Creating Healthy Faith Communities
Let’s dream for a moment about what a healthy faith community could mean for your church. What would happen if church members spent an intentional time evaluating their congregation’s overall health? What if congregations could experience conflict in ways that built up the body of Christ rather than tearing down the fabric of community? What if congregations saw physical health as a component of healthy faith communities? The Association of Brethren Caregivers is pleased to provide resources that explore “Healthy Faith Communities,” the theme of the 2004 Health Promotion Sunday, which will be Sunday, May 16. Resources in this packet look at the elements that create healthy faith communities. Writers for the packet have envisioned the future of Brethren community, utilized different discernment models, considered ways for conflict to be healthy, experienced community building through Sunday school events, and explored parish nursing as a way to live out Christ’s call to care for one another. When used together, these resources offer congregations many ways to consider new ways they can become healthy faith communities. The Association of Brethren Caregivers thanks Lani Wright, a member of the Springfield (Ore.) Church of the Brethren, for inviting contributions to this packet and preparing them for publication. Her efforts, and those of the writers, have made this packet an excellent resource for congregations. Each resource is available as a web page and as a printer-friendly Adobe Acrobat PDF file. To view or print the PDF, you must have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.
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