Letter from the President and CEO November 2025
Dear Reader,
This month, we are celebrating many things, including our 34th Psychotherapy & Faith Conference, a unique sonic experience for Compassion Week, another Heroic Self-Care program for female veterans, and ongoing activities in the Texas Hill Country. Additionally, we are reaching exciting new milestones in our work to build capacity for faith communities to engage in evidence-based health programs.
Yesterday, I sat with a brilliant nurse researcher from UTMB in Galveston who is conducting a multi-year study on how to improve health outcomes for adults with cognitive decline by training nurse researchers to perform work in faith homes and other community-based settings. Her project closely aligns with our work through the Center for Faith and Public Health, where we strive to build bridges of collaboration between health systems and faith communities.
As we discussed the challenges and opportunities inherent in partnering with faith-based entities, we began to reflect on how the beliefs and practices of a particular community influence the interpretation and incorporation of health information into the daily lives of its members. Our conversation specifically focused on the contrast between “salvation through works” and “salvation through grace” in Christian settings, and how partnering with churches that emphasize one or the other may influence our approach to health education in that setting.
In simple terms, a view emphasizing salvation through works holds that human effort, including moral discipline and good deeds, contributes significantly to salvation. On the other hand, salvation through grace (or divine mercy) insists that salvation is a gift from God, not something humans can earn. One can see how a worldview shaped by each of these positions might influence how one chooses to engage in, for example, healthy lifestyle behaviors or health ministry volunteerism.
Our job at the Institute is not to judge a community for its orientation one way or another, nor to insist on a particular worldview. Instead, our approach is to find ways to meet communities where they are and infuse their character into the health programs that we lead, such as the Faith & Diabetes Initiative. By getting curious and creatively leveraging a community's beliefs and practices to inform health programs, we create more sustainable initiatives that are built on trust, cultural competency, and genuine buy-in from the settings in which they are delivered. This is the essence of the Institute’s approach to community-based health, as evident in our efforts in areas ranging from vaccine preparedness to trauma recovery, chronic disease prevention, and self-management. We are honored to collaborate closely with diverse faith communities, where a rich tapestry of cultures infuses health programs with spirit.
To end with a prompt, consider how your most important and deeply held beliefs shape the way you think about health in your own life. Making that connection can empower you to animate your behaviors with inner conviction and consider if your beliefs align with the way you work towards thriving.
Warmly,
Stuart
Stuart C. Nelson
President & CEO
Loise Henderson Wessendorff Chair