By Kay Finley, RN/FCN
What is the Faith Community Nurse Ministry?
This is a health ministry that promotes wellness of the body, mind, and spirit. Arborlawn’s Faith Community Nurse Ministry, the Health and Wellness Team, the pastors and Texas Health Resources Fort Worth (covenanting partner) work together to meet the emotional, physical, and spiritual needs for health and healing of our congregation in a faith community.
What is a faith community?
A faith community is an organization of groups, families, and individuals who share common values, beliefs, religious doctrine, and faith practices that influence their lives.
What is faith community nursing?
Faith community nursing, also known as parish nursing, is a recognized specialty practice that combines professional nursing and health ministry. Parish nursing emphasizes health and healing within a faith community. The philosophy embraces four concepts: spiritual formation; professionalism; shalom as health and wholeness; and community, incorporating culture and diversity.
Who are faith community nurses?
Faith community nurses (FCN) are licensed, registered professional nurses who have been specially trained to understand and promote wellness of the body, mind, and spirit, as well as the philosophy of parish nursing. They work and collaborate with pastoral staff and the congregation in the ongoing transformation of the faith community into a source of health and healing.
What do faith community nurses do?
There are seven roles that identify what faith community nurses do:
1. Integrator of Faith and Health
Every contact made by a FCN assists people to strengthen their spiritual lives to become and stay more whole and healthy. Many of the individuals who seek faith community nursing services are in some form of life crisis, transition, or loss situation. These individuals need introspection and reflection to make sense of what is happening to them. At these times, individuals may express doubt or question their faith. The FCN, through active listening and reflection, can assist individuals and families to use the crisis, transition, or loss to further grow in one’s faith and thus in overall health. For members who are not experiencing any form of life crisis, the FCN may provide a stimulus for the congregation to open themselves to more fully incorporate the Holy Spirit into their lives through reflection, prayer, or meditation.
2. Health Educator
Acting in this role, the FCN provides the faith community with the opportunity to participate in well-organized seminars, workshops, forums, classes, and discussion groups covering a wide range of wellness and health topics. The FCN may conduct some of the health education events or coordinate and facilitate the use of the expertise and talents of congregational and community members. In doing this, the FCN increases the community’s awareness of how health and faith issues relate. The educational offerings are based on assessment of the faith community.
3. Personal Health Counselor
As a personal health counselor, the FCN assesses the health needs of individuals, families, and groups. Although some personal health counseling will occur in the worship setting, FCNs also visit members in homes, hospitals, and nursing homes. The counseling role assists people to express their feelings, identify health issues of concern, identify possible ways to deal with health issues, and evaluate the effectiveness of newly learned skills.
4. Referral Agent and Liaison with Community Health Organizations
The community assessment process identifies internal and external resources available to the faith community. Operating as a navigator and referral agent, the FCN matches the needs of the congregation with appropriate and available resources. The FCN knows when, where, and how to refer people. The FCN assists the congregation in understanding and negotiating the health care system and recognizes the factors that promote or deter people from using services.
5. Developer of Support Groups
This role refers to the training and coordinating of lay people to extend the helping ministries of the faith community. The FCN collaborates with congregational volunteer structures, assesses the needs of the congregation, and serves as a clinical resource to volunteers.
6. Developer of Support Groups
Faith communities share beliefs and values, and they come together to worship and to support each other in those beliefs. The FCN may formalize support group structures to meet various needs within the congregation. Examples would include a caregivers group, weight management groups, loss, and grieving groups.
7. Health Advocate
An important role of the FCN is health advocacy. Advocacy is a part of each of the roles of the FCN and is based on the belief that all persons are sacred and should be treated with respect and dignity. In this role the FCN works with the individual, the faith community, and all available resources to provide whatever is in the best interests of holistic health. Advocacy becomes teaching, nonjudgmental support of the person’s decision, and assistance in acting on those choices. The FCN has an ethical responsibility to transfer as much knowledge as possible to the individual and to support the individual in making informed choices. The FCN listens and learns the needs of the individual, assists the individual in decision making and acting, and speaks for the individual when the individual is unable to. The FCN emphasizes and promotes individual self-autonomy and assists individuals in voicing his or her values.
What is the Health and Wellness Team?
This is a health ministry team to help in the processes of planning, implementing, and evaluating the programs that address the assessed needs of the congregation. The team is led by a nurse. The team members are not required to have a medical background. Each member shares his or her knowledge, expertise, gifts, and talents. The team is a vital component to the Faith Community Nursing Ministry. They help make things happen!
How does one become a Faith Community Nurse
or Health and Wellness Team member?
1. Pray with open heart to be part of this health ministry. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (NRSV)
2. Have willingness to share your time, gifts and talents.
3. Know there is an open invitation to join this growing ministry.
4. For further inquiries, please contact Kay Finley, RN/FCN, FCN Coordinator. Inquiries may also be directed to Rev. DeAndrea Dare, FCN Liaison (817-731-0701).
Resource Acknowledgements:
Faith Community Nursing by Janet S. Hickman
Faith Community Nursing: Scope & Standards of Practice
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ArborlawnUMC.org