keeps more of a low profile when she’s not planning programs such as monthly blood-pressure checks. Both Carlson and Harris serve in areas heavily
populated with retired people, but parish nursing isn’t only about caring for seniors. “If you do it right, a parish nursing ministry tends
to take on the look and feel of the demographics of that congregation,” said Dave Nelson, who served in a congregation with 1,600 members—including 300 kids in Sunday school—before becoming pastor of St. Peter. “In Harrisonburg, we had birthing and parenting classes, and a lot of health and wellness stuff that was very attractive for young people.” Dan Valasakos, a pastor of Mount Zion, said it this
way: “To be healthy and well and have a healthy spirit and mind definitely is what a church congregation should be emphasizing insofar as faithful discipleship.” And he knows a thing or two about linking healthy minds and healthy bodies since he was a public-school gym coach in his first career. “In very, very concrete ways,” said Malcolm from
Luther Seminary, “the church talks about salvation in relation to bodies because we are part of Christ’s body, [we]eat and drink Christ’s body. Our bodies are the place where Christ is manifest. One challenge for the church today is to reclaim bodily practice and the fact that faith is connected to our bodies.”
Creating a health ministry
Check out these resources to learn more about parish nurse programs:
• ELCA social statement on health care: “Caring for Health: Our Shared Endeavor” (
elca.org/socialstatements).
• Evangelical Lutheran Parish Nurse Association (
elpna.org).
• Portico’s Wholeness Wheel (
porticobenefits.org; “Call to Live Well” tab).
• Westberg Institute for Faith Community Nursing (
churchhealthcenter.org/fcnhome).
• Stronger Together by Jill Westberg McNamara (
store.churchhealthcenter.org).
• “It Takes a Congregation” by Sharon Hinton, Church Health Reader (
chreader.org/it-takes-a-congregation).
Heidi Ernst is an editor and writer living in Charlottesville, Va., where she is a member of St. Mark Lutheran Church.
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