Health, Healing and Wholeness: Engaging Congregations in Ministries of Health
Mary Chase-Ziolek, a nurse who teaches at a seminary, has written a unique book about how to engage church congregations in a ministry of health. She defines ministries of health broadly as “the components of church life that promote the health, healing and wholeness of individuals, families, congregations, and communities. Ministries of health may have an explicit purpose to promote health or they may have a purpose other than health promotion, yet health, healing, and wholeness are enhanced through participation in that ministry” (p. 7).
A strength of this book is the emphasis on understanding congregational culture as the key to health ministries. She shows how to assess four qualities of congregations important for promoting health:
- the homogeneous or diverse nature of the group shapes the nature of health needs and available resources
- how congregations engage in regular, intentional gatherings provides the context and ways health ministry can occur
- worship as a central activity provides opportunity to articulate and experience the connections between faith and health
- the physical setting where the congregation gathers shapes congregational life and provides opportunities for health ministry.
The author provides a road map for gathering information in each of these areas in order to formulate an assessment of congregational culture. Her Congregational Assessment Guide provides specific guidance on what areas to assess, what and how to observe a congregation and what questions to ask of people and processes. The guide is an easily understood, invaluable map for developing a ministry of health in a congregation. Chase-Ziolek also offers instruction on how to build a congregation's capacity to promote health, using an “inside-out” community development paradigm. This means rather than using an “outside-in” approach where problems and needs are solved by professionals, the “inside-out” approach looks for community strengths and assets to meet needs.
Faith and health partnerships, models for health ministry, staff roles of the parish nurse, health minister and lay health promoter and methods for creating a sustainable health ministry are discussed. The author concludes by offering a vision of the church where health and ministry are seamlessly woven together, a place where health ministry occurs intentionally and intrinsically.
Reading this book made me think about the culture of my congregation and the possibilities for health ministry. After examining Chase-Ziolek's ideas, I feel like we could do this at my church!
--Reviewed by Kathy Schoonover Shoffner, PhD, RN
(Adapted from a book review in the Journal of Christian Nursing, Winter 2006)
