Organize essential financial and personal information;

Prepare or update appropriate estate-planning documents;

Understand what an executor or trustee may need to do;

Record funeral and memorial-service preferences;

Evaluate and fund funeral arrangements carefully;

Communicate their plans to family members and fiduciaries; and

Consider legacy and major gifts as one possible expression of faithful stewardship.

Participation is voluntary.

No one is required to disclose assets, debts, heirs, beneficiaries, or gift amounts to the church.

Attendance does not create an expectation of a gift.

Educational sessions should distinguish general information from professional advice.

The church should not draft wills or other legal instruments unless a qualified attorney is formally engaged to provide that service.

Church leaders should not serve as witnesses, notaries, executors, trustees, or attorneys-in-fact merely because of their ministry role.

Confidential information should not be stored by the church unless it is genuinely necessary and the member gives informed written consent.

Donors should be encouraged to provide for dependents and family obligations before considering charitable gifts.

The church should not accept complicated gifts until its governing body has adopted a gift-acceptance policy.

A pastor or pastoral-care representative;

A church administrator;

A finance or stewardship committee member;

An attorney experienced in estate planning or probate;

A certified public accountant or qualified tax professional;

A financial planner or trust officer;

A licensed funeral director;

A denominational foundation or planned-giving representative; and

One or two congregants who have experience settling an estate.

Approve the curriculum;

Review materials for legal and theological accuracy;

Recruit and orient presenters;

Handle registrations;

Protect participant privacy;

Evaluate the program;

Answer gift-policy questions; and

Refer participants to independent professionals.

Do you currently have a will?

Have you reviewed it within the past five years?

Have you named appropriate financial and healthcare decision-makers?

Does someone you trust know where your important records are kept?

Have you written down funeral or memorial-service preferences?

Would a surviving family member know which funeral expenses you have already funded?

Are you interested in learning about charitable gifts through a will, trust, retirement account, or other beneficiary designation?

Which meeting times and formats would be most accessible?

Wills;

Revocable living trusts, when appropriate;

Durable financial powers of attorney;

Healthcare powers of attorney or proxies;

Advance healthcare directives;

Guardianship nominations for minor or dependent children;

Beneficiary designations;

Payable-on-death or transfer-on-death arrangements, where permitted;

Deeds and property ownership;

Business succession documents;

Digital-asset instructions; and

Letters of instruction.

Legal name and identifying information;

Immediate family and key contacts;

Attorney, accountant, financial adviser, insurance agent, and funeral-home contacts;

Bank and investment accounts;

Retirement accounts;

Insurance policies;

Real estate;

Vehicles;

Business interests;

Significant personal property;

Debts and recurring obligations;

Online accounts and digital assets;

Locations of original legal documents;

Safe-deposit-box information; and

Existing funeral contracts or cemetery documents.

Locate the will and other planning documents;

Secure the home, vehicles, valuables, and digital accounts;

Obtain certified copies of the death certificate;

Identify heirs and beneficiaries;

Begin a probate proceeding when required;

Obtain authority to act;

Notify appropriate agencies and institutions;

Inventory and value estate property;

Manage property during administration;

Identify and handle valid debts and claims;

File required tax returns;

Maintain careful records;

Distribute property according to the will and applicable law; and

Close the estate.

Trustworthiness;

Organizational ability;

Willingness to serve;

Availability and geographic practicality;

Family dynamics;

Financial competence;

Ability to communicate impartially;

Age and health; and

Whether a professional fiduciary may be justified.

A list of advisers and family contacts;

The location of the original will and trust;

A summary of assets and debts;

Insurance information;

Recent tax-return locations;

Property and maintenance information;

Business-interest records;

Information about dependents and pets;

Funeral instructions;

Digital-account guidance; and

Any written explanation likely to prevent family confusion.

Burial, cremation, anatomical donation, or another lawful choice;

Preferred funeral home or provider;

Cemetery, columbarium, or scattering preferences;

Visitation or viewing preferences;

Funeral, memorial, or graveside service;

Preferred church and clergy;

Scripture readings, prayers, music, and hymns;

Desired speakers, pallbearers, or participants;

Cultural or family customs;

Military or fraternal honors;

Obituary information;

Charitable memorial-gift preferences;

Livestream or recording preferences;

Reception wishes; and

A realistic spending range.

Request itemized price information;

Compare several providers when possible;

Ask which goods or services are required by law and which are optional;

Avoid making decisions based only on package labels;

Understand cancellation, transfer, refund, and portability terms;

Identify who owns any insurance policy or trust funding the arrangement;

Determine what happens if the provider closes or the family moves;

Ask whether prices are guaranteed;

Keep copies of every contract and receipt; and

Inform the responsible family member about existing arrangements.

Decide who needs to know;

Choose a calm time rather than waiting for a crisis;

Explain the purpose of the plan;

Identify the executor, trustee, and healthcare decision-maker;

State where important documents are kept;

Review funeral preferences;

Clarify whether arrangements have merely been planned or actually paid for;

Explain plans for dependents, pets, and personal property;

Invite practical questions; and

Record changes that need professional attention.

