A Leader's Passing: Planning
for a Celebration of Life + Legacy

As an organization plans to celebrate the life of its beloved leader, the goal is three-fold: Bring glory to God, honor a life and communicate that the mission will continue. When should planning for such an occasion begin? Many organizations underestimate the number of intricate decisions involved in preparing to achieve these goals successfully.

Discussing the eventual homegoing of a ministry leader is difficult in any season. However, planning for the eventual death of a leader is paramount—for the benefit of the leader’s family, the connected ministries and staff, and members of the general public who have been influenced by that leader’s ministry.

Guardian was asked to help guide one ministry as it considered the impact of a life-threatening diagnosis for its founder. Our team collaborated with the ministry team to first determine the desires of the family and the organization’s leadership. Then, we began creating communications materials and plans at a time when the ministry leadership had the space to consider how best to communicate the news of its founder’s eventual passing, rather than making those important decisions under the pressure of grief.

We oversaw the communications and logistical planning for the in-person memorial service, working with the staff of a well-known church in the leader’s home city.

During the planning phase and in the days surrounding the leader’s death, our team offered counsel on notifying the ministry’s staff, donors, partners and key constituents; audience-specific messaging; social media strategies; website content adjustments; and navigating media relations inquiries. We also provided a roadmap for memorial events, including research and logistics—always deferring to the preferences of the family and the desired posture of the ministry.

We oversaw the communications and logistical planning for the in-person memorial service, working with the staff of a well-known church in the leader’s home city. Some 1,800 invited guests attended the service, which was also livestreamed to more than 24,000 viewers. Our team provided advance volunteer training and was on-site to manage the guest experience, direct volunteers, facilitate special groups, troubleshoot various issues and brief program participants on their responsibilities for the day.

More than a year of initial preparation and development ramped up to three months of detailed memorial service planning, all of which contributed to a smooth on-site and virtual experience for those who participated—allowing people to focus on celebrating the life of the leader and the impact God had through his life.

No one knows how much time is given on this side of heaven, nor how quickly plans, preferences or even diagnoses can change. By beginning the planning process as early as possible and balancing collaboration with an adaptive and flexible approach, we were able to help this ministry successfully honor its leader’s legacy.