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Gross and Paltzer, Effects of a Virtual …  85 
 

 

Effects of a Virtual Church-Based Wellness 

Circle Program in Chile During COVID-19 
 

Elise Gross and Jason Paltzer 

 
 

 
The Christian non-profit Kingdom Workers began a wellness circle program in Linares, Chile, two 

months before COVID-19 restricted most in-person activities. This article describes why the program 

began, how it was intended to operate, and how the Kingdom Worker Chile (KW Chile) team adapted 

to continue the program virtually, while maintaining its core mission of partnering with Christians to 

share the gospel message through a health and wellness support program. The forced adaptation of 

the wellness circles to a virtual format contributed to an increase in the number of program participants 

from the community as well as from neighboring cities and countries. There was also an increase in 

the number of volunteers who were able to offer additional supplementary activities. While the 

wellness circle program is new and small, it is a valued non-profit ministry and lessons can be learned 

from analyzing its experiences during the pandemic. Overall, the positive effects of the program’s 

transition online have permanently altered its structure for the foreseeable future and KW Chile plans 

to continue offering virtual wellness circles to involve volunteers and participants whose engagement 

is no longer hindered by travel, location, or time restraints. 

 

 
Introduction 

The global COVID-19 pandemic brought many 

faith-based non-profit organizations either to a standstill 

or to the realization that their planned activities had to 

be drastically modified in order to continue operating 

under new government and health guidelines. While 

community health holds the utmost importance, 

especially during a pandemic, the administration and 

delivery of health programs in communities became an 

additional threat as traditional methods often rely on in-

person interactions that could further the spread of 

COVID-19.  

As programs quickly confronted new realities, they 

were also faced with the degree to which changes should 

be implemented. Small faith-based organizations 

operate on minimal field budgets with small local 

teams. Decisions need to be made about making 

temporary quick fixes or permanent changes that would 

alter how programs operate. In a situation like the 

COVID-19 pandemic, field teams had to decide how 

to move forward with supporting existing health 

programs within an altered context.  

Kingdom Workers is categorized as a small- to 

medium-sized faith-based organization. Often, the 

experiences of such organizations are not represented 

in the dialogue of evidence-based strategies including 

those needed to respond to COVID-19. The purpose 

of this article is to share the experience of a local field 

team and the lessons learned transitioning from a 

traditional face-to-face wellness circle program to a 

virtual format, while maintaining a focus on authentic 

communication around faith and health. It is important 

to understand the situation and available resources of 

small faith-based organizations and the opportunities 

they have in being flexible and responsive to 

environmental changes and emergencies.  

 

Background 
The Chilean Ministry of Social and Family 

Development revealed in 2017 that 75% of adults and 

51.58% of children in Chile are obese and that 66.2% 

of the population is inactive (Ministry of Health 2017). 

Chile is sixth among countries in the Organization for 

Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 

the prevalence of diabetes in South America (Galaz 

2017). According to the International Diabetes 

Foundation (Malanda et al. 2019), 9.8% of Chile’s adult 

population were diagnosed with diabetes. This does not 

include the number undiagnosed and those with pre-

diabetes.  

Based on a community assessment survey 

conducted by KW Chile in 2019, people are generally 

aware of the risk of obesity and diabetes and value 

preventive care strategies, but do not apply the strategies 



Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy 2(2), Winter 2021  

 
Gross and Paltzer, Effects of a Virtual …  86 
 

to their everyday lives. There is an overall high level of 

stress given the 44-hour work week, low wages, and 

transportation challenges that lead to even longer 

workdays with uncertain pay for those with contract 

work. This influences the eating and exercise habits of 

many Chileans. In addition, the culture of the Maule 

region where the wellness circle program is located 

places a high value on food and the sharing of 

traditional food such as many types of bread. Eating 

what is provided is a sign of respect and trust. These 

habits and conditions lead many to believe that they do 

not have control over their health.   

The Chilean government recognizes obesity and 

diabetes as nation-wide problems and has put into effect 

health campaigns in schools and in food packaging 

industries; unfortunately, Chilean individuals and 

families do not have easy access to general education 

regarding preventive care or support in making healthy 

habits a reality. Community health experts and 

Christian volunteer coaches of wellness circles can be a 

source of support and strength for those who desire or 

need a healthier life.  

 

Program Description 
The mission of Kingdom Workers is to advance 

the gospel by partnering with local churches and their 

communities to discover and overcome their greatest 

obstacles together. Kingdom Workers believes that 

God’s love is holistic, impacting a person’s life here and 

now, physically and spiritually, and that true and lasting 

healing is the result of gospel testimony interwoven with 

human care. Every Kingdom Workers program is 

founded on the following three principles: meaningful 

local relationships, Christian welfare, and gospel 

proclamation.  

