Healthy Congregations: Commonly asked questions
Here are some answers to common questions about the Health Fund’s Healthy Congregations program. We also encourage you to watch this video here about the overall updates to our program for the 2025 enrollment year.
Who can participate in Healthy Congregations? Do all participants need to be church members?
The program is open to all United Methodist churches in the Great Plains Conference. The team leader and at least one team member must be members of the applying UMC, and it is expected that the team is in good faith centered in the applying UMC, but others from the community are welcome and encouraged to join the team as well.
We’re interested but unsure. How can we find out more about Healthy Congregations, and who can we contact with questions?
We encourage you to first read through the signup form, which details what Healthy Congregations is and how it works. You can also view this webinar recording about the program. For questions or to talk through getting started, planning programs, special opportunities or anything else about Healthy Congregations, we encourage you to set up a meeting to visit with Katie Schoenhoff, our vice president of programs. You are welcome to contact Katie here.
We’re excited – how do we get started?
To start, you’ll need an individual to lead the team and serve as primary point of contact, and at least one other team member (more if possible) ready to serve. This signup form can be filled out online or downloaded for printing, then signed and mailed or emailed to our office. The signatures you’ll need on the form are those of the team leader, the pastor, and the administrative council chair.
Tell us more about this training. Is it required? How long does it take? How does it work?
Healthy Congregations training is designed to ensure your team gets off to a great start in the program, and supports your team’s success in identifying, planning and carrying out your desired programs. To be eligible for renewal funding, we require that the leader and at least one other active team member complete the training. The training consists of a two-hour live online or in-person session guided by Health Fund staff. Allow about two hours to complete the training. We encourage teams to train together where possible. Most teams, upon completion of training, will end up with their program plan developed and ready to go. You can start training at any time (even before signup, if you like).
What happens once we sign up? When will we receive our initial grant funds? How soon can we get started with special program opportunities?
When we receive your completed, signed application, we’ll promptly review it. If we have questions or need more information before approval, we’ll reach out to you.
Once approved, we’ll issue your initial grant during our next payment cycle (normally, within the first two weeks of each month). We’ll send the team leader a welcome packet containing helpful information, guidance on next steps and other resources for success.
As soon as your application is approved, your team becomes eligible to apply for any Healthy Congregations special program opportunities of interest – even before training is completed.
To maintain team energy and momentum, we encourage you to schedule and complete training promptly.
