1. ORDER OF SERVICE: –

 Despite the diversity of funeral rites, the ceremony should include certain Christian values and practices. Time should be given for prayer and for the reading of appropriate scriptural passages. Mourners should be encouraged to look to Jesus as the conqueror of death and the One who has the power to raise the dead. Words of comfort based on the sure promises of God’s Word should be shared. Help the mourners to leave the ceremony with hope rather than despair. The following suggested order of service may adapted to fit the customs of your community:   

Music
Scripture reading
Prayer
Life story of the deceased (obituary)
Music
Testimonies
 Photograph church, family and friends
Sermon (15-30 minutes)
Committal of the body (if the service is held at the graveside)
Music
Closing prayer

2. HELPFUL BIBLE PASSAGES:
THE FOLLOWING MAY PROVE HELPFUL IBN YOUR PREPARATION OF A SCRIPTURE READING OR SERMON:

(a)General: Job 14:1-2, 14:15, Psalms 23:1-4, Psalms 27:4-5, 13-14; Psalms 46; Psalms 90;Psalms 91:1-2, 11-12; Psalms 121; Isaiah 35:3-10; Isaiah 40:28-31; Isaiah 43:1-2; John 14 1-6; Romans 8:14-39; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:51-55; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1Thessalonians 5:1-11; Hebrews 4:14-16; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Revelation 7:15-17 Revelation 14:13; Revelation 21:1-4; Revelation 22:1-5.

(b) Funeral of a child: 2 Samuel 12:16-23; Mark 10:13-16
(c) Funeral of a young person: Ecclesiastes 11:6-10; Ecclesiastes 12; Luke 7:11-15 (d) Funeral of a godly woman: Proverbs 31:10-31; Acts 9:36-42; Matthew 26:10-13.
(e) Funeral of the elderly: Genesis 5:24; Genesis 15:15; Matthew 11:28; 1 Timothy 4:6-8.

3. NEW PARISH INDUCTION:
The holy Seed Church tends to take for granted the acceptance of a new pastor in the parish and community. As a result, new pastors are left alone to work their way into the affection of church members. Not enough emphasis is placed on assisting the bonding process between new pastors and their congregations. Some special services only pastors can perform; elders cannot. A new parish induction is a special service only elders, assisted by conference/mission leaders, can perform; pastors cannot. If you do not emphasize this significant service, very possibly no one will.

(a)DIFFICULTTIES OF TRANSITION:
The transition of a pastoral family from one parish to another may engender anticipation and enthusiasm on the part of both family and parish. However, the change can be delicate and difficult. It is invariably accompanied by some degree of grief.

(b) CONGREGATIONAL GRIEF:
In marriage, a loss through divorce may be more devastating than a loss through death, for in divorce the loved one chooses to leave. As a result one feels rejection leads to anger. Likewise, when a pastor chooses to move from one parish to another, the congregation feels some degree of grief, rejection, and anger: “What is wrong with us?” “Why would our pastor want to leave us?” “I got hurt loving the last pastor. I am not going to love the new one and get hurt again.”

If the previous pastor did not choose to leave, but was arbitrarily reassigned by the conference/mission, the congregation may be angry at the conference and reset the replacement. If the previous pastor was not appreciated, the congregation may feel distrust of and anger toward all ministers. People tend to resent and resist change- especially conservative people, and these make up a large portion of most congregations. New pastors invariably represent change. Therefore, there may be some temptation to resent and resist the new pastor.                                   

 (c) PASTORAL FAMILY GRIEF:
The pastoral family has much more to grieve over than the church family. They get uprooted- an experience especially devastating to spouse and children. They move into a new town and a strange house, with financial and socials trains. The children have to start In a new school. The spouse may have to hunt for a new job. Most serious of all, the pastoral family has had to leave their friends. Where the congregation may be grieving the loss of one family, the new family is grieving the loss of all their friends in their previous parish. All of this adds up to potential problems during pastoral transitions.