A team composed of KW representatives, 

Lutheran church members, and community members 

completed a formal community assessment in Linares 

in 2019 resulting in the creation of KW Chile and the 

wellness circle program. This program centers on 

partnering with community leaders to coach small 

groups of people to achieve habit-change in nutrition 

and fitness in order to prevent chronic diseases such as 

obesity and diabetes. The theory of change utilized in 

the program is based on a social ecological model of 

change that focuses on the individual, family, and 

community supports such as the local church and 

healthcare experts (Bronfenbrenner 1994). The goal is 

to address issues related to social, family, and spiritual 

health because these domains are influential to the 

motivation not only to change behaviors around healthy 

eating and exercise but also to sustain those behaviors. 

In addition, the wellness circle program integrates 

biblical insights into every session, providing the 

motivation for behavior change based on Jesus’ love for 

his children and their desire to be good stewards of his 

blessings for them and their families. Individuals with a 

good faith-based support system in place can navigate 

prioritizing healthy preventive habits to counter 

negative behaviors (Grim & Grim 2019; VanderWeele 

2017). Sharing Jesus’ love and redemption is at the 

center of every interaction at KW Chile.  

Figure 1 displays the structure of the program from 

KW Chile program staff, the local church and 

community partners, to individual Wellness Circles. 

KW Chile organizes volunteers from the local church 

and community to create a space for smaller wellness 

circles. The wellness circles are groups of individuals 

who agree to grow in their health and faith while holding 

each other accountable to small incremental behavioral 

change goals. 

 

Figure 1: KW Chile wellness circle structure 

 
 
The wellness circle program includes three areas, 

including preventive care community workshops, 

wellness circles, and volunteer coach training. 

Preventive care community workshops are led by local 

professional doctors, nurses, nutritionists, and 

counselors who share evidence-based preventive care 

strategies. These community workshops and seminars 

intend to close the health literacy gap in Linares and 

feed into opportunities for participants to join faith-

based peer wellness circles based on geography, life 

phase, age, and gender. Wellness circles provide a 

space for participants to be a part of a trusted 

community that shares best practices, provides 

accountability, positive social pressure, and ongoing 

support. Wellness circles meet regularly in forms that 

best suit their members – in homes, KW offices, coffee 

shops, workspaces – and members stay in touch 

regularly through their team WhatsApp group. Each 

Wellness circle is led by a Christian volunteer (coach) 

who is a source of support and strength for individuals 

and families in their circle who are facing stressors that 

impact their health. In wellness circle sessions, coaches 

elicit behavior change conversation addressing barriers 

related to social pressure, culture, personal behaviors 

and beliefs, and the environment. Faith and the role of 

Jesus in the lives of the participants is integrated through 

KW Chile

Local Church

Wellness 
Circle

Wellness 
Circle

Community 
Partners

Wellness 
Circle



Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy 2(2), Winter 2021  

 
Gross and Paltzer, Effects of a Virtual …  87 
 

the coaches in a way that emphasizes the God of grace 

in everyday living.   

KW Chile trains and assists Christian volunteer 

coaches to establish wellness circles by carrying out the 

following steps: 

 

1. Increasing the awareness of the issue in the 

community through free, community-based health 

workshops. 

2. Connecting interested volunteers with the KW 

Chile wellness circle coordinator who…  

a. Collaborates with community health experts 

using participatory strategies to create curricula.  

b. Trains volunteer coaches in facilitating small 

group discussions and behavior change theory.  

c. Provides ongoing support to volunteer coaches 

through seminars and additional training.  

 

Figure 2 shows the structure of the model following 

a socio-ecological framework. Each level incorporates 

individuals respective of their society: 1) Christian 

volunteers from the local church and community; 2) 

Individuals and families who desire knowledge and 

support in combating obesity and diabetes; 3) 

Community health experts. The diagram also 

demonstrates that trained volunteer coaches are the 

foundation of the program, because they are the ones 

who found and lead wellness circles. Preventive care 

workshops are supplementary resources that serve the 

community and allow KW Chile to invite members of 

the community to join wellness circles.  

 

Figure 2: KW Chile wellness circle program structure 

 
 

Program Structure 
The pilot wellness circle began in the city of 

Linares in January 2020. The pilot was projected to last 

18 weeks, with the participants meeting weekly, either 

in-person or through WhatsApp communications. The 

circle was intentionally kept small since the ideal size 

for a wellness circle is between six-to-ten people in 

order to foster trust and authentic communication 

amongst its members. Participants were encouraged to 

attend monthly preventive care community workshops 

hosted by KW Chile. The main objectives of the pilot 

group were to: 

 

1. Receive feedback on the wellness circle curriculum. 

2. Gather data to determine participant growth in 

developing and implementing healthy habits to their 

everyday lives.  

3. Encourage and recruit several participants to 

become volunteer coaches.  

