The Parish Nurse Ministry
- Principal function – Support and promote Christ-centered health and wellness of body, mind, and spirit through congregational health ministry of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod.
- Principal responsibilities – Promote the parish nurse ministry, provide resources and consultation to pastors, congregations, and nurses who desire a health ministry program, and interface with District officials.
Parish nursing is a specialty practice that combines professional nursing and spiritual caregiving to help people in a congregation and community achieve and maintain optimal health. Parish nurses provide a range of services, including:
- Health counseling: Advising people on health issues and concerns, such as diabetes
- Home visits: Checking on the nutrition of elderly members of the faith community, discussing follow-up appointments, and advising on fall prevention
- Connecting people to resources: Referring people to career training, counseling centers, subsidized housing programs, food pantries, and dentists with sliding-scale payment options
- Mobilizing volunteers: Recruiting members of the faith community to visit the sick or elderly in their homes or in hospitals
- Coordinating community events: Organizing health screenings
Parish nurses are registered nurses (RNs) who have received specialized training in parish nursing. They are part of the ministerial team and work with the health ministry committee or health cabinet.
Parish nursing programs can operate in a variety of ways, including:
- The church employs the nurse
- The ministry contracts with a hospital for nursing services
- The nurse serves the faith community as a volunteer
- A group of faith-based communities pays the nurse
Many parishes prefer nurses with a bachelor’s degree, but faith communities generally prefer or require nurses with at least an associate degree
JULY 2025
“Blessed be the Lord for the beauty of summer and spring, for the air, the water, the verdure, and the song of birds.” Carl von Linnaeus
“Do you want to make the best of Life? Then live near to Me the Master and Giver of all Life.”
Fireworks-related injuries are most common on July 4 and New Year’s Eve. Fireworks can cause death and injury, including burns, contusions, lacerations, and foreign objects in the eye. Make the choice to protect yourself and your family from fireworks injuries.
Call 911 immediately if someone is injured from fireworks.
Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
Always have an adult supervise fireworks activities.
Avoid buying fireworks packaged in brown paper, which often means they were made for professional displays and could be dangerous for consumers.
Make sure you, your kids, and others watch fireworks displays from a safe distance.
Linda Stotler RN, BSN; SEK Parish Nurse;
lstotler@sbcglobal.net; 620-249-1648
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