1. Learn all you can about health ministry: Talk to others involved in health ministry. Use the resources provided to obtain additional information.
2. Prayer: Pray for direction and guidance.
3. Present health ministry information:
Inform your pastor, elders and others about the benefits of a health
ministry. Include others in the congregation who may be
interested.
4. Communication: Communicate the idea of health ministry to the congregation by:
Church Bulletin
Newsletter, bulletin boards
Presentations to groups and committees in the church
Have the pastor provide sermons that discuss the connection between spirituality and health
5. Organization: Organize a health ministry committee.
Size of committee will depend upon size of congregation and interest
Establish purpose and goals
Establish a mission statement
Identify resources within the congregation
volunteers
health professionals
educators
Identify resources in community. Avoid duplication. Focus on doing what your
congregation does best. Find out where resources are inadequate, inaccessible or unavailable.
Determine model: paid or non-paid and number of hours
Develop a budget
Plan, implement, and re-evaluate health ministry.
6. Commissioning Service: Hold a
commissioning service after selecting the health ministry team or
parish nurse. This validates the ministry and raises the
awareness.
7. Assess Congregation: Survey the
members about their
health needs and concerns.
Prioritize identified needs and wants. Use this information to
guide you in developing appropriate health ministry programs.
8. Education: Educate the congregation
and yourself. Each week in the bulletin there can be health news
or health trivia. Include in the church newsletter information
about healthy lifestyles, nutrition and exercise, etc. Provide
educational workshops or seminars on health and wellness.
9. Health Library or Resource Center: Establish a health library and/or health resource center as a part of your church library.
10. Bulletin Board: Have a bulletin board just for health and wellness information.
11. Health Letter: Provide a monthly health letter to the congregation which provides information on a particular theme.
12. God’s Ministry First: Remember this is God’s ministry and we are just facilitators.
