{"id":31554,"date":"2022-09-10T15:34:55","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-tips-for-dealing-with-death-in-your-ministry\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:34:55","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:34:55","slug":"3-tips-for-dealing-with-death-in-your-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-tips-for-dealing-with-death-in-your-ministry\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Tips for Dealing With Death in Your Ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"
Kenny Stier photo – Unsplash <\/p>\n

By Kyle Bueermann<\/em><\/p>\n

As a pastor, you will inevitably and regularly encounter death. <\/p>\n

You’ll sit with church members as they take their final breath. You’ll enter hospital rooms minutes after a loved one has passed. <\/p>\n

Often, you’ll find out about a death even before the extended family or the funeral home find out. You’ll walk families through dark days of mourning.<\/p>\n

Becoming “comfortable” (or, at least as comfortable as possible) with being around death and mourning is essential to ministry. <\/p>\n

But pastor\u2014don’t miss this\u2014some of the most powerful ministry of your life will happen amid the valley of the shadow of death.<\/p>\n

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Here are some tips to effectively minister to those walking through mourning and even who are dying.<\/p>\n

1. Remind your folks that death is a part of life.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

All of us are infected with a terminal case of life. There’s only one way it ends this side of heaven: Death. <\/p>\n

Despite the modern advancements of medicine, statistics continue to show 1 out of 1 persons die. Eventually, every person will encounter death in this life. <\/p>\n

Just last week, I had a conversation with a dear lady in our congregation who, barring a miracle, most likely has only a few months left of life. <\/p>\n

Her husband passed away last summer, and she is, to put it simply, ready to be Home. <\/p>\n

She’s currently undergoing an aggressive form of chemotherapy that has some terrible side effects and is ready to call it off and enter hospice care. <\/p>\n

As you might imagine, she’s feeling a mix of emotions. There’s sadness that she won’t be around longer to be with her son, grandkids, and friends from church. But there’s excitement to see her Savior!<\/p>\n

I was able to visit with her, pray, and remind her she’s walking through something that’s a part of this life. Death is something everyone experiences. <\/p>\n

Therefore, it doesn’t do us any good to tiptoe around it. We must address it from the pulpit often, and we must remind our people that, eventually, death is coming for them.<\/p>\n

2. Remind your folks that death is not “normal.”<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Seemingly, this contradicts what I said before. Yes, death is normal for us, but it’s not normal. <\/p>\n

It’s a part of life. It’s inevitable. But it’s not the way it’s supposed to be. <\/p>\n

Death was never a part of God’s original plan but is a result of the Fall. Therefore, the pain of death is real. It hurts.<\/p>\n

While believers certainly have hope beyond the grave (more on that in a bit), let’s not minimize the genuine pain that death brings. To do so can be perceived as diminishing the value of what (or who) was lost. <\/p>\n

Minimizing that pain will certainly risk alienating your people during some of the darkest days.<\/p>\n

And along these lines, I’d also caution against the many clich\u00e9s used during times of death and mourning. <\/p>\n