Grief never takes a break, and neither does the need for your church to minister to those walking through loss.
In 2025, God worked powerfully through GriefShare, bringing His comfort to people facing the heartbreak of losing a loved one. With every church that stepped up to host a group, God met grieving people with hope, healing, and the presence of Christ.
Here’s what God did, and why now is the right time for your church to offer GriefShare.
The numbers tell a powerful story
Across the world, churches are realizing that offering support to grieving people isn’t optional—it’s essential. In 2025 alone:
- 15,648 GriefShare groups were active (up from 15,105 in 2024).
- 8,847 churches hosted GriefShare—including 1,533 churches hosting for the first time.
- 90,225 leaders facilitated groups—10,337 were new this year.
- 2.4 million people visited griefshare.org, a dramatic increase from 1.4 million in 2024.
- 775,933 people searched for a group using the Find a Group tool.
- 819 international groups ran GriefShare in 2025.
That’s not just growth; it’s gospel impact. Every one of those numbers represents a hurting individual who took a brave step toward healing. And in many cases, the church was the place they turned to for help.
Built and designed to work with you
GriefShare is a plug-and-play ministry tool that equips your church to care deeply without overextending your team.
- Lay-led model: Most pastors don’t lead the groups themselves. Trained volunteers facilitate sessions using our video-based curriculum.
- Turnkey resources: Your leaders will receive everything they need in an easy-to-follow format.
- Lasting ministry: GriefShare helps you establish a sustainable outreach that grows over time.
GriefShare does not add an extra burden. It’s a clear path for your church to meet a need in your congregation and community
A biblical model of ministry that multiplies
God’s Word gives us a picture of ministry that multiplies:
“The God of all comfort … comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4)
That’s exactly what’s happening through GriefShare.
In 2025, 2,679 former participants returned to serve—helping to lead or start new groups. People who once sat in your group seeking comfort often become the very ones who offer it to others.
As Dr. Paul David Tripp says, “God doesn’t want us to be containers of comfort—He wants us to be conduits of it.”
When grieving people discover that healing is possible and that God is near, they often become some of your most passionate ministry volunteers.
Grief ministry is not optional. It’s urgent.
With nearly 776,000 searches for a local GriefShare group in 2025, people are actively looking for help. Will they find it at your church?
Hosting a GriefShare group welcomes people in crisis into your church community and introduces the gospel to those who may not know Christ. It also strengthens your church’s care ministry with lasting impact, connecting isolated people to loving relationships and pastoral care.
Your next step is simple
You don’t need to create something from scratch. You just need to say yes.
Here’s how to get started:
- Visit griefShare.org.
- Identify a trusted lay leader (or consider someone who’s been through loss themselves.)
- Choose a start date that works for your calendar.
- Launch with confidence. Know we will support you every step of the way.
God is already working
Every number, every story from 2025 points to this: GriefShare works, and the local church is the heartbeat of this ministry.
Thousands of pastors have already said yes. You can too. Help grieving people in your church and community discover the comfort of Christ. Are you ready to start a GriefShare group today?
