Practical guide to provide caring and healing before, during, and after the funeral.
Death happens, often at the most inopportune times--for the deceased, the family, and to be honest--for the pastor. The gathered and grieving friends and family have high expectations of the pastor. They expect the pastor to bring comfort in the midst of crisis, peace in the midst of pain. They want a sign of God's presence when God seems absent or powerless. Confused, they want clarity regarding next steps. All eyes are on the pastor. No pressure....
This straight-forward book underscores the premise that ministering through the funeral process, though challenging, is one of the great privileges of ministry. The book integrates the pragmatic "how-to" of the funeral process, especially in dealing with "difficult" funerals. It equips the pastor to provide a caring and healing ministry of presence before, during, and after the funeral. The book moves through the "story" of the funeral process from Preparing for Death (ch 1), The Death Event (ch 2), Meeting with Family and Friends (ch 3), Planning the Service (ch 4), The Service (ch 5), and Following Up (ch 6). Using examples, it provides templates and checklists (for download) for the specific ministry functions appropriate at each stage.