“It’s the end of the world, as we know it.” Or at least it often feels that way when a congregation we serve has made a decision to close. What does one say at the end of a congregation when all hope feels lost? When it feels like they have failed? When words alone are not enough to usher the community into what’s next?
As you plan for a holy ending, carefully planned preaching and attention to the liturgy can assist the community in acknowledging its reality, claiming its agency, grieving well, and trusting God with what will be. Think of yourself simultaneously as a hospice caregiver, naming realities and enabling a good death, while also adopting the posture of a spiritual midwife, waiting with hope and watching for signs of resurrection.
Beginning with the end in mind, plan worship that accounts for the congregation’s realities. Name what is possible and what is not. Attend to special “lasts” that may be occurring (last Christmas, last Easter, et cetera). Plan sermons that incorporate the following phrases and themes:
1. There Is No Easter Without Good Friday
During congregational endings, the task of preaching involves leaning fully into the Christian story to claim it as our own and acknowledge all its parts. There is no ecstatic joy without the depths of grief. There is no resurrection without death. There is no Easter without Good Friday.
Mary’s encounter with the resurrected Jesus in John’s gospel (John 20:1–18) reminds us that resurrection transforms and creates for us a new narrative. Whether those first disciples were blinded by grief, disbelieving of what they saw in front of them, or unable to comprehend and trust in the promises Jesus gave, they only recognized Jesus when he called them by name, when he broke bread with them (Luke 24:13–35), and when he showed up for them and met them in their deep need.
Claim the story of death and resurrection in your preaching each week. If we really believe what we preach—that resurrection is real and death is not the end of a story but instead a new beginning with God—then a faithful decision to conclude ministry is a choice to rely on God and trust in resurrection, even when we cannot yet see what that looks like.
2. Grief Is Hard and Holy Work
Grief is real and grief is hard. It’s also holy work. Acknowledge it! Lean on scripture to connect the people of God in the present with those of the past. Consider preaching on Job’s response to his unimaginable losses (Job 1, 3) or Jesus’ response upon hearing the news of Lazarus’s death (John 11:1–44). Recognize that members of the congregation and community may be feeling a number of different emotions all at the same time. Recall the story of the exodus and incorporate the many emotions (joy, relief, sadness, fear, wondering what’s next, wishing they could return to what was familiar) following the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14–16). Remember that a congregational ending holds the ending not only of what has been but also of what could have been. It encompasses the years (decades, et cetera) of work that has been done. Allow the congregation to honor that grief. Acknowledge and name what will not be moving forward even as members of the congregation continue in their faith journeys.
3. Behold What God Has Done
Even in the midst of grief and ending, God is good! God has been at work in these people and this congregation for years! Plan a celebration of the church’s ministry. Think of it as planning a celebration-of-life service for the congregation. Call to mind funeral rites and rituals, and adapt them for use in a communal setting. Consider inviting back those who have drifted away and those who have previously served.
Find ways for church members to give voice to their testimony and share stories of the congregation’s impact in their lives. Preach on Paul’s testimony and witness (Acts 9, 22, 26), and encourage members of the congregation to tell their own stories. Utilize Jonah’s story to illustrate God’s ongoing work even when we find it hard to cooperate. Consider the story of Ruth and Naomi as a way of sharing ongoing companionship through difficult circumstances.
4. Still Faithful
A congregational ending does not mean the end of faithfulness. God is still at work. God’s people are still striving to follow Jesus, albeit in new ways and new places. Plan a season or preaching series on goodbyes and partings (2 Corinthians 13; Acts 20:13–38; 2 Timothy 1:6–14). Consider preaching on Jesus’ Farewell Discourse (John 14–17). Claim the promise of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16–20). Proclaim the good news that God is in the midst of difficult things and we do not yet see the full picture (Romans 8:18–39). Accept and name that you don’t know the end of the story, that God is still writing the story of this congregation and of these beloved people.
Preaching at the end of a congregation’s life is the hard and holy work of proclaiming resurrection in the face of death, of living into the Christian story as our own. With careful attention to the biblical narrative and to the pastoral needs of a congregation, preachers can assist members of the congregation in remaining faithful witnesses to God’s work and in finding their place in the ongoing work of God. So take courage, dear preachers, and do not be afraid to tackle difficult subjects, for God is with you as you faithfully preach and lead. Trust in God’s goodness to carry you and your people through the endings and into new beginnings.