Create a written personal-property memorandum if local law recognizes it;

Discuss heirlooms with family members;

Avoid making contradictory oral promises;

Document loans or advances to family members;

Explain unusual decisions when appropriate; and

Use neutral professional advice where conflict is likely.

What has God entrusted to me?

Which people and obligations require my care?

Which ministries or community needs have shaped my life?

What values do I want my estate plan to communicate?

Should some portion of my estate continue the generosity I practiced during life?

Is an unrestricted gift or a designated gift more likely to remain useful over time?

A fixed dollar amount;

A specific asset;

A percentage of the estate;

A share of the residuary estate; or

A contingent gift that takes effect only if named beneficiaries do not survive.

A retirement account;

A life-insurance policy;

An annuity;

A bank account; or

An investment account.

A major gift is usually defined by its significance to the donor or institution, not by the method used.

A planned gift involves deliberate legal or financial planning and may be made during life or at death.

A gift can be both major and planned.

Exact legal name;

Address;

Tax-identification or charity-registration information, as appropriate;

Denominational or foundation affiliation;

Contact person for confidential questions; and

Sample purpose language reviewed by counsel.

States the donor’s charitable intention clearly;

Allows the church to adapt if the original purpose becomes impossible, impractical, or obsolete; and

Is reviewed by both the donor’s attorney and the church.

Complete the records inventory;

Locate existing estate documents;

Review account ownership and beneficiary designations;

Identify potential fiduciaries;

Begin the funeral-planning worksheet; and

Discuss document locations with a trusted person.

Meet with an estate-planning attorney;

Consult a tax or financial professional as needed;

Compare funeral options and prices;

Speak with clergy about service preferences;

Resolve gaps in insurance or dependent-care planning; and

Review any existing prepaid funeral contract.

Execute or update appropriate legal documents;

Confirm fiduciary appointments;

Update beneficiary designations where appropriate;

Finalize and distribute funeral instructions;

Organize originals and secure copies;

Document any intended charitable gift; and

Schedule the next review.

Marriage, divorce, or remarriage;

Birth or adoption;

Death or incapacity of a beneficiary or fiduciary;

A move to another state or country;

Significant changes in assets or debt;

Retirement;

Sale of a business;

Change in family relationships;

Change in charitable priorities;

Changes in law; or

At least every three to five years.

Program purpose and disclaimer;

Personal-information checklist;

Adviser and emergency-contact list;

Asset and liability inventory;

Document-location sheet;

Digital-assets checklist;

Executor and trustee preparation checklist;

Dependent- and pet-care instructions;

Funeral and memorial-service worksheet;

Funeral-provider comparison table;

Family-meeting agenda;

Legacy-values reflection;

Charitable-gift options overview;

Church legal-information sheet;

Questions to ask an attorney;

Questions to ask a funeral provider;

Questions to ask a tax or financial adviser;

90-day action plan; and

Annual review checklist.

Who may accept gifts;

Which gifts may be accepted routinely;

When legal review is required;

Restrictions the church will or will not accept;

Real estate;

Closely held business interests;

Cryptocurrency or other complex assets;

Tangible personal property;

Gifts involving debt or environmental liability;

Endowment gifts;

Naming opportunities;

Donor confidentiality;

Valuation and appraisal responsibilities;

Conflicts of interest; and

Circumstances in which a gift should be declined.

Be voluntary;

Permit anonymity;

Avoid requiring disclosure of gift value;

Make clear that revocable gifts may be changed;

Focus on gratitude rather than status; and

Never become a source of pressure.

Draft individualized will language during a group session;

Predict a participant’s tax savings;

Recommend one funeral home, lawyer, adviser, or financial product without a transparent selection process;

Ask participants to disclose estate values publicly;

Suggest that including the church in a will is a spiritual requirement;

Treat a letter of instruction as a substitute for legal documents;

Promise that a prepaid funeral plan is always transferable or protected;

Assume probate is always harmful or that a trust is always superior;

Accept fiduciary appointments casually;

Encourage vulnerable members to make immediate gifts; or

Use fear, guilt, illness, or grief as fundraising leverage.

Worship announcements;

Newsletters;

Small groups;

Senior-adult ministries;

Parent and caregiver groups;

Pastoral-care visits;

Financial-stewardship classes; and

Denominational foundation events.

Did participants increase their understanding?

Did they complete or begin an information inventory?

Did they identify missing documents?

Did they discuss plans with family or fiduciaries?

Did they record funeral preferences?

Did they make an appointment with an appropriate professional?

Did they understand the difference between funeral planning and prepaying?

Did they understand basic legacy-gift options?

Did they feel respected and free from pressure?

Practical preparation, so records and legal arrangements are organized;

Personal and pastoral preparation, so funeral and memorial wishes are thoughtfully communicated; and

Spiritual preparation, so members can consider whether their estate plans express their responsibilities, gratitude, and charitable values.