Funerals for non-believers

The most pertinent passages would be those that are clustered about the so-called Great Commission (for example, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16, and Luke 24:46-47). Also very applicable are all passages calling us to love God and our neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39, Romans Romans 13:8-10).

Assuming that the calling body has not spoken on this issue to forbid or encourage its pastor to officiate at funeral services of publicly identified unbelievers or non-members of the congregation, the pastor must ask a primary set of questions like these: “What am I doing here? What is my purpose or goal, and is this compatible with the faithful preaching of law and gospel to serve the souls of the survivors and onlookers? How will I glorify God and enrich souls here, and how might these purposes be jeopardized?”

For the funeral service of an unbeliever there is no comfort whatsoever we can offer. Faithful preaching of law and gospel to the loved ones of the deceased will most likely antagonize and bring anger rather than joy regarding the loved one who died. The temptation to compromise by neglecting pointed law and remaining silent on the damnable nature of unrepented sin is great, and to do so is ultimately loveless and reprehensible for a servant of the gospel and of souls. Merely to preach the gospel (narrowly defined) without the clear application of law is also unacceptable and invites false assumptions among the audience plus rationalizations about the fate of the deceased.

For the funeral of a non-member or former member, I’d have to know more about the circumstances as well as the spiritual condition of the deceased before I say much. Sample questions that may surface include these: Why would a pastor seek to serve a non-member, assuming the non-member has another pastor to serve? If there was no church membership anywhere, why was there such a public confession – a presumed neglect of the public use of the means of grace and Christian fellowship? What basis is there to assume the non-member had a meaningful confession of saving faith? Etc.

Also involved in this matter is the call to serve as spiritual shepherd of a flock. Pastors do not have calls to serve as pastors of a community or straying sheep in general. But there may be circumstances when we not only serve them but do well to publicly testify to their spiritual life in Christ — based on a private confession of faith known to the pastor — and explain straightforwardly why we are conducting the funeral service of a non-member in a God-glorifying way that will edify souls.