How to make a good pastoral call
By Mel Shetler
All of us leaders are making hospital visits or call on people in our church who are sick or facing crises of some sort. Most pastors struggle with effective consistent visitation.

A (church) home away from home
Health ministry grows out of a renowned Minnesota institution
“Though some believe the ties to Anabaptist roots are disintegrating, patients at the Mayo Clinic find it comforting to visit with someone from a familiar faith tradition,” says David Brunner, pastor of the Rochester Mennonite Church in Minnesota.

No time or money for a health ministry?
Last month, one small church launched a Web-based resource on a shoestring
Your church Web site is a potential health and wellness ministry partner in your community — and you don’t need a high-priced Web design firm to pull it off.

At a glance: Health and wellness in congregations
A quick overview of these ministries in 20 congregations
Teleios asked 20 pastors to share information about their personal role in pastoral care for the sick and about their congregations’ health and wellness ministries.

Resource reserve
Health resources for winter, 2008

What’s new at MMA

• Congregational health programs
  A free resource for churches: “Improving the health of your congregation” (.pdf file)

• Budget and debt counseling now available
  MMA is sponsoring a new budget and debt counseling service to anyone who needs it – and it’s free

• Body Talk, a new health study book
  A new 12-chapter book that tackles the health topic by integrating Biblical text with stories and opportunities for reflection and learning