Conducting Your First Funeral

This course is designed for people seeking to serve local churches as pastoral leaders including Certified Lay Ministers, licensed local pastors, etc.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will:

• Gain a level of comfort with asking the right questions when planning a funeral service.
• Learn how to prepare and lead the funeral service.
• Be able to research, write, and preach a funeral sermon.

Required Texts

Please obtain your textbooks before the course begins.

Danals, Cynthia L. Just in Time! Funeral Services. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0687335060.

The United Methodist Book of Worship. Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1992. ISBN-13: 978-0687035724. Also freely available online in downloadable sections from Discipleship Ministries: Book of Worship.

Recommended Texts

Moore, James W. When Grief Breaks Your Heart. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995. ISBN 13: 978-0687007912.

Smith, Harold Ivan. ABC’s of Healthy Grieving; Light for a Dark Journey. Shawnee Mission, KS: Shawnee Mission Medical Center Foundation, 2001. ISBN-13: 978-1585970735.

Hodgson, Jada D.L. A View from the Fog: A Story of Grief and Loss, and Faith and Hope. Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2016. ISBN-13: 978-1512755923.