The Parish Nurse: Providing a Minister of Health for Your Congregation

Here, Granger Westberg presents a creative, new way for congregations to provide a wholistic ministry to their members. His parish nurse program brings nurses onto congregations' staffs to work as ministers of health on a part-time or full-time basis. In this way congregations can play an increasingly important role in keeping people spiritually and physically healthy and giving leadership in the field of preventive medicine.

Parish nurses serve as health educators, health counselors, volunteer trainers, and support group organizers. In hundreds of congregations, this program has been well received by clergy and church members.

"To us, having a parish nurse is a concrete expression of the healing minstry and gospel of Jesus"
-- Rev. Richard Kaeske

"There are lots of ways a congregation can express that it is a place of health and healing, but a parish nurse is very visible and makes the most sense to people."
-- Carl Bostrom

1. Why a Parish Nurse Program?
2. A Brief History of the Parish Nurse Program
3. Eight Steps to a Parish Nurse Program
4. The Health Cabinet
5. What Does a Parish Nurse Do?
6. One Nurse's Experience: The First Year
7. Two Nurses Reflect on Their Ministries
8. The Parish Nurse: A Bridge between Science and Religion
9. Jesus' Healing Ministry and Our Faith
10. Whole Person and Whole Earth

Resources
A. Whole Person Health Inventory
B. Characteristics and Qualifications of a Parish Nurse
C. Sample Job Description
D. Sample Role Description
E. What a Parish Nurse Might Request
F. Models and Types of Parish Nurse Services
G. Minister of Health Education Program
H. Parish Nurse Agreement between Lutheran General Hospital and Congregations
I. A Rural Parish Nurse Network
J. Addresses