Health ministry through local faith communities: a European perspective

Before the introduction of the NHS, faith communities were involved in health promotion and public health. Deaconesses often had nursing training as well as their theological study and visited homes where there were health needs. Over the last 10 years this role has re-emerged in the UK and now in 80 churches of various denominations parish nurses help to promote health generally, often engaging with hard-to-reach groups. With the help of the 2012 MacQueen Travel Award, Revd Dr Helen Wordsworth visited nurses in four different European countries to understand how other faith communities are involved in health promotion and spiritual care. This article describes the practice of parish nursing in the UK and reports on how similar ministry happens through churches in Finland, Ukraine, Georgia and Germany. The common presenting issues are: the ways in which the availability of the parish nurse is made known; its impact on ecumenical relationships; the potential for effective deployment of volunteers; and the need for resources to support these activities. The implications for the UK are that more promotion of the practice is needed, that it appears to fit with many denominational contexts, that it increases scope for co-ordinating and training volunteers, and that further resources should be made available to support the practice.