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I know his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide
him and restore comfort to him, creating praise on the
lips of mourners in Israel. Peace, peace to those far
and near, says the Lord. And I will heal them. Isaiah
57:18-19
 In all faith traditions, we are admonished to reach out
and care for one another. Parish nursing is a way to
live out that call to give of ourselves to others. This
field of nursing, recognized by the American Nurses
Association, is a health promotion, disease prevention
movement, based on the care of the whole person (body,
mind and spirit).
Parish nursing can be traced back to the the mid-1980’s
and the pioneering efforts of The Rev. Dr. Granger
Westberg. He had a vision of religion and medicine as
being complementary, with the recognition that illness
involves the whole person.
Parish Nursing has expanded to include many models of
ministries of health. Parish or Congregational Nursing
and Health Ministries are growing movements within
churches and synagogues, aimed at promoting health and
wellness at the congregational level and within its
surrounding community. Health is not merely the absence
of disease or infirmity. Wholistic health has physical,
mental, social, interpersonal, communal, environmental
and spiritual components, interactive and dynamic.
 Through health education, counseling, advocacy and
referrals to congregational and community resources, the
health minister (parish nurse, congregational nurse)
supports the wholistic dimension of caring for the body,
mind and spirit.
By encouraging personal responsibility for one’s health
and health maintenance, the health
minister/congregational nurse promotes the individual’s
physical, emotional and spiritual well-being in the
context of his or her relationship to God, family,
neighbor and self. Parish nursing and health ministry
believes that the spiritual dimension is central to the
caring of others. Spiritual health is vital to
well-being and influences all of life. A parish nurse
can play an important role in helping people understand
that well-being and illness can occur simultaneously and
that healing does not necessarily mean curing.
The parish nurse or health minister works in
collaboration with the pastoral staff and congregation
members to assist the faith community to become a place
of health and healing. Strengthening the capacities of
individuals, families and congregations to understand
and care for one another as taught in scripture, are
important components of this ministry. Therefore, a
person in this role should be a spiritually mature
person who can reach out to comfort, console,
strengthen, teach and encourage members of the
congregation.
 The role of a parish/congregational nurse encompasses
seven functions: integrator of faith and health, health
educator, personal health counselor, referral agent,
trainer of volunteers, developer of support groups and
health advocate.
Health ministries generally are led by a health
committee working with parish nurses or health
ministers. Health and healing ministries need to involve
the congregation as a whole and should have programs
planned that reach out to the community.
There are numerous models of parish nursing and health
ministry, which would be determined by the needs and
resources of each faith community. This would include
both the salaried and non-salaried (volunteer) models.
We have many resources to assist in program development.
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