Faith Community Nursing
- About Us
- Getting Started
- Links
- Resources and Tools
- Stay Connected
- Upcoming Events
- FCN Courses
- Past Workshops
Faith Community Nursing, formerly called Parish Nursing, is the blend of nursing and ministry promoting the wellness of body, mind and spirit for individuals of all ages. Faith Community Nurses are Registered Nurses prepared to work with members of a local congregation in many ways:
- Visit members in homes or hospitals
- Counsel members on health-related issues
- Assist in obtaining needed health services
- Help members understand the relationship between body, mind and spirit
- Assist in adapting important lifestyle changes
- Teach classes on how to maintain good health
- Provide health screenings
- Develop support groups within the church
- Coordinate congregational volunteers
For resources, information and support to help your local church establish and continue its own Faith Community Nurse Program, please email fcn@elimcare.org or call (952) 259-4461.
See what Faith Community Nursing can mean for your church.
Faith Community Nursing Advisory Board
The Elim Care Faith Community Nurse Advisory Board is an active, hands-on partner of the Elim Care Faith Community Nurse Program (FCN). Their mission is to actively encourage, support and develop Faith Community Nursing by planning educational seminars, providing prayer support and program direction.
The Elim Care Faith Community Nurse Advisory Board includes the following members, left to right: Dee Huanca, FCN, First Free, Minneapolis; Mary Van Der Werf, FCN, Revive Church of Brooklyn Park; Mary Martin, FCN, Oxlip EFC, Isanti ; Dave Kiel, Elim Care VP of Fund Development and Spiritual Care; Joanne Hall, Elim Care FCN Director; Pastor Dan Osborn, Waterville EFC ; Cynthia Dainsberg, RN, FCN Calvary EFC, Walker; Jim Struve, MD, Trinity Lutheran, Minnehaha Falls; not pictured: Kimberley Meyer, RN, EdD, Bethel University; Shelly Rock, FCN Educator.
Director of Elim Care Faith Community Nursing
Denominational and Faith-Based Links
- Church Health Reader – churchhealthcenter.org
- Evangelical Free Church – efca.org
- Evangelical Lutheran Parish Nurse Association – elpna.org
- Faith Community Nursing Network – fcnntc.org
- Faith and Health Connection – faithandhealthconnection.org
- Health Ministries Association: Encouragement and support for leaders to integrate faith and health in their communities – hmassoc.org
- International Parish Nurse Resource Center – parishnurses.org
- National Episcopal Health Ministries: episcopalhealthministries.org
- Northwest Parish Ministries – faithcommunitynursingnw.org
- UMC Health Partners – gbophb.org
- United Methodist Parish Nurses – umcor.org
- Wheat Ridge Ministries: a special interest in nurturing new health and human care ministries developed by local congregations and new faith-based organizations – wheatridge.org
Government and Health Related Links
National
- Administration on Aging – www.aging.com
- Affordable Care Act – www.healthcare.gov
- Alzheimers Foundation of America – alzfdn.org
- American Diabetes Association – diabetes.org
- Arthritis Foundation – arthritis.org
- CaringBridge – caringbridge.org
- CDC: Center for Disease Control – cdc.gov
- Eldercare Locator – eldercare.gov
- Healthfinder – healthfinder.gov
- Medicare – medicare.gov
- Medline Plus National Library of Medicine – nlm.nih.gov
- Million Heart Campaign – millionhearts.hhs.gov
- National Alliance on Mental Illness – nami.org
- National Association of Area Agencies on Aging – n4a.org
- National Association for PTSD – ptsd.va.gov
- National Cancer Institute – cancer.gov
- National Database of Disability Organizations – joniandfriends.org
- National Institutes of Health – nih.gov
- Social Security – socialsecurity.gov
- US Food and Drug Administration – fda.gov
State
- Health Facts by State- kff.org
- Iowa State Department of Health – idph.state.ia.us
- Minnesota State Department of Health – health.state.mn.us
- North Dakota State Department of Health – ndhealth.gov
- Minnesota Helps – www.minnesotahelp.info
Resources and Tools
Education
- RN to BSN Online– A great resource for RN’s considering obtaining their degree, evaluating cost and financial aid, and providing a realistic view of their potential for career development. These resources are available to everyone and does not involve any cost and the information is updated yearly.
