Endings are never easy.
They can feel like loss, failure, or surrender.
At RootedGood, we created How to End Well for congregations and ministries facing that very question. Whether it’s a beloved program winding down, a building being sold, or a congregation closing its doors, endings invite us into holy work—the work of remembering, grieving, celebrating, and trusting again
Endings are not failures.
They are part of every living thing’s story.
When we end well, we honor what has been—and we make room for what can be.
It’s a truth written into the rhythms of creation: seedtime and harvest, death and resurrection, Sabbath and renewal.
In ministry, though, endings often come with pain. Declining numbers. Tightening budgets. Shifting communities. It’s tempting to look away, to hold tighter, to push through.
But as the guide reminds us, “Ending something well can both acknowledge and affirm what has been—and make space for something new to grow.”
To end well is to participate in God’s ongoing act of creation.
Through years of work with churches and leaders, we’ve learned that ending faithfully involves six essential ingredients:
1. Storytelling – Remembering what God has done through your ministry. Our stories are situated in a bigger story that began long before us and will continue long after us. God’s faithfulness extends as a through line throughout all of creation and time.
2. Grief – Naming losses with honesty and compassion. Every ending brings loss, even good endings; changes that are inevitable, the closures we’re prepared for. It’s important to create space for grieving, and to hear all the voices grief speaks in. To listen to them is not a distraction from the work of ending well; it is the work. It’s how we let grief do its work in us.
3. Celebration – Rejoicing in the gifts, relationships, and growth that have come. In the sacred space of ending, we pause to remember God’s faithfulness and to rejoice in what has been. Celebration is not an afterthought, nor a selfish need, but an act of worship – a recognition of our growth, God’s grace, and the good gifts that have brought us here
4. Care – Attending to the people most impacted by the transition. We all experience endings differently. However, they always disrupt and this is often very difficult for groups and individuals to navigate. Careful consideration of how to care for those affected by this ending will help lead you to your goal of ending well.
5. Communication – Speaking clearly and kindly at every step. Building a communications plan requires identifying all players and their unique needs. When something ends, everyone must know. Consider who to inform, how often, what to say, appropriate tone, and the medium of communication.
6. Logistics – Handling practical details as part of faithful stewardship. Ending something will likely require attending to some practical logistics at some point along the way. Some of these logistics may need to be dealt with before an ending and others will take place after an ending. Below are some practical questions to consider as you end. Some of these may or may not be applicable to you and your specific situation.
Each ingredient matters.
Just as no bread rises without salt, no ending unfolds fully without care, story, and ritual.
After the tears and the packing and the last song sung, something unexpected often happens: space.
Space for imagination.
Space for generosity.
Space for God to do something new.
A church building becomes a community arts center.
A ministry fund becomes seed money for justice and repair.
A congregation disperses—and carries its spirit into new communities of faith.
“What might be possible now?” the guide asks.
It’s a question not of loss, but of resurrection.
God in the Details.
Every signature, every goodbye, every final key turned in the lock can become a quiet act of faith.
To end well is to trust that God’s story is bigger than ours.
It’s to believe that nothing is wasted, that even in endings, life continues.
The Church has always been a resurrection people.
Even as old forms fade, the Spirit breathes something new.
At RootedGood, we stand alongside the Church in this sacred work—offering tools, hope, and holy imagination for what comes next.
Because endings, when done well, are never really the end.
This tool is designed to facilitate a conversation between a small group of people, often a mix of clergy and lay leaders. Endings are important and ending something well can both acknowledge and affirm what has been and make space for something new to grow. This tool provides a process, a way to facilitate an engaging conversation to help you design a meaningful ending.
How to End Well may be purchased individually or as part of our How To guides bundle here.
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