There are three primary reasons that we, as a church, feel natural burial honors God and follows sound principles of stewardship. Our goal is to equip the local church, steward our finances well, and make wise decisions about the environment.

• The church should be a part of every stage of life, including death.

• Families are more personally connected to the body and the burial process.

• Traditionally, the church was very involved in burial. This modern shift away from the church family has created a disconnect in how we view death. Embalming, caskets, and vaults can create an illusion of hope that is still connected to this world. Returning to the earth and trusting God to resurrect our bodies is central to our Christian hope.

• In addition to reduced costs, natural burial eliminates embalming, vaults, and grave liners which harm the environment.

• Natural decomposition is good conservation.

• Each year in the U.S., we bury 800,000 gallons of formaldehyde-based embalming fluid, 115 million tons of steel, 2.3 billion tons of concrete, and enough wood to build 4.6 million single-family homes.