- Education Program Ideas
- Free Posters from the State of Minnesota:
- Heart Healthy Recipes
- Posters and Presentation Ideas
- FCN Continuing Education Opportunity:
- Allina Health Learning Development Schedule
- AS Aging Web Seminars
- Baptist Hospitals:
Policies and Procedures
Tools and Guides
Spiritual Care
- Guidelines for Spiritual Care Visitation
- Scriptures on Health, Healing, Strength and Stress
- Jayne Kane Life Coaching & Retreats
- Grief Resources:
Nursing
- FCN Depression Differentiation Worksheet
- Revive Brooklyn Park Cronic Illness Support Group
- Rest Ministries: A Great Resource for Chronic Illness
- Nanda Nursing Diagnosis List
- Nursing Credentials for FCN
- Pain Control
- Resources for the Blind
- State of Minnesota – Infection Control Practices
- Taking Care of Myself: A Guide for When I Leave the Hospital– This booklet is a great resource for people regarding hospital discharge. It’s a PDF fillable form that you can also print out. If you would like to order free quantities of the guide please email: AHRQPubs@ahrq.hhs.gov or call 1.800.358.9295 and ask for Publication No. 10-0059
- Free Online Computer Training– for Microsoft Office and other software applications
- Alzheimers Disease
- American Cancer Society
- American Heart Association
- Arthritis
- Cancer Companions
- Diabetes
- Disabilitieswith Joni Tada Eareckson
- Heart and Lung
- Mental Health
- Powerful Tools for Caregivers
- A Falls Prevention Program, Stepping On
Documentation Tools
- Client-Family Intake Form
- Narrative Form
- Parish Nurse Documentation Form
- Parish Nurse Referral Form
- Church Health Center Documentation Tools
- Documentation with the Omaha System
- Henry Ford Documentation System for Parish Nurses
Position Statements from The Church Health Center
- Faith Community Nursing Compared to Other Nursing Specialties
- How is Faith Community Nursing the Same or Different than Other Nursing Specialties
- Faith Community Nursing Direct Care (Hands On) Practice and Glucose Testing
Disability Ministries
Books
Devotions for a Healthier You By: Katie Farrell
Don’t Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart By: Kenneth Haugck
Elim Care FCN Suggested Readings By: Marcia Flom, RN
Faith Community Nursing By: Janet S. Hickman
Faith Community Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice By: The American Nurses Association
Foundations, Faith Community Nursing Curriculum Participant Manual 2014 By: ChurchHealthCenter
Gentle Rebel: The life and work of Granger Westberg By: Jane Westberg
Health Ministry Advice for Everyone By: Deborah Patterson
Parish Nursing: Stories of Service and Care By: Verna Carson and Harold Koenig
Prayer in Nursing: The Spirituality of Compassionate Caregiving By: Elizabeth O’Brien
Spiritual Leadership By: Henry Blackaby
Stronger Together: Starting a Health Team in Your Congregation By: Jill Westberg McNamara
The Parish Nurse By: Granger E. Westberg and Jill Westberg McNamara
Theses on Healing (and Cure) By: The Reverend Frederick W. Reklau
Why? Trusting God When You Don’t Understand By: Anne Graham Lotz
Publications
These publications are available from The Church Health Center Store as digital downloads.
Articles, interviews, and reviews
Congregational Health Promoter Training Leaders guide
Exploration and Implementation Packet
An introductory packet of 13 reproducible sheets explaining an FCN’s mission, role, and activities. Other topics include starting a ministry, utilizing available resources and addressing liability concerns. This is a digital resource to be downloaded and printed at your convenience.
Website: http://www.churchhealthcenter.org/liabilityinformation
2014 Visitation Guidelines for Faith Community Nurses for Transitional Care
This resource contains disease specific assessment guidelines geared towards faith community nurses with the aim to improve the quality of care provided by addressing risk factors and performing standardized assessment for each health concern. Assessments are provided for Alzheimer’s disease, Asthma, Cancer, Diabetes, Congestive Heart Failure, Hypertension, Mental Health, Multiple Chronic Diseases, Parkinson’s Disease, Post Hospital Discharge, Post Operative Assessment, Spiritual Distress, and Stroke. In addition to the assessments, important resources, normal laboratory results, vaccinations and screenings have all been listed. Specialists in each field were consulted to verify all the information provided.
