Grief & Bereavement Resources for Ministry Leaders
In ministry, we often walk alongside individuals and families through some of their most vulnerable times. Grief and loss are universal, yet each experience of them is profoundly personal, making compassionate, thoughtful support essential. Many leaders find it beneficial to have resources on hand to offer meaningful care, comfort, and reflection as they guide their communities through times of loss.
Below, are some resources to guide you in your work. If you have a resource that we should add to the mix, let us know in the comments below.
The Centre for the Grief Journey
by Dr. Bill Webster
Dr. Bill Webster’s Centre for the Grief Journey (based in Oakville, Ontario) offers many grief related resources. His work includes articles, workshops, and accessible educational tools designed to help individuals and leaders understand and process grief.
Find ebooks, a video series and more here:
The Grief Journey.
Dignity in Care by Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov
The Dignity in Care initiative, led by Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov, is rooted in three core values essential to compassionate healthcare: kindness, humanity, and respect. In a world where time and resources are often stretched, Dignity in Care provides practical ideas and tools to help healthcare providers uphold these values at every step of patient care.
For over 25 years, Dr. Chochinov and his research team—alongside collaborators in Australia, England, and the United States—have dedicated their work to developing the Dignity Model, which demonstrates how healthcare professionals can positively influence the dignity of those they serve. This model recognizes the profound impact of respectful and empathetic communication, not only improving patients' experiences and satisfaction but also supporting the well-being and job satisfaction of healthcare providers.
The Dignity in Care approach is grounded in the idea that treating dignity as a conscious goal within healthcare can bring transformative results, particularly at the bedside. Research has shown that when healthcare teams prioritize dignity in patient interactions, it enhances the quality of care and helps preserve patients' sense of self-worth, even in end-of-life settings. Dr. Chochinov’s pioneering work has led to key interventions such as Dignity Therapy and the Patient Dignity Inventory, both widely respected tools designed to help patients articulate their needs and maintain a sense of meaning and value during difficult times.
Dr. Chochinov, a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and a Senior Scientist at CancerCare Manitoba, has received numerous awards and honors, including induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame and recognition as an Officer in the Order of Canada. His contributions, spanning over 300 publications, include influential resources like Dignity Therapy: Final Words for Final Days and the development of the ABCD of Dignity in Care, which offer practical strategies to embed dignity in everyday healthcare practice. Through these resources, Dr. Chochinov continues to shape compassionate care, reminding us that dignity is not merely a concept but an essential part of humane, patient-centered care.
Learn more here: Dignity in Care
Find the research here.
Dr. Anne Simmonds
Dr. Anne Simmonds is a dedicated spiritual care provider whose career spans nursing, chaplaincy, and theology. Her work with the dying instilled in her a passion for helping others find meaning and purpose, not just at the end of life but throughout all of it. Now Minister Emerita at Rosedale United Church in Toronto, she continues to lead workshops, retreats, and spiritual mentoring sessions, guiding others to reflect on their soul-life and personal journeys in her writings.
Her insights are grounded in both theological and psychological perspectives, making her workshops and writings beneficial for ministry leaders looking to deepen their understanding of the grief journey.
Find her work here: Anne Simmonds.
Dr. Pamela McCarroll
Dr. Pamela McCarroll, also associated with Emmanuel College, has made significant contributions through her work on grief, hope, and spirituality. Her writings provide nuanced reflections on the human experience of loss and renewal, offering ministry leaders both scholarly and pastoral tools to navigate the often complex terrain of grief.
More about her work can be found here: Pamela McCarroll.
Books by Dr. Pamel McCarroll
Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care in the Twenty-First Century
Wendy Cadge and Shelly Rambo demonstrate the urgent need, highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to position the long history and practice of chaplaincy within the rapidly changing landscape of American religion and spirituality. This book provides a much-needed road map for training and renewing chaplains across a professional continuum that spans major sectors of American society, including hospitals, prisons, universities, the military, and nursing homes.
Written by a team of multidisciplinary experts and drawing on ongoing research at the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab at Brandeis University, Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care in the Twenty-First Century identifies three central competencies—individual, organizational, and meaning-making—that all chaplains must have, and it provides the resources for building those skills. Featuring profiles of working chaplains, the book positions intersectional issues of religious diversity, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and other markers of identity as central to the future of chaplaincy as a profession.
