Pastoral Care: Resources for Funerals, Hospital Visits & Ministry to Those Grieving
Some of the most important work that pastors do cannot be captured by eyes beyond those in the room. They are holy, sacred moments where pastors enter into the pain of people’s lives full of the compassion, hope and presence of Jesus. We often ask the question “What is the role of a pastor?” Our conviction is that an important part of that description involves visiting the sick in your community, caring for families grieving loss, and suffering alongside the church you love.
However, many of you, though you feel called to that kind of special ministry, might not feel like you are equipped to approach the pulpit at a funeral, or to enter a somber room in the hospital. So we wanted to provide helpful and practical resources, recommended by pastors, to strengthen your ability to step into your calling to care for your people.
We also believe these are powerful resources to share with your staff team, lay leaders, and others in your community who can be empowered to walk alongside your church family in moments of grief.
Books
Resources to Support You
This helpful book walks a pastor through the logistics of memorial services, burials, and working with funeral homes―using the four P’s: Plan, Prepare, Preach, and Perform. It shows how to magnify Christ and the gospel in the midst of all the details, demands, and sorrow that surrounds the death of a loved one.
This straight-forward book integrates the pragmatic “how to” of the funeral process--especially in dealing with “difficult” funerals--with the art of being a caring and healing presence before, during, and after the funeral.
A book of liturgies for seasons of dying and grieving--liturgies such as A Liturgy for the Scattering of Ashes or A Liturgy for the Loss of a Spouse or A Liturgy for the Wake of a National Tragedy or A Liturgy for the Weighing of Last-Stage Medical Options. These are ways of reminding us that our lives are shot through with sacred purpose and eternal hopes even when, especially when, suffering and pain threaten to overwhelm us.
“Suffering is not a problem that requires fixing, but a mystery that requires presence.”
Resources
Read This
10 Helpful Pointers for Hospital Visitation
Visiting the sick in hospitals is an important mandate of pastoral ministry. It provides an opportunity to minister to people who are vulnerable and needy and, in the process, become an instrument of God's healing touch. However, in carrying out this ministry, it is essential that pastors remember some useful pointers that will enhance their visitation ministry. Here are ten of them.
Commendation of the Dying (Catholic)
Prayers and scriptures for you to use as you commit a dying believer to the arms of the Father. From A Collection of Prayers: Christian prayers, ancient and modern.
Service Templates
We have had a few pastors share service templates that may be helpful for you to reference. Included are templates for: Committal (burial) Services, Celebration of Life, and a handful of selected prayers that can serve you in services or pastoral care settings.
Have templates yourself you want to serve other pastors with? Feel free to email us a template we can add to the folder. Email us at contact@ccln.ca.
“Jesus entered into our story to suffer with us and for us and one day to take all suffering away from us. From now until that day, we can follow His example as those who enter into the suffering of others.”