Health ministry partnerships: creating a habit for health.

More than one third of the U.S. population is obese whereas 17% of youth ages 2 to 19 are obese. This paper describes the partnership between a predominantly African American church in central Texas with a state university nursing school to reduce obesity through a health-promotion program. Based upon the success of the partnership and impact of the program, this partnership could serve as an exemplar for other churches and universities in developing health programs.