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    Christian Minister's Manual for Funerals
    Christian Minister's Manual for Funerals
    Christian Minister's Manual for Funerals
    Ebook138 pages1 hour

    Christian Minister's Manual for Funerals

    By Guthrie Veech

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    About this ebook

    Updated and expanded with 32 pages of additional content designed to meet the growing demands of busy ministers, the Christian Minister's Manual is an essential tool for ministers. This essential tool for ministers features Scripture readings, sermons, outlines, and practical tips for • Worship services • Weddings • Funerals • Ordinations • Communion meditations • Baptisms • Dedications • Hospital visitation • Evangelism • and much more!
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDavid C Cook
    Release dateApr 3, 2017
    ISBN9781434711595
    Christian Minister's Manual for Funerals

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      It's a really useful, well-thought-out, and motivating response. I strongly advise all ministers to read this book.

    Book preview

    Christian Minister's Manual for Funerals - Guthrie Veech

    CHRISTIAN MINISTER’S MANUAL FOR FUNERALS

    Published by David C Cook

    4050 Lee Vance Drive

    Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

    David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

    Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

    The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.

    All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,

    no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form

    without written permission from the publisher.

    Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® and NIV® are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica, Inc. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain.)

    eISBN 978-1-4347-1159-5

    © 2017 Standard Publishing

    First published within the Christian Minister’s Manual © 2012 Standard Publishing

    First Edition 2017

    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

    032017

    CONTENTS

    Preface

    Introduction

    Conducting a Funeral

    Creating a Eulogy

    The Committal

    Other Participants

    After Everybody Went Home

    Suggested Order of Funeral Service

    Designing a Funeral Sermon

    Funeral Sermon Outlines

    For a Friend of God

    For a Believer Well Known to the Minister

    Moved to a Better Home: 2 Timothy 4:7

    A Celebration of Life

    Finding Comfort

    Four Funeral Sermons

    For Death by Suicide: Lessons We Can Learn

    For One Who Died by Suicide

    For an Accidental Death: 2 Peter 1:3-11

    What Does Death Teach Us?: James 4:13-17

    Separated No More

    When Death Is Precious

    General Christian Funeral: The God of All Comfort

    You Can Depend on God—No Matter What

    Christian Woman’s Funeral: The Light of the World

    Courageous Living for the Lord ¹

    A Life Cut Short

    The Cloud of Witnesses: Hebrews 12:1, 2, 22-24

    Faith of a Soldier: Psalm 23

    The Safety in a Savior: Isaiah 43

    For a Christian Man: Comfort from John 14

    For an Elderly Brother in the Church

    For a Christian Sister

    For One Who Made a Deathbed Repentance

    For a Drunk-Driving Death

    For a Public Official

    For One Who Had a Terminal Illness

    For an Infant

    Death of a Child: Be Strong and Courageous

    For a Young Christian Man

    For One Who Died in Mid-Life

    You Cannot Bury Influence

    For a SERVANT

    Four Reasons I Believe We Will Know Each Other in Heaven

    Prayer When Someone Has Died

    Scriptures of Comfort at the Time of Death

    New International Version

    King James Version

    Scriptures for the Death of a Believer

    New International Version

    King James Version

    Scriptures for the Death of an Unbeliever

    New International Version

    King James Version

    Preface

    This small book is part of a larger work, the Christian Minister’s Manual, which has been published for over seventy-five years. It is not the work of one person, but rather the work of many ministers.

    The Christian Minister’s Manual tries to help make the task of ministry doable. Ministry takes education, experience, wisdom, and grace to work with sometimes demanding church members. The manual acts as a resource for dealing with the demanding situations a minister faces every day.

    This book focuses on funerals, which are an important time for a minister to provide comfort to the loved one’s family. This manual explains a suggested order of service for a funeral, gives many sermon outlines appropriate for a funeral, and provides Scriptures to comfort the family of a believer or unbeliever.

    If you find this resource helpful, consider purchasing the full Christian Minister’s Manual, which covers many more topics, including a minister’s call, evangelism, weddings, baby dedications, baptisms, ordinations, and more. The complete manual also comes with downloadable materials.

    Introduction

    This is not a time to win the world to Christ. This is a time when life in the church stops to meet the needs of the deceased’s family. It is a time to offer hope, Scripture, prayer, and assurance. It is a time to collect stories about the deceased to be used in the funeral. The major characteristic in twenty-first-century funerals is story. This is a time to say something good about Jesus and perhaps share an evangelistic Scripture like John 3:16 with little or no immediate follow-up.

    When a death occurs, go as soon as possible to be with the family. You may read some comforting Scriptures, and you should certainly offer to pray with the family. Don’t try to plan the funeral on this visit. The family needs time to absorb the impact of their loved one’s death. You are there to soften the blow, to weep with those who weep.

    Make another visit to plan the funeral. If you cannot meet the family in their home, meet them the night before the funeral at the funeral home during visitation. If the deceased is a Christian, provide assurance of Heaven. If the deceased is not a Christian, find something good to say about the person. This is not a time to preach someone into Heaven or Hell. You are not the judge. You are there to provide comfort for families in need.

    Remember, funerals are not for the dead but for the living. This is another opportunity to represent Christ in a very tough time.

    Conducting a Funeral

    by Tom Hensley

    Traditionally funerals are held in funeral homes, churches, or at the graveside; however, today they may be held just about anywhere, including private homes, public parks, VFW halls, and other social club facilities.

    Being flexible is a necessity when it comes to helping families through the days leading up to a death, the planning of the funeral service, and being involved in the funeral service. The first step is to identify the funeral home and have the family contact the staff, who will handle the specific details. When the service is established, usually the family or funeral home staff will contact the minister to verify your availability for the specific time and place.

    Cremations with memorial services are often scheduled at the convenience of the family. There is no longer as much need for immediate burial as in the past. Sometimes the memorial service does not take place for several weeks.

    The order of the service should always be written down and given to the funeral director. This eliminates potential mistakes and embarrassing moments, plus it puts all of the participants at ease as to how the service will flow.

    A suggested order would be:

    opening words and prayer

    introduction of individual(s) who will share an obituary or personal stories about the deceased

    sharing words of comfort from Scripture and appropriate application of principles and precepts

    prayer and the Lord’s Prayer

    closing remarks and referencing funeral director coming to provide further instructions or dismiss

    Music is generally blended into the service, with normally no more than three songs—one to begin, one as a transition from the obituary to talking points from Scripture, and one to close.

    It is always good to provide the funeral director with an approximate length of your words and when you’ve finished, to be seated. The director will provide additional information concerning the dismissal or procession to the burial site. A short service of about twenty to thirty minutes is preferable to a longer service. When people are dismissed, it is good practice to stand by the door or at the head of the casket to greet the people as they exit. Once everyone has exited the chapel, the casket is closed, and the pallbearers are in place, the minister traditionally leads the procession from the chapel to the hearse and stands out of the way while the casket is loaded. You will also lead the procession from the back of the hearse to the gravesite at the cemetery, as the pallbearers carry the casket to its final resting

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