Past Feature

  Partnering with Churches to Promote Better Health: What You Can Do

  March 2004   

You may already know that the rate of preventable chronic diseases, including heart attack, cancer, stroke and diabetes, is alarmingly high in black communities. (Read health statistics.)

One of the most effective ways to promote health in black communities is to partner with churches.

Church-based health programs are excellent resources because:

• churches have the potential to reach 60-80% of African Americans in an environment that is supportive and autonomous;
• churches have historically included health promotion activities as part of their mission; and
• churches have a strong volunteer ethic, making them open to creating programs that serve the needs of their members and their community.

You don't have to be a health professional yourself to get a church-based health program started. You can talk with public health professionals, organizations or public health schools in your area about partnering with local churches to create health promotion programs. Programs can focus on any number of health goals, including eating vegetarian foods, exercising and smoking cessation.  

A number of successful church-based health programs in North Carolina and Georgia have increased fresh fruit and vegetable consumption in local communities to promote the prevention of cancer and chronic diseases. Program activities have included: community education sessions; providing fruit and vegetables at church functions; food demonstrations and tastings; a cookbook; a recipe contest; fruit baskets for homebound members; collaborations with local food co-ops; and planting gardens and fruit trees.

Here are a few more suggestions to consider when collaborating with churches to create effective health promotion programs:

Establish trust, credibility, and open communication.  

• You can do this by participating in church activities or volunteering in community programs hosted by the church.

Partner equally with the church so that no one partner dominates.

• Working equally with the church to design, implement and evaluate a health program that best fits its needs and goals is essential.

Enlist the support and direction of the pastor.

• This should be your first step. A pastor's influence, support and creativity are crucial to the success of any health promotion program. Pastors can also appoint an influential member—such as a church mother or elder, a church nurse or another respected church member—who can encourage others to participate in the health program.

Collaborate with established religious and secular community groups.

• For example, a successful program in Tennessee compiled a directory of community residents and organizations and mailed them questionnaires to assess their awareness of and interest in reducing stroke in the community. Those who responded attended an educational seminar and formed a community resource group that received training to help create health programs in 15 local churches.

Find out what church members believe about who is ultimately responsible for their health.

• By talking with the pastor or surveying a sample of the congregation, you may find that some church members believe their health ultimately rests in the hands of God. Since these beliefs can result in a lack of motivation to improve health behaviors, including eating more nutritious foods and exercising more, the health program may need to emphasize the link between food, exercise and health.

Provide technical support and training as needed.  

• If you are working with church volunteers to carry out a health program, be sure to offer any training that may be necessary or desired. For example, church volunteers can be trained as health screeners and smoking cessation specialists. Church nurses can also be a wonderful resource to help recruit and train other church volunteers.

Use existing church resources to support the work of the health program.

• For example, you can insert weekly health reminders and motivational messages, recipes, and biblical passages about food and health into church bulletins.

Encourage churches to offer vegetarian meals at church functions.

• The health program can include training church chefs and cooks in vegetarian food preparation. This is an effective way to encourage ongoing health improvement after the program is completed.

Be patient and flexible.

• Partnering with any group to bring about change is challenging. Let patience and flexibility with yourself and others be your mantra.

Emphasize healthy living and quality of daily life, rather than fear of dying.

• Focusing on the ways that better health can improve a person's everyday life, spirituality, and outlook can be much more inspiring than invoking fear.

Maintain the confidentiality of the information participants provide.

• Many church members may be reluctant to participate in a health program because they don't want to identify themselves as smokers or as having prostate or breast cancer, for example. It is therefore crucial that the information they provide be kept confidential.

Provide a summary of the program results to the congregation.

• This step is often overlooked at the end of a health program. Letting the congregation know about the successes and challenges of the program may provide motivation to continue the program and create others. Be sure to include testimonials from participants who have accomplished their health goals.

Finally, look to black Seventh Day Adventist churches as models for successful church-based health promotion.

• The Seventh Day Adventist Church promotes healthy diets and alcohol and caffeine abstention, and 50% of its membership is vegetarian.

Use these suggestions as your inspiration to partner with churches to create effective health promotion programs that can improve the health status of our communities.

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