“In Every Way, God’s Path” is the theme of the 33rd annual Concordia University Wisconsin Conference for Parish Nurse and Congregational Health Ministries, May 14-15.
This year’s gathering was based on Proverbs 3: 5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
The CUW Conference for Parish Nurse and Congregational Health Ministries began with two keynote sessions on diabetes. Dr. Liz Deck presented the most recent evidence-based research on how parish nurses can help their congregational health members gain control of their diabetes by focusing on the 4 Ms: What Matters, Medications, Mentation, and Mobility. Dr. Phillip Zimmermann followed with a presentation on a NIH research grant on the effects of fasting on diabetic management.
Following the keynotes, CUW Professor Emeritus Rev. Dr. Daniel Paavola and full-time pastor at River of Life Lutheran Church in Saukville, held a worship service preaching on the theme verse. Dr. Paavola asked participants if they still read the directions on a box of macaroni and cheese when making it. “Most said no, of course not—but then do we still need to read the directions, so well known, that God gives us. The answer is ‘Yes!’ as our theme verse said, ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.'”
After lunch, Deaconess Tiffany Manor, director of LCMS Life Ministry, focused on how to meet special needs of adults and children in mind, body, and spirit. The day then concluded with Paavola’s plenary session entitled, “Today is the Day for Wisdom: Proverbs 3: Directions for Peaceful Wisdom.”
On May 15, participants attended 16 breakout sessions throughout the day. Topics included: gratitude, the Lutheran perspective on well-being, cultural congregational change, funeral planning, mobility challenges, transitional care, and more.
In the Advanced Funeral Planning session, presenter Dr. Jamie Spikes explained that many times the parish nurse is the one person in the position to help parishioners with end-of-life decisions and care. Each participant received a packet that included detailed information to share with families, which she finds to be incredibly helpful for her practice.
“Each year this conference is the high point of my parish nurse practice,” said Dr. Spikes. “I’ve attended almost all of the 33 conferences and come away having spent meaningful time with these like-minded caring, compassionate longtime friends!” She is looking forward to next year.
This national gathering of nurses, pastors, deaconesses, lay ministers, and others is a true blessing for the many dedicated individuals that attend annually.
“God has so graciously given us the blessing of 33 years of parish nurse conferences,” said Dr. Carol Lueders-Bolwerk, CUW professor of nursing and director of the Parish Nursing and Congregational Health Ministries. Since 1989, she has had the privilege of serving registered nurses, healthcare professionals, and clergy by helping them begin congregational health ministries in churches and communities.
“With God-given gifts of leadership and organization—and support from Concordia, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and the nation—our team has organized a national conference on a yearly basis for over three decades. I know that God has plans for parish nurse ministries across our nation and beyond.”
Notable facts
- During the conference, participants recognized former CUW President Rev. Dr. John Buuck, who approved the initial beginning of the parish nurse ministries program in 1980.
- With seed money from the former Lutheran Brotherhood, the previous director Julie Zersen, along with Dr. Jamie Spikes, Dr. Marcy Schnorr, Dr. Lueders Bolwerk, and others, developed the first parish nursing program in Wisconsin. “I have often said that a ‘parish nurse is not just a nurse in the parish.’ A parish nurse serves because she has felt the LORD call her (or him) to use their gifts to serve the LORD and His people,” said Schnorr. “The conference is a visible expression of this important truth.”
- Spikes, Schnorr, and Bolwerk continue to serve in parish nursing and congregational health ministries. Bolwerk serves as director of the program at CUW, Spikes serves as editor of the parish nurse newsletter, and Schnorr is part of the LCMS parish nurse council acting as a liaison for national and international education.
- Since 1989, CUW has partnered with the LCMS, the LCMS parish nurse council, and LCMS parish nurse representatives, which have served over 5,000 registered nurses and others by equipping them with information including a parish nurse newsletter, parish nurse directory, a parish nurse LCMS website, and an annual national conference.
- The oldest parish nurse that attended, 88-year-old Dorothy Degnitz, served Good Shepherd Lutheran in Watertown and continues to attend spring and fall convocations for the South Wisconsin District.
- There were 103 participants from 23 states that attended.
The 34th annual will be held May 13-14, 2026. The theme is “Living Well.”
Want in?
Concordia University Wisconsin is a Lutheran higher education community committed to helping students develop in mind, body, and spirit for service to Christ in the Church and the world. For more details on vocations in a congregational health ministry setting, click the link below.