dying well in Christ -
Why the church's care at life's end matters

Sunday January 26th, 2025

12:30pm-4pm


Presentation Summary: 

Death and dying is the church’s realm. When our last hour approaches, the time for medicine and attempts at bodily cures cease. For the child of God, what was begun in Holy Baptism, is completed in death as the Church sees the saint safely into the arms of Jesus for all eternity. The whole life of a Christian is a preparation for when that last hour comes.



For the child of God at life’s end, the care provided by the Church via the Pastor and family of God are paramount as the dying one is wrapped in Christ’s mercy and the cross of Christ is held before his eyes. 

How can we create a growing awareness and a larger conversation across the church of the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of the saints as death draws near, and work to intentionally foster a more consistent practice of merciful care within the body of Christ?


We'll start with Scripture and weave in the church's practice through the centuries as we talk about these things in the context of our present day. We will look at where the church has ceded ground to the world and the industries that serve the dying and discuss how we can work to restore the church's place when death draws near. We'll talk about current trends in funerals and burial customs and see if they align with what we confess. We'll talk about our own individual end of life planning and how the lens of our faith can and should inform the decisions we make, and we’ll discuss how the church goes ‘beyond the casserole’ in the care of our fellow members

when death draws near.


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What to expect

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This Seminar is especially suited for:

  • Those looking to the church for spiritual, emotional, and physical needs as death draws near
  • Looking for ways to foster a consistent practice of merciful care for the dying
  • Looking for specific ways to care for fellow members and their families
  • Christians evaluating current funeral trends and burial customs

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Deaconess Pamela Nielsen

Deaconess Pamela Nielsen has served the church for nearly 40 years, as a parish deaconess, Director of Community Services for Concordia Theological Seminary (CTSFW), as the Senior Editor for Sunday School Youth and VBS materials at Concordia Publishing House and as Associate Executive Director of Communications for The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. After graduating from the Concordia University Chicago Deaconess Program, she went on to Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind., to earn a master’s degree in religious studies. 


In 2021, she stepped away from corporate Synod work and has been focused on the Church's care at life's end, connecting with others working in this space while studying the history, theology and current practice around death and dying.  She hopes to raise awareness and start a conversation across the church about end-of-life care and how the people of God can and ought be more involved. She is a member of the Association of Death Educators and Counselors and serves on the Chaplaincy and Church Relations Committee for Lutheran Senior Services of Missouri, the 12th largest non-profit senior living organization in the country. She also serves on the boards of Concordia Publishing House, Lutherans for Life, and DOXOLOGY. 


Pam is married to Jeff, her husband of 39 years. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren. Pam and Jeff live in Ballwin, Missouri and are members of Hope Lutheran Church in St. Louis.


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