In the 1960's and 70's, Dr. Granger Westberg, a hospital chaplain and medical school professor, established holistic health clinics in churches. Staffing was provided by a physician, a nurse and a pastoral counselor.

In th early 1980's, the concept of a "ministry of health" emerged and began to focus on the role that the nurse can play in congregational health.

By 1986, parish nurse education programs were established at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL and Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines, IA.

Throughout this country and the world, there are currently about 4000 Health Ministries programs. Most are organized as volunteer programs, but some employ parish nurses who are supported by hospitals, congregations or long term care facilities. Collaborative ventures in Health Ministry and Parish Nursing, especially between hospitals and congregations are also popular.

Health Ministry or Parish Nurse programs can be:
* Community based
* Collaborative models
* Church/Synagogue based
* Hospital based
* Long term care based

Today, the growing movement is toward Health Ministry Programs. With this concept, the congregation has the freedom to create a team approach to meet the health needs of their membership. Often, the team is a council, cabinet or committee, comprised of both health professionals and lay people who determine how the assessed needs will be met.

The Health Ministries Association was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1989, due to an increasing interest in the health ministries movement. This association supports full congregational involvement, including laity, clergy and health professionals, in Health Ministry.

Dr. Granger Westberg died in 1999, but his legacy lives on in the Parish Nurse and Health Ministries movement.

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