Healing Bodies and Souls: A Practical Guide for Congregations

As healthcare leaders widely recognize, churches are second homes to their members and ideally situated-indeed called-to serve their communities with the loving and personal care that a stressed healthcare system cannot deliver. Daniel Hale and Harold Koenig, national leaders in health ministries, offer a practical and engaging primer on developing a variety of initiatives for all who are concerned and interested-pastors, parish nurses, lay leaders, and concerned parishioners. Their short volume mixes real-life congregational case studies with vital information to equip congregants in helping people manage illness, navigate the healthcare labyrinth, avoid or manage disability, and even provide some life-saving and preventative medical services. While their case studies report on the many kinds of engagement congregations have taken on, each chapter also provides basic information on the most common healthcare challenges-diabetes, skin cancer, stroke, heart disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, breast cancer, prostate cancer, glaucoma, and depression-and what can be done in local congregations.