[d] SMOOTHING THE TRANSITON:
Some suggestions for smoothing the bury the old. The old must be set aside before the new can be accepted. The congregation can express its appreciation and verbalize its grief over losing the outgoing pastor through a well-promoted and attended farewell. Do not replace too soon. Some may feel that new pastor must assume responsibilities immediately after the former pastor leaves. Research, however, indicates that it typically takes about three months before a congregation is ready to welcome a new pastor.

 This interim period gives time for church members to separate themselves emotionally from the former pastoral family. It also provides a unique opportunity for the latent lay leadership of the parish to emerge. Meanwhile, the congregation rediscovers its need to be pastured. Celebrates the new. Conference/missions and congregations should make the service of installing a new pastor as significant an event as possible. Just as a wedding is an important symbolic act publicly establishing a new home, an installation service for a pastor is an important symbolic act publicly establishing a new pastorate. One different, though, is that the bride can plan her own wedding. Pastors cannot plan their own installation.

 Elders and conference/mission officials must take the responsibility. Elders or other congregational leaders should not do it by themselves, as pastors are employed and assigned by the conference. Conference officials must not do it by themselves, as though they are authoritatively imposing the pastor on the congregation. The congregation is a community, a church family. The conference representative is normally not a member of that family and thus can hardly welcome the new pastor to it. Too often the conference/mission official makes only a brief introduction of the new pastoral family on morning Glory. The church then plans only a secular, social event as a welcome. It is far better to have a formal, spiritual installation service. In some situations pastors and members of other churches in the area may be invited.

(e)PASTORAL INSTALLATION SERVICE:
 Ideally the installation service should be part of the Sunday worship service, when most members are present. The suggested service below emphasizes introduction of the entire pastoral family. Certain pastoral families might not prefer this much public exposure, but some agreeable emphasis should be placed on welcoming the whole family. The pastor’s family, not the pastor, is most likely to feel unwelcomed. Introduction of conference/mission representative -
The head elder should introduce the conference representative as coming to present the new pastoral family.

Conference representative’s remarks: – The conference representative should explain the purpose of the installation service: to help bond the church and pastoral family together and to dedicate the new pastor –church team to ministering in the community. The conference leader should also introduce each member of the pastor’s family, presenting a brief biographical sketch of each. An additional option: the conference leader may present to the pastor a tray with a lighted candle for each church in the parish, and then a charge to keep the lights shining brightly and help them grow in number.

Welcome by local elder: – The elder speaks for the congregation in welcoming the pastor. The entire pastoral family may be invited to the platform, in which case the elder’s spouse may well give a special welcome to the pastor’s spouse. A child, youth leader, or church school teacher from the congregation could welcome the pastor’s children.

Litany – Elders: We come on this day to open a new chapter in the history of our church, the beginning of a new pastorate.

Congregation: We have received gifts from God, who has equipped us for ministry, and provided a new pastor to lead, train, and encourage us.
Pastoral Family: We come seeking to serve you in lifting up Jesus Christ that together we might grow.
Congregation: We invite you to lead us in our walking with God.
Pastoral Family: We seek your love as we become part of this church family.
Congregation: We wish to have you as part of our family, and we open our hearts to you.
Conference Representative (to pastor): God has given to you the challenge of leading these people in their preparation for the soon coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor: I accept this challenge. Under God, I pledge to do my best always to lift Him up.

Conference representative: As a church, you face the challenge of presenting the gospel to your community.
Congregation and Pastor: We accept this challenge to present the living Christ through our lives and our ministries.

All: We covenant, before Christ and each other this day, to place Christ first, to seek the guidance of His Spirit, and to work together for the hastening of his coming.

Installation Prayer: The pastoral family might face the congregation with the conference representative on one side of them and the head elder on the other. Other elders or church leaders may be invited forward to form a human chain from the pastor and elder on the platform to the first pew. Everyone, including the congregation, is then invited to join hands and kneel together for the installation prayer. This act symbolizes a uniting of pastor and people.

The head elder prays, inviting the congregation’s commitment in supporting the new pastor. The conference/mission representative prays, officially installing the pastor as congregation leader. The conference representative then leads the elders in welcoming the new pastoral family with a handshake. Pastor’s Sermon / Church welcome after the service closes, as the congregation leaves the sanctuary, members welcome the pastoral family. A fellowship meal provides an excellent closing to the installation.