Top Highlights

• Place the emphasis not on the deceased but rather on appeals to the living, urging them to trust in Christ.
• Offer to assist in enlisting pallbearers and making calls as needed on behalf of the family.
• Offer to arrange for people who can provide food, house out-of-town relatives, or assist in readying the house for guests and provide child care for little ones. Bible study and small group leaders will likely want to join you in caring for the family members. Make appropriate phone calls to ensure that leaders are mobilized.
• Instead of choosing an assortment of texts, select a single text or two and open it up by explaining it to the congregation and making application in light of the gospel.
• DON’T try to do the funeral directors’ job. Remember that they are professionals. Instead, consult with them to find out the logistics of where you need to be prior to the service, where you need to sit, and how you will close the service and turn the reins back to the director. Avoid telling a funeral director how to do his or her job.