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The Christian Science Nursing Collaborative is a community of Christian Science nurses, CS Nursing facilities, CS visiting nurse services and CS nurse professional associations, The Mother Church, and other supporting organizations dedicated to the spiritually vital activity and ministry of Christian Science nursing (see Church Manual p. 49., Sect. 31). Its purpose is to ensure that: “Every Christian Scientist has access to Christian Science nursing if they need it.”

The outcomes of this prayerfully engaged collaboration have been inspiring!  The active networking and problem-solving of individuals, organizations and associations working with The Philanthropy Forum for Christian Science Nursing is designed to uplift the entire field of Christian Science nursing to bless those who serve, those who are cared for (and their families) and the entire Christian Science movement.  

The two charts below show the current make up of the Collaborative – C3 (coordinating), CST (administrative support), Metaphysical (prays generally for the Collaborative and, specifically, on request), and all the Working Groups that are tackling various opportunities and challenges.


The Collaborative Coordinating Committee (C3) – oversees and coordinates the activities and is made up of representatives from the Association of Organizations for Christian Science Nursing (AOCSN), The Christian Science Nursing Network (CSNN), The Philanthropy Forum for Christian Science Nursing, and the The Mother Church’s Christian Science Nursing Activities department. Working groups include volunteer representatives from these same entities.

Working Groups – are tackling things such as salary and benefits for CS Nurses, making continuing education available to all Journal-listed CS nurses, and launching an international fund to cover the costs of CS nursing care for individuals outside of the US. If you want to know the main purpose of each working group, pop over to the What We’re Doing page and you’ll find a short purpose statement for each one. If you are interested in getting involved with one of them, email us at info@csncollaborative.org and let us know. We will be happy to connect you with that group.

To find brief descriptions of each working group, go to the What We’re Doing page

 

The Collaborative Support Team (CST) provides support to the entire Collaborative by:

  • giving visibility to the work being accomplished
  • communicating key elements within and across the collaborative groups and, on request, to the Christian Science Field at large
  • providing administrative support that lifts the paperwork off so the C3 and Working Groups can concentrate on the content of what they are doing
  • coordinating and administering logistical support for meetings and events

Some History on How We Came to Be

Numerous efforts by The Mother Church (TMC) and Christian Science nurses and organizations that employ and support them contributed to the formation of the current Collaborative effort. These include (but aren’t limited to):

  • TMC’s Committee on Publication office working to gain accommodations worldwide to ensure our use of the title: Christian Science nurse
  • AOCSN and TMC facilitated the merging of the Partnership and The Commission into a new Commission in 2012 to create better consistency in Christian Science nursing
  • Meetings identifying challenges and exploring steps of progress for Christian Science nursing, hosted by the Christian Science Board of Directors at TMC in 2014 and 2017
  • TMC facilitated worldwide workshops on Christian Science nursing conducted by Caroleen Scholet and Linda Kohler in 2014-15
  • AOCSN became a 501c3 in 2016
  • CSNN hosting biannual conferences for individual Christian Science nurses
  • AOCSN Education Committee gained unity with schools/training programs through collaboration on curriculum and levels of training for Christian Science nursing, completed in 2017
  • The emergence in 2015 of the Philanthropy Forum for CS Nursing – composed primarily of organizations that offer financial support to Christian Science patients, facilities, visiting nurse services, etc. 
  • The start of the National Fund for Christian Science Nursing (NFCSN)—building on the work of many individuals and organizations over five decades, established in 2017 after two years of hard work by a small group of dedicated folks
  • Conferences in January 2018 and April 2019, bringing together representatives of the Association of Organizations of Christian Science Nursing (AOCSN), the Christian Science Nursing Network (CSNN), the Philanthropy Forum (Forum) and The Mother Church (TMC) to identify possible areas where collaboration may occur and create working groups to tackle the opportunities and challenges

And, we acknowledge that many individuals and organizations have started and successfully implemented numerous programs to benefit the field of Christian Science Nursing. We are grateful to each one of them.