It’s a welcome change of perspective in the mind of Sharon Becker, Good Samaritan Hospital’s health ministries program coordinator.
When she practiced traditional hospital nursing, “we used to refer to our patients as ‘the gall bladder in Room 410,’ ” Becker said. But in faith community nursing, “we don’t see the person as the disease,” she said. She should know. She also leads the health ministries commission at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Dayton.
So how is faith community nursing different from a regular old nursing, other than usually being church-based?
Chris VanDenburgh, teacher of Kettering College’s online Foundations of Faith Community Nursing course and a former faith community nurse for Kettering Adventist Church, cites two differences: First, it’s “very much in tune to the spiritual element and to whole-person care,” and second, it’s “not invasive.” In other words, a faith community nurse provides counseling and referrals but not major medical care.
Many local churches have health ministries, though only a few have paid, certified faith community nurses. And health ministries are kind of like snowflakes — no two are the same. Here’s what some church health ministries provide.
Spiritual and emotional care
Bellbrook United Methodist Church’s faith community nurse, Mary Ann Stone, has been taking communion to shut-in, elderly and sick church members for 13 years.
Once, an elderly man in the congregation fell, and his wife couldn’t remember “9-1-1.” So she called Stone, who lived close by, and together they were able to get the man up and transport him to the hospital.
Stone also waits with family when parishioners have surgery and then follows up with surgical patients at home. With two elderly parishioners, her bond was so close that she was asked to perform their funerals.
Sometimes listening is the most important function of a faith community nurse, said Mary Beth Gibson, the paid nurse on staff at Christ Church United Methodist in Kettering.
Bodily care
Although faith community nurses don’t provide intensive medical care, they often provide health screenings. Blood pressure checks, offered after worship services, are the cornerstone of many health ministries, including Bellbrook United Methodist, Christ Church, Springfield’s St. Bernard Roman Catholic Church and others.
Other physical care components of health ministries can include medical equipment, fitness classes, community outreach and referrals and consultation.
Health information
Some churches don’t have the staffing resources to provide individual consultations, but they still have active health ministries. Liz Looney, a retired nurse, heads First Baptist of Middletown’s health ministry committee of seven, three of whom are nurses. They’ve organized walking programs and children’s health fairs, hosted speakers on Alzheimer’s and aging issues, posted informational displays about health conditions and, because of Middletown’s economic woes, organized a prayer walk.
Similarly, Phillips Temple Church in Trotwood holds a big health fair each August, with 30 vendors providing screenings and health information. Last fall, they held a six-week seminar on diabetes; in March they’ll start a seminar on smoking. Charles Day, director of discipleship ministries, oversees the health ministry and believes it is an important service because “it’s just part of ministerial care and caring for people.”
VanDenburgh sees faith community nursing as a confluence of “the scientific and the spiritual.
“Pastors have their hands full, and sometimes they don’t have the eyes of a nurse to see when people need help physically” — but likewise, sometimes a doctor can’t identify spiritual needs. Faith community nurses “can bring wholeness of care to the parishioners,” she said.
“People open up to you and share aspects of their life with you,” Gibson said, “and that’s where ministry really happens.”
How you can get involved
Two local programs train people to serve as faith community nurses and health ministers. Here’s how you can participate:
Good Samaritan Hospital: Two sessions are available this spring:
• Session 1: This seminar from 8:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. March 23 at Atrium Medical Center in Middletown will introduce basics of health ministry and faith community nursing. It is appropriate for all members of a health ministry team (nurses, clergy, congregational volunteers) whether they have medical training or not. $50 for this session only.
• Session 2: This course, intended specifically for nurses (especially those seeking certification in faith community nursing), will teach professionals to deliver “whole person care” in congregations, community-based health ministries or clinical nursing practice. This session will be held April 26-28 at the Jesuit Spiritual Center in Milford. $425 for both sessions. (If attending the second session, you must also attend the first.) Information: (937) 227-9454 or email mlrandall@gshdayton.org.
Kettering College: Located next to Kettering Memorial Hospital in Kettering, the college offers training programs in a variety of medical fields, including an online course on "Foundations of Faith Community Nursing." The current session began on Feb. 3 and runs through May 12.
About the Author