When you see someone in your church or community who is dealing with the deep, raw pain that happens after a loved ones’ death, your heart may ache to help. You understand—maybe from personal experience!—that grief can be profound and brings life-altering changes. And while many people are willing to help, they don’t always know how to help. This is where GriefShare groups come in.
GriefShare is a 13-week, Christ-centered support group program hosted by people just like you. Today, over 20,000 churches are equipped with this ministry.
The need for grief support is great
The need for grief support is immense. In your community—and in your church—individuals are silently struggling with the pain of losing a loved one. Some may have lost a spouse, a parent, a child, another relative, or a close friend. Grief, when not processed in a healthy way, can lead to isolation and depression, as well as spiritual and emotional hardship.
Thankfully, we have a heavenly Father who intimately knows this pain and calls on us to be His hands and feet to bring comfort to the hurting:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:3–5
Offering a grief support group within your church is one way to provide Christ’s comfort—allowing you to create a safe space for people to process their grief, find comfort, and ultimately experience healing.
To understand just how many people need grief support, watch the video below; it highlights the vast number of individuals who are suffering silently from grief—and illustrates the growing need for churches to step up and provide resources for those walking through the valley of loss.
Why people choose to lead a GriefShare group
People choose to lead GriefShare groups for many different reasons, but at the heart of this choice is the desire to help the hurting find hope and healing after the death of a loved one.
One GriefShare group leader, Carla, shares the story of what inspired her to lead GriefShare:
One of the reasons I became a GriefShare leader was because I wanted to come alongside other people in their loss and simply walk with them. Having walked through profound loss myself, I knew I was uniquely equipped to relate to people who were now facing loss.
When people come to GriefShare, they are surprised by the intensity of their own emotions. But by the latter weeks, we find that people move away from being overwhelmed by their emotions and they move toward peace. It’s been a blessing to be part of facilitating that process.
How a GriefShare group works
A GriefShare group is a 13-week, biblically based grief support program designed to help participants process their grief, find support, and move toward healing. Your group can be hosted in person, online, or both! Plus, the program features grief-recovery expert content—meaning your volunteers don’t need to be trained counselors to facilitate the group or lead discussions.
Each week, participants attend a session that includes three essential components:
1. Video with expert insights: Each session begins with a 30-minute video featuring top Christian counselors, grief experts, and personal testimonies from those who have walked through loss—encouraging participants and giving them practical tips they can apply to what they’re going through.
Group discussion: After the video, participants have the opportunity to discuss what they’ve learned, share their own experiences, and hear from others in group. This time to share and listen is vital as it allows participants to process their emotions in a safe, supportive setting while connecting with others who understand the pain of grief.
Personal reflection: Throughout the week, participants will use their participant guide to process what they’re learning during the group time. The workbook contains Scripture, journaling prompts, and practical exercises to help participants understand and work through their grief at their own pace.
Plus, a GriefShare group kit comes with everything you need to lead a group, including access to the weekly videos (online and on DVD), a leader’s guide with lesson plans, online training for leaders and volunteers, personal coaching for any questions you have, promo materials, group management tools, and more!
Topics covered in the program
The GriefShare program is designed to help people cope with the different emotions and experiences that come with grief. Some key areas include:
- Understanding what’s normal in grief
- Seeing grief as a journey rather than a set of stages
- Coping with loneliness, guilt, anger, and other difficult emotions
- Understanding why grief feels so overwhelming and unpredictable
- Rebuilding life after loss and finding new purpose
- Moving forward in hope while honoring the memory of the loved one
How to host a GriefShare group
GriefShare was designed to be easy to host, and the kit comes with everything you need to lead. Taking the following steps can help you get started:
- Preview the program: You can take a look at these sample session videos, leader’s guide, and participant guides for an overview of the content. This video will help you see how the curriculum works and how it might fit into your church’s ministry offerings.
- Order a kit: The GriefShare kit includes everything you need to launch a group, including access to the session videos, a leader’s guide, and participant workbooks. The materials are user-friendly, making it easy for anyone to lead a group—even if you or your volunteers have no experience leading a grief support group.
- Equip volunteers: Your GriefShare group will run best with a handful of dedicated volunteers who can help facilitate the conversations. Choose facilitators who are compassionate and good listeners. They don’t need to be grief experts—GriefShare provides all the training and materials necessary to lead the group effectively.
- Promote the group: Once you’ve ordered your kit and gathered your volunteers, it’s time to spread the word about your group in your church and community! Your GriefShare kit comes with access to digital and print promo materials. Plus, when you post your group on our Find a Group search tool, it allows potential participants to find you.
Free personal coaching for GriefShare leaders
As you step into a GriefShare group ministry, you and your volunteers are never alone! Our full-time GriefShare ministry coaches are available to provide ongoing support for you and your leaders every step of the way. Whether you need help in a specific area or have questions, you can reach out to a ministry coach.
You play a key role in helping people heal
Healing happens in community. When you offer a GriefShare support group at your church, you are playing a key role in helping individuals process their grief in a supportive, Christ-centered environment. And by creating a space to “carry each other’s burdens,” you are helping people discover God’s hope (Galatians 6:2).
If you’re interested in learning more about how GriefShare can benefit people in your church and community, check out this page and explore the GriefShare kits available for purchase.
And if you have questions, please feel free to contact a ministry coach today!
