Box 1.

Strategies Used by Churches to Promote Health Categorized by the Intervention and Assessment Activities Queried in the “Readiness to Engage in Research” Instrument

Activity	Strategy
Find someone to lead program	• Use pulpit announcements. • Develop a job description of the requirements; share with church family, and interested individuals would approach the health ministry for interviews and process for selecting a leader.
Plan program activities around other church activities	• Use a church calendar for scheduling events. • Use administrative staff to schedule events. • Plan activities during health awareness months. • Hold health promotion activities after services, when congregation is already present.
Determine church members who are eligible for the intervention	None given by respondents.
Recruit church members to participate in intervention	• Use pulpit announcements, church bulletins, bulletin board, newsletter, and handouts. • Send e-mails to flock groups through leaders.
Organize intervention activities	• Use computer provided through network to print information from the Internet for congregants. • Use existing health ministry team to coordinate.
Find volunteers to help with intervention activities	• Use pulpit announcements, church bulletins, newsletters, flyers and handouts. • Use sign-up sheets in the back of the church. • Use existing health ministry team. • Find/solicit for volunteers from congregants who are known health professionals.
Carry out intervention activities	None given by respondents.
Encourage church members to participate in intervention activities	• Use pulpit announcements, bulletin boards, newsletters, and flyers. • Pastors give health-related sermons and lead health-related seminars. • Send e-mail to flock groups through leader. • Use incentives.
Help church members to stay involved with the intervention	Use phone campaigns to remind people of events.
Figure out which church members should participate in the assessment	None given by respondents.
Encourage church members to participate in the assessment	• Complete surveys in a group (bible study, Sunday school) to reach the largest number of people. • Disseminate surveys in the pews during Sunday morning worship, bible school, or bible study. • Pastor announces and encourages completion on site. • Set target of number of surveys wanted returned. • Set up a form of accountability.
Organize the assessment activities	• Complete surveys in a group setting such as at bible study or Sunday school. • Use sign in-sheets to track attendance. • Set target of number of surveys wanted returned. • Set up a form of accountability.
Find volunteers to help with assessment activities	• Use pulpit announcements. • Use church bulletins. • Find/solicit for volunteers from congregants who are known health professionals. • Use e-mail tree to encourage participation.
Carry out the assessment activities	Use ushers to administer surveys.
Encourage church members to complete all assessment activities	• Have health ministry coordinator put on the church calendar. • Use incentives.