Going to church may nourish your soul, but until recently it didn't offer much for your cholesterol level or body-mass index.

Now, a growing number of congregations are hiring nurses to help inspire churchgoers to eat better, exercise, manage chronic medical conditions and in general regard their physical bodies as a gift from their creator.

"Health care should not be like a body shop where we just take our vehicle in to be fixed. It's a matter of body, mind — and spirit," said Susan Chase, associate dean for the graduate program at the University of Central Florida College of Nursing. "We have to address all of that in order to prevent disease and help people heal."