Congregational Health Ministry Action Plan

Begin with informal conversations with members and the pastor about health ministry:

• Share materials and videos (see step 2 below) along with stories of health needs and ministries.
• Form a Health Action Group by bringing together a small group of people interested in health and wholeness issues. This action group:
  • Should have 7 to 8 members and should include representatives of all areas/groups of the congregation,
  • Can include people already involved in health care or helping professions,
  • Serves as the congregation's "spark plug" to generate wider interest and to guide the congregation as it discerns its vision of health ministry.
• Let the group come together and help plan, initiate and nurture the program. Group bonding activities can include sharing scripture and prayer as well as stories of health ministries. It can also include exploring ways to promote health and wholeness within the congregation and beyond.

Become familiar with resources on health and wholeness and health ministry:

• Get to know the biblical and theological basics on how our Presbyterian faith speaks to us of health and healing. This will make it easier to share the vision and inspire others to join the effort.
• Order some Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) resources. Many fine booklets and videos are available from Presbyterian Distribution Services (PDS) at 1-800-524-2612. Start by ordering the Presbyterian Health Resource Catalog (Item #72-660-94-001) with resource list from PDS.
• Contact any of these Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) offices for resources on health issues and programs:
  • The Office of National Health Ministries
  • The Washington Office [www.pcusa.org/washington]
  • The International Health Ministries Office [www.pcusa.org/health/international]
  • Women's Ministries [www.pcusa.org/women]
  • The Presbyterian Health, Education, and Welfare Association
  • The Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy [www.pcusa.org/acswp]

Ask the pastor and lay leaders for help and advice:

• Share with the pastor and lay leaders your vision plan and what you have done in steps 1 and 2.
• Prepare a few materials to share with them, such as selections from the booklets or reports you have found most helpful.
• Consider showing one or more of the videos on health ministry.
• Ask for your pastor's help. This can include asking the pastor to interpret health and wholeness to the church's members as a central aspect of congregational life. It can also include asking his/her help in scheduling activities, making support services available and linking health with other church ministries.
• Talk with lay leaders, such as the deacons, Stephen Ministry and Women's Association leaders, and Christian Educators. Share the Health Action Group's information and vision of health and wholeness, not as a "new program" competing for attention or funds, but as a way to strengthen and expand present ministries within and beyond the congregation.

Go to the Session for support. Ask how the Health Action Group fits into the Session's organizational structure and mission goals:

• Give each elder and the clerk a copy of the health and wholeness materials gathered through PDS (you can use the Presbyterian Health Resource Catalog as a starting point). This should be done well ahead of the meeting.
• Answer all questions and be willing to find the answers if you do not have them.
• At the meeting:
  • Explain briefly what health ministry is-and is not-and share the work and the vision of the Health Action Group,
  • Show how it helps the congregation grow as a community of care and healing, and how it augments but does not compete with present activities.
  • Ask to extend the Group's work by having a special program, such as a Health Fair or special Sunday School class.
  • Request that the health ministry be placed with the appropriate committee of the Session; this makes for greater accountability, and puts "health" on the regular agenda of the congregation.

• To learn the health needs and interests of members;
• To introduce or add ideas about health and wholeness;
• To inventory the church's present health activities and ministries;
• To list available resources (space, people, etc.)

By comparing recent and current health choices with those desired, the Health Action Group can help the congregation envision future health ministries. The survey information helps to connect the mission of the congregation to the ministry tasks of lay members and clergy. It also shows how all congregational ministries can work together with health as a common theme.

Set a goal and choose a project:

Select one health project building on present activities. This should be a "win-win" action: one which will be easy and inexpensive, will show results and be enjoyable. It should present health and wholeness as a key aspect of congregational life, generating new interest and enthusiasm for health ministry. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) health ministry materials offer "start-up" ideas, and the Health Action Group will have many of its own.

A health fair is one example of a "win-win" project. As a single event or part of a larger occasion, this offers a variety of activities which help people learn the basic principles of a healthy lifestyle. Some or all of the areas of health choice are presented using audiovisual, action, and other techniques designed to get people interested and involved. Many churches can offer a health fair by using the skills and time of their own members who have a commitment to promoting good health. Some congregations may want to ask a nearby hospital or health care agency for help. Either way, it's very important to emphasize the unique focus of the church's approach to health and wholeness (as distinct from the "medical model" which emphasizes illness).

• Present the project with enthusiasm, and use all available methods to get the word out:
  • bulletin inserts,
  • newsletters,
  • posters,
  • bulletin boards, and
  • time within the worship service
• Recruit some volunteers to help (starting with people who have shown interest so far).
• Seek "outside" help if needed,
• Remember to keep "healing and wholeness" as the focus rather than the traditional "illness" or medical model of health.

• Evaluate the program in light of its goals by asking the following:
  • Did the activity move the congregation further toward a broad understanding of health and wholeness, toward being a community care and healing?
  • Did it generate interest in doing or learning more about health ministry?
  • Did it prompt more people to join the Health Action Group's work?
  • Did it spark attention to or concern about a specific health problem?
• Choose a new goal and move on, using your new resources and what was learned by all involved.
• Follow up with reports to all who were previously contacted: pastor, session, lay leaders, and the congregation.
• Keep all parties involved as the Health Action Group continues its good work.

• Using what the Health Action Group has learned so far, help the congregation choose a ministry on one or more levels: personal/family, congregational, community, state/nation:
  • This ministry could include healing advocacy, service or promoting health or all these activities.
  • It could also focus on a specific health problem, or on a group of people with unmet health needs.
• Make a plan for developing the ministry, using the resources of your church and help from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) through its materials, people and ministries. The plan should include opportunities to evaluate and fine-tune the program.
• Remember, the process (Steps 1-8 and beyond) is a healing journey for all, toward the health and wholeness that is God's intent for all God's people.