Partnerships: Possibilities for FCNs

Faith community nursing is evolving and growing to meet the needs of our congregants and communities. For FCNs to bring healing and shalom--wholeness, harmony, flourishing, the absence of strife--we must push the boundaries of what we’ve done in the past. We must ask, “What else we can do to meet our community's needs?” Partnerships provide a way forward.

Scripture speaks of the need to partner with others and not depend on ourselves alone. Luke, a New Testament physician, described the scene of a paralytic man needing healing. Four friends wanted to present him to Jesus--but this was a heavy lift, literally! With no way to maneuver the paralyzed man's stretcher into the room where Jesus was teaching, the friends opened the roof and lowered the man down right in front of Jesus. Likewise, we should look for help carrying our load to serve others and bring them to Jesus.

• Partnerships with other faith and community-based organizations can help achieve your vision for health ministry. All charitable hospital organizations seeking non-profit tax exemption must complete a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) every 3 years and adopt an implementation strategy to meet identified needs. Connect with the Community Benefit or Community Outreach Department at your local hospital.
• County public health departments perform a similar CHNA process as non-profit hospitals. Find the most recent CHNA to understand your community’s needs and the strategies being used to meet those needs.
• Head to the local public health clinic and introduce yourself to one of the nurses. These PHNs are usually interested in how FCNs provide health services in the community. Faith communities have resources that the health department does not:  a trusted place where congregants and community members feel safe, volunteers who want to serve, facilities, and a means of getting people together.
• Universities can offer partnerships, especially if there’s a school of nursing. Contact the nursing department (phone or online) for contact information of educators who teach Community Health. This information may also be available online. Nursing schools are looking hard for student clinical placements and partners for community-based participatory research.
• Universities may require community service by faculty, so serving in a faith community can enable educators to satisfy that expectation while putting their knowledge into action for the community.

These are only a few potential partnerships to explore. Numerous possibilities exist in your community for enhancing health ministry.

Susan K. Fuentes, MSN, RN, CNS, is an assistant director and assistant professor at Colorado Christian University. She has 40+ years of nursing experience, including 12 years as an FCN and director of an FCN program in Los Angeles.

Every issue of the Journal of Christian Nursing presents content for faith community nurses, including CE options. Check out the latest issue here.