9 Pastoral Preparations for Death Events

1. Get educated and ready before the need arises.
2. Compare and make connection with 1-2 trusted funeral homes and keep connection fresh. 
3. Decide your suggestions for funeral and burial options and establish the costs of these.
4. Establish with church leadership if the church will cover any certain costs on behalf of members or attenders (i.e.:  cover a basic funeral package with a certain funeral home or cover the cemetery plot or a headstone).
5. Encourage your people to make their living trusts and establish their funeral arrangements long in advance.
6. Make a known protocol within the church that triggers immediately upon the passing of a member ( leadership and membership notification/ meal plans, critical information given to the family by the church/ flowers/ etc).
7. Spread the word in your church to call a pastor as soon as a death occurs for spiritual and planning help.
8. Determine a default timeline and set of planning questions that is ready to present to the family of the deceased before they meet with the funeral director. (this ensures the family’s ability to come to an optimal and coached plan, and still allows the director to provide the remaining needed services).
9. Seek permission from the family to have a church representative attend the arrangement meeting with the funeral director in order aid planning and to protect the family during the purchasing of products and services.

examples of some of these items can be downloaded from this site's Death and Burial page