Website: https://store.churchhealth.org/products/transitional-care
Healthful Hints: Volume 1 and 2
Seasoned FCN and educator Helene Van Der Werff, answers commonly asked health questions in short informational paragraphs to be used in bulletins, on bulletin boards, and in newsletters. Available as a downloadable file.
A peer-reviewed, quarterly, professional journal
Articles
- Spiritual Care Resources
- Wholistic vs. Holistic Care in Faith Community Nursing By: Debbie Ziebarth,MSN, ED, PHDc Candidate at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
- Professional Liability
- The 7 C’s of Success for Faith Community Nurses
- Fit For Service: A Model of Self-Care for Parish Nurses
We encourage you to submit prayer requests, share stories and offer resources by contacting FCN@elimcare.org anytime.
There are many ways to stay connected with other Faith Community Nurses. A number of websites offer valuable information and the Church Health Center has a blog site where FCN’s throughout the world post questions, give insight, and offer a number of resources.
Elim Care FCN Ministry is committed to provide resources and information that can save you time and provide opportunities for you to network with others and have hands on assistance as needed. Mary Martin, Elim’s Faith Community Nurse Director, sends regular updates through emails that offer encouragement, resources and stories to those who are interested in Faith Community Nursing. We also host monthly Share and Prayer meetings where a number of FCN’s come together to pray with and for one another and share valuable resources and stories. Occasionally CEU’s are offered.
Ways to stay connected with Elim Care FCN:
1) Monthly Share and Prayer Meetings
2) Weekly Updates
3) Monthly Connect
2017:
- March Connect
- April Connect
- May Connect
- June Connect
- July Connect
- August Connect
- September Connect
- October Connect
4) Communiques
Upcoming Faith Community Nursing Events
Check back for future events!
Faith Community Nursing Courses
Faith Community Nurse Basic Preparation Courses
If you would like to begin a Faith Community Nursing program at your church, training is offered periodically.
ELIM Care’s Foundations for Faith Community Nursing
12 week Online Course
September 5th – November 21st, 2018 & January 16 – April 3, 2019
This course explores the specialty practice of Faith Community Nursing which combines professional nursing and health ministry, emphasizing health and healing within the faith community and the larger community. It offers registered nurses with a strong spiritual faith the knowledge to implement and facilitate a Faith Community Nursing ministry, as well as practical opportunity to apply learning from the course to the dynamic nature of their faith community and its particular needs. During this course students need not be online at specific times. Assignments have due dates, and within the boundaries of assignment due dates you are free to complete them according to your schedule. This course is derived from the curriculum endorsed by the Westberg Institute for Faith Community Nursing and is led by Shelly Rock, RN, MSN, FCN Coordinator and Westberg trained Educator.
40.5 CEU’s for Registered Nurses. Course Cost is $300
To Learn More Go To: https://www.grow2serve.com/fcncourse
Sanford Health Foundations Course
Resources from Past Workshops:
2018 SUPER SUMMIT
-SPONSORED BY ELIM CARE
May 15, 2018
SPEAKER- Dr. Carla Dahl, Professor of Congregational and Community Care Leadership; and the George C. Weinman Chair of Pastoral Theology.
TOPIC- “How (Not) to Care: Lessons from Job and His Unhelpful Helpers.”
Held at Olson Campus Center at Luther Seminary 1490 Fulham St. St. Paul, MN
Resources from 2016 Elim Care Spring Event, “Increasing Your Confidence as a Patient Advocate”
- Multiple Resources from the Workshop
- Differences Between Professional and Personal Relationships
- Table Action Plan for Maintaining Professional Boundaries
Resources from the Bioethics Conference, Human Life and Dignity in Today’s World
Resources from 2015 Spring Networking Event, “Caring for Yourself so you can Care for Others”
- PowerPoint: Taking Care of Self so we can take care of Others
- Presentation and Resources: A Journey of Surrender and a Quest for Radical Intimacy with God
- Individual Bible Study, Ponder Your Path
- Individual Bible Study, Strongholds of Unsurrender
- Stress Scale