The following was excerpted from Conspire to Care: Principles for Recruiting, Retaining and Training Volunteers for Church-Based Healthcare Initiatives by Valerie Calderon.

Nita Davidson, a health ministry volunteer, recalls the day a presumably healthy middle-aged man came to have his blood pressure checked. The reading was 180/100--unexpectedly and dangerously high.

Nita's first instinct was to send the man directly to an emergency room, but he agreed to see a physician immediately for a more thorough examination. With the help of prescription medication to alleviate his hypertension, this husband and father is continuing to lead a healthy lifestyle.

As a retired nurse educator, Nita knows that the application of her expertise as a volunteer with her church's health and wellness programs could potentially save a life. Nita and other professionals on the blood pressure screening team at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL screened over 3,300 people last year, many with high blood pressure.

Persistent hypertension is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke, and it could also be symptomatic of pre-existing illness. Nita is overjoyed when she helps curb the onset of a potentially serious health condition.

Churches such as Dawson Memorial are taking intentional steps toward life change by initiating, planning and implementing healthcare initiatives. Fundamental to the task is recruiting, retaining and training professional and lay volunteers who become the foundation of a viable ministry.

The process may seem daunting, but many churches are proving that it can be done. By understanding some common principles in the volunteer mobilization process, churches may begin experiencing the joy of sharing God's hope, healing and love with those in need through healthcare ministries.

Friendly Faces
Leaders of successful church-based healthcare initiatives agree that most volunteers are recruited through established relationships.

Pat Frosch directs programs for the Grapevine Relief and Community Exchange (GRACE) in Grapevine, TX, which meets various needs for people in the surrounding community--including food, emergency assistance and medical care.

"We have been really successful in our volunteer physician recruitment process," Pat says, because medical professionals frequently bring their friends and colleagues to assist with the ministry. Additionally, a part-time administrator at the clinic occasionally recruits physicians through local hospitals.

Because hospital personnel have already been cleared and properly certified for practice, the work load and liability for the clinic is greatly reduced.

Potential volunteers for church-based healthcare initiatives may already be church members, and a large church isn't a prerequisite for meaningful healthcare ministry.

Edith Little pastors First Baptist Church in rural Blue Grass, IA. Eager to meet the needs of people in their community, she assessed the gifts and abilities of her church members.

Edith, who holds a doctoral degree in biblical counseling, and Susan Potthast, a therapist and counselor, rallied other church members behind the cause and opened the HOPE Enrichment Center, which cares for the mental health needs of their clients.

They have had the privilege of helping reunite a mother with her children, and they have brought families back from the brink of collapse by teaching them to communicate and interact in healthy ways.

Keep 'em Coming
Retaining volunteers enables the healthcare ministry to provide consistent, reliable care. But seeing a changed life is often enough to keep volunteers involved. Sometimes patients are so inspired by the care they received that they begin serving at the clinic.

M-POWER Ministries, Inc. in Birmingham, AL (Mission to Provide Opportunities with Empowering Results is a church-sponsored ministry center that helps families with needs.
A young woman came to M-Power when she and her husband needed help. She later became pregnant with quintuplets. The young woman is a practicing nurse and is now an active volunteer at the clinic, though she has five children.

Her devotion to the ministry is an encouragement for others who believe they are too short on time and energy to serve.

Provide the Proper Tools
When lay volunteers are recruited for healthcare ministries, leaders invest time to properly train and equip them for effective ministry in the clinic. Bethesda Health Clinic in Tyler, TX and Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, LA are meeting needs of uninsured and under-insured patients.

Leaders for these healthcare ministries conduct orientations to the clinic work, introducing new volunteers to other workers, the facilities and procedural issues. Both ministries employ a mentorship program to train Patient Advocate volunteers, who interact with patients personally and professionally to ensure they receive the physical and spiritual care they require.