Course

CEC 0042 - Faith Community/Parish Nursing and Congregational Health Ministries (C2)

Jan 1, 2026 - Jun 15, 2026

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Full course description

Course: CEC 0042 | Faith Community/Parish Nursing and Congregational Health Ministries

This course introduces Faith Community Nursing, or Parish Nursing, a nursing specialty focused on Christian care within a church setting, emphasizing the integration of mind, body, and spirit. Team-taught by presenters from both nursing and theology, this eight-unit course covers theological foundations, practical implementation of congregational health ministries, spiritual assessment, and the use of evidence-based spiritual interventions, culminating in a comprehensive case study. Focus includes:

  • theological foundations of Christian caregiving
  • concepts of health and healing, and the meaning of pain and suffering
  • how to establish a congregational health ministry, including its roles and practical implementation models

The course culminates in a case study that challenges participants to apply what they’ve learned of an individual's well-being across mental, physical, and spiritual aspects.

 

Schedule & Location:

  • Start Date: January 1, 2026
  • End Date: June 15, 2026
  • Online Self-Paced: participants can access the curriculum at any time within the fixed date range and advance through the program at their own pace*
  • Includes two required Virtual Zoom Meetings: Noon-1 pm Feb, 3rd and March 17, 2026
Presenter Bio:
 
Dr. Carol A. Lueders Bolwerk, RN
 
Dr. Lueders Bolwerk, award-winning nursing teacher, has taught nursing at Concordia University Wisconsin for more than 35 years and has served as Director of Parish Nurse Program for most of that tenure. She teaches Christian Caregiving to traditional undergraduate and second degree accelerated nursing students and chairs the annual parish nurse conference. She has practiced in critical care, trauma, recovery, and operating room, and continues her nursing practice in a variety of positions.
 
Ph D, Anthropology: Medical and Rural, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
MSN, Nursing and Nursing Leadership, Marquette University
BS, Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
 
 
Rev. Dr. Daniel Paavola
 
CUW Theology Professor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Daniel Paavola is full-time pastor at River of Life Lutheran Church in Saukville. He grew up on a dairy farm outside New York Mills, Minnesota, and married Holly in 1979; they have three children, Christy, Steve, and Nicole. He was a pastor for twelve years at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Butternut, Wisconsin, a small town in the north woods. He then moved to teach theology at Concordia University Wisconsin in 1996. His hobbies include motorcycling, woodworking, and driving their 1917 Model T Ford car.