
Why it's meaningful: Focuses on God's constancy amidst the changes of life and death: 'Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.' Offers comfort through divine reliability.
Best moment: Early in the service or as a processional. Sets a tone of trust rather than despair.
Nearer, My God, to Thee
Sarah Flower Adams / Lowell Mason (Bethany)
Based on Jacob's Ladder (Genesis 28), reframing suffering and death as the mechanism bringing the soul closer to the Divine. Legendary association with the Titanic.
Why it's meaningful: Transforms death from an ending into an ascent. The Titanic association gives it unmatched emotional resonance regarding acceptance of fate.
Best moment: During the Committal or as a quiet meditation piece. Works as instrumental string quartet.
Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer
William Williams / John Hughes (Cwm Rhondda)
Known as the 'Welsh Rugby Hymn.' Powerful, masculine, and rousing — frames death as a pilgrimage: 'Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.'
Why it's meaningful: The preferred choice for men, especially in the UK. The Cwm Rhondda tune builds to a thunderous climax that fills any church.
Best moment: Opening hymn (processional). The march tempo suits the entrance of the coffin.
It Is Well with My Soul
Horatio Spafford / Philip Bliss
Written after Spafford lost his four daughters in a shipwreck. A hymn of profound acceptance born from unimaginable tragedy: 'When peace like a river attendeth my way.'
Why it's meaningful: Projects deep spiritual maturity. The backstory of its composition makes it perhaps the most emotionally credible hymn ever written.
Best moment: Committal or reflection. The story behind it adds weight that mere melody cannot.
Blessed Assurance
Fanny Crosby / Phoebe Knapp
The Baptist doctrine of Salvation Assurance in song: 'Heir of salvation, purchase of God.' Transforms the funeral from hopeful plea into confident declaration.
Why it's meaningful: The upbeat 9/8 meter ends the service on triumph. A systematic theology of conversion in lyrical form.
Best moment: Closing hymn or recessional. Its buoyant rhythm lifts the congregation out of grief.
Victory in Jesus
E.M. Bartlett
The most distinctively Baptist funeral song. The deceased has won the final battle: 'I heard about a mansion he has built for me in glory.'
Why it's meaningful: Sung with robust enthusiasm, defying death's somber tone. Frames the narrative through 'Victory' — death defeated.
Best moment: THE definitive closing hymn for a Baptist funeral. Sung with energy and conviction.
The Old Rugged Cross
George Bennard
'Cross to Crown' theology: 'I will exchange it someday for a crown.' The struggles of the Christian life traded for eternal reward upon death.
Why it's meaningful: Deeply sentimental focus on the instrument of salvation. Favoured for older saints who lived through the revivalist era.
Best moment: Special music or instrumental prelude. The melody alone carries immense weight.
Franz Schubert
A classical prayer to Mary that transcends religious boundaries with its beauty.
Why it's meaningful: The melody alone can move hearts, offering comfort through pure beauty.
Best moment: Creates a sacred atmosphere during the service.
Eternal Father (Navy Hymn)
Traditional Military Hymn
The official hymn of the U.S. Navy, asking for divine protection for those at sea.
Why it's meaningful: Particularly meaningful for naval veterans and their families.
Best moment: Often sung during Navy and Coast Guard funeral services.
Morning Has Broken
Cat Stevens
A celebration of new beginnings and the beauty of creation.
Why it's meaningful: Offers hope of renewal and the continuation of life's cycle.
Best moment: Uplifting choice for celebrating a life lived in appreciation of simple joys.
I Need Thee Every Hour
Annie Hawks
Written by housewife Annie Hawks during a moment of spiritual nearness to God, this hymn expresses constant dependence on divine presence.
Why it's meaningful: Recognition of continual need for God provides comfort to those facing the hourly reality of grief.
Best moment: Tender choice during quiet meditation or prayer.
Nearer, My God, to Thee
Traditional Hymn
Solemn hymn often played by jazz bands during the funeral procession, expressing spiritual longing for divine presence.
Why it's meaningful: Combines sacred yearning with jazz tradition, famously rumored to have been played as the Titanic sank.
Best moment: Processional for New Orleans funerals or traditional services.
The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, is Ended
John Ellerton / St. Clement
Queen Victoria's favourite evening hymn. Emphasizes the global, ceaseless nature of the Church's prayer — as the sun sets in one land, it rises in another.
Why it's meaningful: Contextualizes the individual death within the eternal, rotating cycle of God's creation. Perfect for afternoon funerals.
Best moment: Final hymn before the Commendation. The evening imagery suits the close of a service.
I Am the Bread of Life
Suzanne Toolan
Sets the 'Bread of Life' discourse from John 6 to music, explicitly linking the Eucharist to the promise of resurrection: 'And I will raise him up on the last day.'
Why it's meaningful: Theological dynamite for a Catholic funeral Mass. The soaring soprano descant on the refrain is one of the most emotional moments in modern hymnody.
Best moment: Almost exclusively a Communion hymn during funeral Mass.
Thine Be the Glory
Edmond Budry / G.F. Handel (Judas Maccabaeus)
The quintessential Easter/Resurrection hymn set to Handel's triumphant march from Judas Maccabaeus. Unabashedly victorious over death.
Why it's meaningful: Declares death defeated: 'Death hath lost its sting.' The most triumphant possible ending for a Christian funeral service.
Best moment: Recessional. The Handel melody is a march — congregants leave feeling uplifted rather than defeated.
Softly and Tenderly
Will L. Thompson
The quintessential invitation hymn: 'Come home, come home, ye who are weary, come home.' Death as coming home; simultaneously comforts and evangelises.
Why it's meaningful: Dual purpose: comforts by framing death as 'coming home' while quietly calling the living to faith.
Best moment: Reflection after the sermon. Bridges personal grief and proclamation.
Just As I Am
Charlotte Elliott
The Billy Graham hymn. Entering heaven not by works but by faith: 'Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me.'
Why it's meaningful: The simplicity allows grief-stricken mourners to participate without mental effort. The funeral as worship service.
Best moment: Closing invitation or altar call. The slow tempo matches emotional weight.
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Joseph Scriven / Charles Converse
Jesus as sympathetic Friend who bears the mourner's griefs: 'Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?'
Why it's meaningful: Emphasises personal relationship with Jesus — hallmark of Baptist piety. Accessible to those unfamiliar with theology.
Best moment: Family prayer time or viewing. The gentle melody supports quiet, personal grief.
Rivers of Babylon
The Melodians
A reggae adaptation of Psalm 137, expressing longing for a homeland and spiritual comfort in exile.
Why it's meaningful: The biblical roots give it spiritual weight while the reggae rhythm brings warmth. Longing for 'home' becomes longing for heaven.
Best moment: During the service. Bridges secular and sacred beautifully.
My Country, 'Tis of Thee
Traditional
One of America's oldest patriotic hymns, set to the tune of 'God Save the King,' celebrating freedom and faith.
Why it's meaningful: Combines patriotic pride with spiritual devotion. Honours veterans and patriots who served their country.
Best moment: Military or veterans' funeral. Pairs well with flag folding ceremony.