The End of Hope--The Beginning: Narratives of Hope in the Face of Death and Trauma
Our experiences of hope in the face of difficulties are as varied as our lives, and yet there has been very little examination of the ways we hope.A skilled and compassionate storyteller, McCarroll introduces readers to five expressions of hope through detailed and poignant case studies. On that foundation she then builds a discussion of the possibilities, limitations, and value of each approach. The result is an engaging and optimistic exploration of hope in difficult times.
Waiting at the Foot of the Cross: Toward a Theology of Hope for Today
How do we hope in the face of modernity's failure and postmodernity's absence of foundations? How do we hope when the future seems fearful and no clear way forward appears? How do we hope when despair, indifference, and cynicism dominate the psychic landscape of English-speaking North America? In dialogue with theologians of the cross George Grant and Douglas John Hall, this book unmasks the failure of hope in our time and the vacuum of meaning that remains. As an exercise in the theology of the cross, Waiting at the Foot of the Cross explores the North American context as one in which true hope is discovered only when life's negations are engaged from a posture of waiting trust. Such hope is not passive or blind. Rather, it is attentive, active, open, and spiritually grounded in the One who meets us when all hope is spent. The final chapter proposes a way toward hope for today that inspires subversive resilience in the face of the ambiguities and vicissitudes of life. Readers interested in the theology of the cross, in thinking theologically in our time and place, and those interested in the character of Christian hope will find this book compelling.
The Center for Loss and Life Transition by Dr. Alan Wolfelt
Founded and led by Dr. Alan Wolfelt, a renowned death educator and grief counselor, the Center for Loss and Life Transition is dedicated to supporting those who are grieving and those who care for them. Dr. Wolfelt’s approach is based on his “companioning” model, which emphasizes walking alongside mourners rather than “treating” them, allowing for a compassionate and empathetic way to support those experiencing loss. Located in Fort Collins, Colorado, the Center offers a range of resources, including workshops, training sessions for bereavement caregivers, and a Companion Bookstore featuring books, DVDs, and other grief-support materials written by Dr. Wolfelt.
The Center serves as an educational hub for caregivers, whether they are professionals or volunteers, providing tools to help them offer sensitive, meaningful support. Dr. Wolfelt’s extensive work has been shared with hospices, hospitals, schools, and community organizations across North America, where he continues to inspire with his compassionate messages about healing in grief. For more resources, training opportunities, or to explore Dr. Wolfelt’s books, visit Center for Loss and Life Transition.
Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA)
The CHPCA has resources related to grief and bereavement, specifically focused on the Canadian context. Their website includes information, campaign materials for National Grief and Bereavement Day, and resources to support those affected by loss in diverse contexts.
Find everything here: Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association.
Your Friendly Pocket Book for Grieving Hearts
Loss is tough to navigate. This book befriends children in their grief and gives them an outlet for their big feelings.
your friendly pocket book is a storying journal for grieving hearts, giving space and time for children and families to process, reflect, and grieve death. Written in a friendly voice, it is invitational, relational, and sincere; filled with educational insights, prompts, and space for reflection. Designed to be marked on and scribbled in, the book is meant to serve anyone with a grieving heart.
Find it here: chasinglion.com
*A Ministry Forum community member recently noted they use this resource at funerals and often order several copies to hand out to any children (or anyone who wants one) as part of the service.
Start A GriefShare Group
A GriefShare support group is a safe, welcoming place where people understand the difficult emotions of grief. Through this 13-week group, participants discover what to expect in the days ahead and what’s “normal” in grief. Since there are no neat, orderly stages of grief, participants learn helpful ways of coping with grief, in all its unpredictability—and gain solid support each step of the way.
Each weekly GriefShare group begins with a 30-minute video featuring respected experts on grief-related topics and helpful stories from people who have experienced loss. Their insights will help participants manage emotions, gain clarity, and find answers to some of their questions as they walk through the grief process.
After the video, the group members spend time discussing what was presented in the video and what is going on in their lives. Talking with other people who understand what they’re experiencing brings comfort, normalizes the grief experience, and offers a supportive environment to work through grief.
The participant guide serves as a road map on the grief journey. This book helps participants process emotions and experiences and cope with the loss. They can apply what they’ve heard in the group and gain tools to deal with complicated grief.
Grief Share also offers a series for surviving the holidays - find that here.