Becoming a Faith Community Nurse

Contact us:
651-232-5521

The Faith Community Nurse Network seeks registered nurses who are dedicated to the health and wellness of a church/faith community or community program.

About the position

While each faith community nurse position is uniquely crafted to meet the needs of a specific group, faith community nurses must desire to work with members of a congregation in many ways:

Visit members in their homes, nursing homes or hospital rooms
Counsel members on health related issues
Assist in obtaining health services
Help members understand the relationship between body, mind and spirit
Teach classes on how to maintain good health
Provide health screening at health fairs and other events
Develop support groups with the church
Coordinate congregational volunteers
Navigate the health care system
Walk families through advance directives or 5 Wishes

The network provides these benefits to faith community nurses:

Access to HealthEast resources as well as community programs and services
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) opportunities
Resource Library: current health ministry books, manuals and videos
Continuing education opportunities: retreats, meetings and HealthEast classes
Site-specific brochures describing the faith community nurse ministry
One-time stipend for faith comnmunity nurse ministry-related expenses
Monthly staff meetings and support from supervisor and other parish nurses

A week in the life of a faith community nurse

Examples of common activities parish nurses perform on a weekly basis:

Telephone contacts - 37
Church office visits - 20
Home visits to parishioners in need - 17
Support group development and assistance - 2
Referrals to congregational and community resources - 6
Volunteer coordination - 3
Advocate to those in need of health care resources - 9
Integrator of faith, showing how body, mind and spirit are closely related - 36
Educator for classes and counseling on health-related topics - 21

Statistics are an average of all churches and community sites within the HealthEast Faith Community Nurse Network.

Faith community nurse manager

HealthEast's faith community nurse manager provides orientation, consultation, resources and support to help faith community nurses to develop in their role within the church or community program.

An important step in the development of a faith community nurse ministry is forming a health and wellness committee. The faith community nurse manager educates churches and provides direction and support for the faith community nurse ministry through this committee.

For more information

For more information about the HealthEast Faith Community Nurse Network, or becoming a faith community nurse, contact the Faith Community Nurse Network Coordinator at 651-232-5521 or landerson@healtheast.org.