What is the funeral service planning worksheet form template?
When someone dies, the family often has only a few days to make dozens of decisions, usually across several conversations with a pastor, a funeral director and each other. Details get lost: which hymn Grandma loved, who agreed to be a pallbearer, whether the ashes will be at the service. A planning worksheet gives everyone one record to work from.
This template takes the family through it in three pages. First, the person who has died and the family member who'll be the main contact, with the funeral home's details. Then the shape of the service: what kind, when and where, who leads it, any viewing, and whether there'll be a burial or a cremation. Choosing "Cremation" brings up questions about the ashes, the urn and the interment, while "Burial" asks about the cemetery and the committal.
The last page gathers readings, music, tributes, pallbearers, an obituary draft and photos, and the reception. The finished worksheet is saved as a PDF in your FileIt vault, so the officiant, musicians and hospitality team are all working from the same page.
- Best for
- Churches, chaplains and faith communities supporting families after a death
- Filled in by
- A family member, often with the pastor or a funeral coordinator
- Time to complete
- About 15 minutes, and it can be done in a planning meeting
- Includes
- Service type and venue, burial or cremation details, readings and music, pallbearers, uploads and reception plans
Who uses a funeral service planning worksheet form?
- A pastor's planning meeting with a family the week of a funeral
- A church funeral coordinator passing details to musicians and the hospitality team
- A memorial service several weeks after a cremation
- A celebration of life organised by friends rather than family
- A hospice chaplain helping a family think ahead
Questions on this funeral service planning worksheet form
43 questions over 3 pages · includes file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages.
1 The person and the family
- Full name*
- The name family and friends used
- Date of birth
- Date of death*
- Their connection to our community Member · Attended sometimes · Family of a member · No connection
- Anything about their faith or beliefs that should shape the service?
- Your name*
- Your relationship to them*
- Phone*
- Funeral home or director
- Funeral home phone
2 The service
- What kind of service?* Funeral with the body present · Memorial service · Graveside service only · Celebration of life
- Preferred date
- Preferred time
- Where?* Our place of worship · Funeral home chapel · At the graveside · Somewhere else
- Name and address of the venue* asked only when it applies
- Who would you like to lead the service?
- Will there be a viewing, wake or visitation?
- When and where? asked only when it applies
- Burial or cremation?* Burial · Cremation · Natural or green burial · Not decided yet
- Cemetery asked only when it applies
- Will the family go to the committal? asked only when it applies Yes, everyone is welcome · Family only · No committal
- What will happen to the ashes?* asked only when it applies Interred in a cemetery plot · Placed in a columbarium niche · Interred in a memorial garden · Scattered · Kept by the family · Not decided yet
- Where will they be interred or scattered? asked only when it applies
- Date of interment, if known asked only when it applies
- The urn asked only when it applies We have one · Choosing with the funeral home · We'd like advice
- Will the urn be at the service? asked only when it applies
3 Music, people and reception
- Readings, scriptures or poems
- Hymns, songs or music
- Music provided by Our organist or pianist · A soloist · A choir or music team · Recorded music · A family member
- Who will give a eulogy or tribute?
- Pallbearers asked only when it applies
- Honorary pallbearers asked only when it applies
- Ushers or greeters
- Obituary or order of service draft
- A photo for the order of service or screen
- Will there be a reception or gathering afterwards?*
- Where? asked only when it applies
- Roughly how many guests? asked only when it applies
- Food asked only when it applies We'd welcome help from the congregation · We're using a caterer · The family is arranging it · No food
- In place of flowers, donations to
- Anything else you'd like us to know?
The funeral service planning worksheet form, page by page
1 The person and the family
The page opens with the person who has died: "Full name", "The name family and friends used", date of birth, "Date of death", their connection to your community, and anything about their faith or beliefs that should shape the service. The family contact then gives their name, relationship, phone and email, and the funeral home or director with its phone number.
2 The service
"What kind of service?" offers a funeral with the body present, a memorial service, a graveside service only, or a celebration of life. The family adds a preferred date and time, and "Where?" — your place of worship, a funeral home chapel, the graveside or somewhere else, which asks for the venue. They name who they'd like to lead, and say whether there'll be a viewing, wake or visitation.
"Burial or cremation?" decides the next questions. Burial asks for the cemetery and whether the family will go to the committal. Cremation asks "What will happen to the ashes?" (a cemetery plot, a columbarium niche, a memorial garden, scattering, kept by the family, or not decided yet), where and when the interment will be, the urn, and "Will the urn be at the service?".
3 Music, people and reception
"Readings, scriptures or poems" and "Hymns, songs or music" leave room for who reads and what's played, and "Music provided by" lists the usual options. The family names who will give a eulogy or tribute. For a funeral with the body present, "Pallbearers" and "Honorary pallbearers" appear. Ushers, an obituary or order-of-service draft, and photos for the printed program or screen come next. "Will there be a reception or gathering afterwards?" opens the venue, guest numbers and food. The page ends with "In place of flowers, donations to" and any other wishes.
Make the template yours
- Rename the service types to the words your tradition uses
- Add the specific rites your community offers, such as a vigil, rosary or janazah prayer
- List your own musicians in "Music provided by"
- Remove the reception section if your hospitality team arranges it separately
- File worksheets in a pastoral folder only the clergy can see
- Add your organist or hospitality lead to the notification emails
Tips for a better funeral service planning worksheet form
- Fill it in with the family rather than sending a link at a hard moment
- Ask about the person's life before the logistics — the answers shape everything else
- Leave "Not decided yet" as a real choice; families often need a day or two
- Confirm pallbearers personally before printing the order of service
- Keep a copy so you can check in with the family on the anniversary
Every response becomes a PDF in your vault
The worksheet becomes a PDF in your FileIt vault with the obituary draft and photos attached, and the form owner is emailed. The family contact receives a copy, which helps when relatives ask what's been decided.
If plans change, fill in an updated worksheet and both versions stay in the Responses table, with the latest at the top.
- Start from this template. It opens in the FileIt Forms designer — change any question, add pages, set the rules for when questions appear.
- Share it. Turn on a public link, or send it to people by email, each with their own link. They don’t need a FileIt account.
- Get the answers as PDFs. Each response is saved as a PDF in the vault folder you choose, with uploaded files attached — and listed in a Responses table you can export to CSV.
Funeral service planning worksheet form: frequently asked questions
Is this funeral planning worksheet free?
Yes. It's one of the starter templates in FileIt's Forms app, available on every account including the free plan.
Can a family plan a memorial service without a body present?
Yes. Choose "Memorial service" or "Celebration of life", and the pallbearer questions stay hidden.
What does choosing cremation change?
It shows questions about the ashes, the place and date of interment, the urn, and whether the urn will be at the service. Burial shows the cemetery and committal instead.
Can we upload the obituary and photos?
Yes. There's a file question for an obituary or order-of-service draft and another for up to three photos.
Does this replace the funeral home's paperwork?
No. It plans the service with your community. The funeral home will have its own forms.
Can someone use it to plan their own funeral in advance?
Yes. Reword the first page's headings and make "Date of death" optional, and it works as a record of personal wishes.