It's really encouraging to see how the body of Christ is responding to the needs of more than 45 million Americans with limited or no access to healthcare. Churches across the country are living out Matthew 25 by caring for "the least of these." We're finding a broad variety of models that the church at large is employing to execute healthcare strategies. Many churches, though, think they're "going it alone." They're really surprised to find out there are other churches out there with the same passion for ministry through healthcare.

We're building an approach that categorizes the way churches live out their healthcare ministry into four different models: The traditional clinic model, a "clinic without walls" model, a parish nursing model and a patient Navigator model.

The largest category is probably the parish nursing model. This model has been around for a very long time and there is some significant national coordination of training and equipping for parish nurses. Parish nurses are typically nursing professionals within a congregation who provide care and medical support for the congregation and the community.

Parish nurses often coordinate total healthcare strategies for a congregation including health education and outreach, health fairs, blood drives, diabetes testing and management, and other healthcare and health-improvement programs. Parish nurses are extremely effective in churches whose community includes a population with significant risk for chronic health problems (inner-city churches, churches in African-American communities, communities with large numbers of senior adults, etc.).

It's easy to spot the traditional clinic model that usually involves a brick-and-mortar clinic or the use of a portion of a church's existing structure. They range from a small space with one examining room staffed by one or two volunteer medical professionals, to a facility with the capacity to see several patients simultaneously and equipped with a significant amount of clinical equipment and a large group of paid and/or volunteer workers with both medical and non-medical skills. While this is the most visible, many churches are limited in their ability to execute this model.

Probably the "clinic without walls" model. In this model a church won't necessarily dedicate physical space, but will coordinate the treatment of clients in the actual offices and clinics of doctors and medical personnel throughout the community. The healthcare ministry of the church is focused on providing patient management, transportation and clerical support, etc., leaving the medical personnel free to do what they do best-treat people.

This approach gives an even greater number of church members the opportunity to be involved. Providing transportation, scheduling patient visits, following up with prescriptions-these are things that even people who have no experience in medicine can help with. It's an opportunity for a congregation to engage in a variety of acts of service.

This is another fast-growing model that's great for churches that have few health professionals in their congregation and little or no opportunity to start a clinic. These churches focus their healthcare ministry on helping people in their communities navigate the variety of healthcare services that may be available through federal, state, or local government or through other charitable sources.

Often, these sources require a significant amount of information collection and paperwork that might hinder some who are in desperate need. By mentoring these folks through the process of applying for and receiving the assistance available, these churches are making a significant impact in their community.

Our goal this fall is to begin building Leadership Communities of churches that are engaged in innovative healthcare ministries, allow them to challenge and inspire each other, and then turn that momentum into a movement that inspires many more congregations to engage in this critical ministry area.

In every church we've talked to, healthcare ministry always begins with someone who is passionate about ministering in Jesus' name through healthcare, and who is praying for God to move in their congregation. That fervent prayer always brings results and opportunities begin to appear for the congregation to minister.

Gathering a few people to begin praying is always a good start. Those people may become an ad hoc health ministries team, and they can begin brainstorming opportunities for service in your community. It's abundantly clear that the needs exist. Start meeting a few of them, and the momentum will grow.