Get Started

• Pray and seek God’s will for you and your congregation.
• Learn about health ministry and parish nursing via books, articles, videos, conferences and netwroking with others in health ministry.
• Engage the pastor/ rabbi/ priest and other congregational leaders to learn and determine commitment to health ministry.
• Create a health ministry committee of volunteers and determine its place in the structure of the congregation. Create a mechanism for reporting and accountability.
• Create a mission statement; Assess current activities related to health ministry and survey future needs.
• Determine gifts and talents of the congregation to meet the needs.
• Identify community resources and network with other churches and agencies;
• Identify model for parish nurse;
• Clarify liability;
• Set up documentation system;
• Identify funding sources for program;
• Determine priorities, create a plan, implement, evaluate and adapt the plan as needed.
• Work with other communities and church groups;
• Continue to learn and act as a resource to the congregation.
• Initiate educational activities about health and wholeness, e. g., BP screening, health fairs, health resource library, bulletin boards, articles in the bulletin, newsletters, health potlucks.
• Commission the health ministry committee and parish nurse at worship service.
• Continue to be prayerful as the ministry unfolds, giving thanks and seeking guidance.