Browsing by Subject "Congregation"

Background: Church-based health promotion programs have been shown to be effective in improving health outcomes, but rarely do they approach wellness from a holistic standpoint. This is a missed opportunity for fuller integration within congregations. This study sought to assess and evaluate the feasibility of a holistic multi-site church-based health promotion program, through engagement, acceptability, and preliminary behavior change outcomes. Methods: This study utilized a concurrent mixed-methods approach in order to evaluate the “Congregational Wellness Challenge” (CWC), a pilot initiative that encouraged behavior change in three areas of holistic wellness: body, spirit, and soul, over six weeks. Participants were asked to complete one activity from each of the three categories every day for forty days, and congregations were encouraged to support those participating in the challenge. This study utilized a pre-post one-group design. Participants were surveyed at baseline and at six weeks about their health behaviors and opinions of the programs, as well as recording their behaviors on activity logs. Seventeen semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted eight weeks post-challenge. Results: The 39 participants in the study completed 64.2% of the activities during the challenge. There was a significant increase in several of the body health variables. The number of people reporting 30 minutes of physical activity about once a week, two or three times a week or every day, compared to (no times a week?) nearly doubled, from 43.5% to 82.6% (p=0.012). Vegetable and fruit intake also significantly increased, from 52.2% of people reporting eating at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruits daily to 100% of respondents (p=0.001). Frequency of reading for pleasure significantly increased, as did Scripture meditation, bible study, and singing to the Lord. Qualitative results indicated an overall acceptability of the program. Participants had a variety of motivations for joining, and gave valuable feedback on the importance of recording their activities. Conclusion: The CWC pilot initiative was feasible in a wide variety of churches, and future research should focus on the effectiveness of holistic wellness programs and improving implementation practices.

This thesis, in part, seeks to provide a foundation for understanding the Christian call to ministry with those who are poor and suffering, specifically with the asylum seeker. It is a resource and formation guide for congregations and individuals sensing a call from God to extend themselves in this way. The project provides a foundation of Christian history and Scripture that speaks to the call of Christ to deny self and follow him in ministry with the least—those who are hungry, thirsty, poor, and forgotten. Included is some guidance on how to structure a ministry of this sort, important questions to consider, and reflection upon leadership challenges that arise in this type of work. It tells the story of one congregation’s approach to developing a ministry of a hospitality house for asylum-seekers and why churches should recover the discipline of hospitality.

This dissertation examines congregations' sponsorship of social services for people living with mental disorders. Using data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. congregations, the 2000 US Census, and the 2006 General Social Survey, I address three research questions: What proportion of congregations sponsor services for people living with mental disorders?; How do congregational characteristics affect the likelihood that congregations sponsor these services?; How do neighborhood characteristics and community assessments affect the likelihood that congregations sponsor these services?; Does being a member of a congregation that sponsors these services affect their members' support for government spending on mental health care? The findings indicate that 8% of congregations sponsor services for people living with mental disorders and that religious ideology affects whether congregations sponsor these services. Congregations located in neighborhoods with disadvantaged populations are more likely to sponsor services if they conduct a needs assessment study of their communities while congregations in neighborhoods with advantaged populations are less likely to sponsor services for people living with mental disorders if they conduct a needs assessment study of their communities. Belonging to congregations that sponsor services for people living with mental disorders does not have a direct effect on their members' support for government funding of mental health care. It does, however, have indirect effects. People who belong to congregations that sponsor services for people living with mental disorders and who pray frequently are less likely to support increased government spending on mental health care.