Pastor Jim Klausing of the Great Lakes Conference, CGGC, has been awarded with the 2025 Regional Clinicians of the Year award for Bereavement Coordinator. A former Pastor of Connections Church in Findlay, Ohio, Pastor Jim currently works for Gentiva, a medical provider of Hospice, Palliative, and Home Health Care as a Chaplain and Bereavement Coordinator.
We’re happy to share Pastor Jim’s successes with our audience and recognize the good work the Lord is doing through him. In a press statement, Gentiva says that the nominees are “nominated by their peers and leaders”, and that they “represent the heart of our mission and the values we live by every day.”
Gentiva concludes their statement, saying that, “These clinicians go above and beyond—not just in the care they provide, but in the comfort they bring, the hope they inspire, and the support they offer to their colleagues. Their work is a testament to the power of compassion and the profound difference one person can make.” You can find Pastor Jim’s (James’s) name in the list here:
Gentiva Statement
Pastor Jim has become well acquainted with death and grieving through the many funerals he has done as a pastor, and through the deeply affecting loss of his own daughter. He has channeled those experiences by ministering to other people through their grief process.
The last few years have seen Pastor Jim transition from full time pastoral ministry with a part time role as a chaplain, to the inverse, now serving part time at Calvary Church in Benton Ridge, OH, while working fulltime with Gentiva doing bereavement work.
Pastor Jim says he’s supplemented his seminary education with a certification course from David Kessler, who Jim describes as a “world renowned grief educator”. With this certification, and his experience at Gentiva, Jim also offers free bereavement counseling to the local funeral homes in the Findlay area.
We had a desire to hear more about his journey toward bereavement work and what it means to him. Jim was kind enough to answer some additional questions in the interview below.
When did you transition to full time work with Gentiva?
I received a call from my bosses boss the day after our church elders voted to close Connections Church. It was as if God already had a plan (Haha, no shocker there)! I started full time in June of last year, a few weeks before Connections officially closed on June 30, 2024.
Can you describe generally the work that you do?
As a regional bereavement coordinator, I handle the patients’ families after our patients pass away. We are required by Medicare to offer bereavement services, which consist of phone calls, routine mailings, memorial services, and when requested, in person visits for 13 months after the patient passes away.
Typically, my day consists of making phone calls, updating patients’ charts, and supporting the office teams with their work. Right now, I handle the bereavement work for 3 offices around Toledo, OH but I assist Indianapolis and Texas with phone calls as well.
Do you have a story about your bereavement work with Gentiva that exemplifies or sticks out in your mind as important or meaningful?
Recently there was a gentleman in Illinois whose mother was on our service, and had passed away. I called him as part of our routine follow-up calls, and he explained how he had recently suffered some health issues of his own and was unable to purchase a headstone for his parents and their grave was marked only by an orange flag. He was waiting on disability or being able to go back to work. He wanted to get a wooden headstone as a temporary fix until he could afford a proper headstone. He couldn’t find a carpenter in his area to do it. I have a friend who is a true artisan with carpentry so, with my patient’s permission, I contacted him and he made this amazing headstone out of oak. He even put marine grade varnish on it so it will be good for 5 years without redoing the varnish. I covered the cost of the headstone, which my friend only wanted reimbursed for his costs but didn’t charge me anything for his time. My company covered the cost of shipping, so the gentleman was completely surprised by the results. I so enjoyed helping him and thank God my buddy is so good at woodworking.
Another time I had a hospice patient in her 90’s who lost a son unexpectedly while she was on our service. She was struggling with his passing, as is to be expected, and I went to see her. She said “you just can’t understand what it’s like to lose a child.” I told her that by an ironic twist of fate, yes, I did understand. I told her a little bit about losing our Emma, and I will never forget her response. She said, “Oh thank God you are here. Can I ask you some questions?” She proceeded to ask me about what she was thinking and feeling and if that was normal or crazy. I reassured her that, “yes”, what she was thinking and feeling was completely normal.
There is one more that particularly sticks out in my mind. One of my hospice patients had lost her sister back in the 80’s as a victim of a serial killer. She had struggled with that for the past 40 years. When I met her she wouldn’t even say “God”, because she was so angry with God for what happened to her sister. After quite a few months of weekly visits, she accepted Christ and was praying every day.
Is part-time chaplain work something you would recommend for other pastors who might be considering additional work outside of their parish ministry?
Hmmm that’s a tough question because not every pastor is suited for chaplain work and vice versa. I have met absolute stellar pastors who struggle with chaplain work and wonderful chaplains who should never serve as pastors. If any pastors are considering adding hospice chaplaincy or bereavement work to their resumes, I would highly recommend taking additional courses to be as well-versed as possible for chaplaincy or bereavement work. David Kessler training offers an outstanding 13-week course online that easily fits in anyone’s schedule and is invaluable in hospice work. Honestly, as a pastor, I found it very helpful to my ministry.
I think one of the reasons I have fit so well with a foot in both worlds is because of all the funerals I have been and continue to be asked to officiate. I have been around death and dying for the past 30 years and God has used the experiences of all those funerals to help me connect with my bereavement patients.
Speaking about the award which recognizes his work, Pastor Jim said that, “it is a huge honor and completely humbling.”
Gentiva will also be soon announcing their national awards, which Pastor Jim is also up for. If he wins, we’ll update this blog to reflect that additional award!
Feel free to leave a comment below to congratulate Jim, and we’ll send those his way.
Lastly, if you’re in the Northwest Ohio area, Pastor Jim has also been selected as the “Benevolent Biker of the Year,” by a Harley Davidson dealer in the area for his ministry work among the biker community stretching back many years. You can attend that ceremony at Joe Bayliff’s Route 30 Harley Davidson, 350 Tarhe Trail, Upper Sandusky, OH 43351. The ceremony starts at 12:00 P.M. on November 22, 2025. Likewise, you can read another article about Jim’s ministry with the biker community here:
Jim Klausing Article
CGGC eNews—Vol. 19, No. 45
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