 

The pilot wellness circle operated as planned for 

1.5 months with an initial group of ten individuals. In 

early March, however, COVID-19 came to Chile and 

drastically altered the way of life. Since then and until 

the present-day (December 2020), schools have 

remained closed. The country remains under State of 

Emergency which includes nation-wide laws obligating 

all residents to wear masks in public areas and to 

respect curfew and gathering restrictions. Depending 

on statistics, communities fluctuate between lock-down 

quarantine and reentry protocols. Socially, many 

Chileans respect the COVID-19 restrictions and follow 

self-imposed quarantine measures for as long as 

possible.   

The arrival of COVID-19 to Chile forced the pilot 

wellness circle to pivot. KW Chile suspended its in-

person activities following the lead of other community 

health, education, and faith groups. While 

communication within the pilot group was still 

maintained through WhatsApp, the team now had to 

figure out how to continue meeting together in a way 

that would continue to develop a supportive community 

and provide for authentic, faith-driven conversation. In 

addition, the program’s supplementary activities like 

group exercise opportunities, partnering with local 

health professionals, and community workshops could 

no longer take place as had been previously planned. 

Of the initial ten individuals in the pilot group, four 

dropped out due to COVID-19, scheduling conflicts, 

or a decision to not continue, resulting in a group of 

only six people completing the pilot program in the city 

of Linares.  

 

Adaptation Strategy  
During the program planning, the KW Chile team 

had never considered online elements as a part of the 

program apart from an informative social media 

presence. Chileans in the region where Linares is 

located greatly value relationships and quality time 

spent face-to-face. Because of this, all program activities 

were planned to be held in-person. Yet,COVID-19 

ushered in a unique opportunity when Chileans 

continued to desire face-to-face time, but were 

physically restricted. While previously technology 

might have been viewed as a cold or unreal way to 

3. Preventive 
Care Workshops

2. Wellness 
Circles

1. Volunteer 
Coach Training

•Community health 
experts 

•Individuals/families 
who desire 
knowledge and 
support in combating 
obesity and diabetes

•Christian volunteers 
from the local church

•Christian volunteers 
from the community



Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy 2(2), Winter 2021  

 
Gross and Paltzer, Effects of a Virtual …  88 
 

gather in community, it suddenly became a blessing 

sought by many.  

Most Chileans in Linares have access to a web 

accessible cell phone or to a computer in their homes. 

Within a week, the KW Chile team decided to 

transition the pilot group to a virtual Zoom platform. 

Initially, the team used the free version of Zoom. With 

many phone calls, practices, and initial delays in starting 

due to participants learning the login process with audio 

and video, everyone finally got online for the first virtual 

session. While not all the planned content was 

delivered, participants were thrilled to see each other 

and to pray together as the unknowns of COVID-19 

were heavy. After a couple sessions, participants were 

comfortable with the platform and were especially 

thankful to be able to continue meeting from the safety 

of their own homes. In fact, the most common 

comment written on each session’s exit survey was “We 

need to meet more!” Zoom suddenly made the idea of 

additional gatherings feasible in everyone’s schedules.  

As the weeks of restrictions continued, KW Chile 

bought a professional Zoom account and began to 

realize other opportunities that the platform brought. 

The team began meeting again with local healthcare 

professionals, collaborating, or presenting on the 

program and completing interviews through Zoom. A 

fitness instructor from Santiago, 3.5 hours away from 

Linares, began volunteering with the program by 

leading modified workouts through Zoom for 

interested wellness circle participants.  

In addition to Zoom, the program’s Facebook 

page became essential. Community healthcare partners 

volunteered to create short preventive care videos. The 

videos not only increased the online audience, but also 

the number of potential community partnerships. A 

health clinic in a neighboring city reached out desiring 

to learn more about the program in order implement a 

wellness circle in their area. A restaurant with healthy 

food delivery options shared recipes and cooking tips 

through KW Chile. Additional healthcare professionals 

contacted KW Chile to see how they could volunteer. 

Facebook is widely accessible and easy to stream. 

Because of this, in-person community workshops 

became Facebook Live sessions. Together with 

healthcare professionals, staff members crafted sessions 

that pushed audience members to interact with the 

messages being shared.  

As adaptations ushered in more opportunities, 

KW Chile remained focused on maintaining their 

mission of building meaningful local relationships, 

proclaiming the gospel, and serving the needs of the 

community related to preventive care. Partnering with 

the local church and Christians remained of primary 

importance. Those who expressed the desire to 

become coaches were asked to experience a wellness 

circle first to ensure their commitment to the program’s 

ministry and values. When enrollment opened for the 

next round of wellness circles, there were 30 spaces that 

filled quickly since there were three trained Christian 

coaches and each group was capped at ten members.  

 

Results and Discussion 
The positive impact of many of the virtual 

modifications that were made during the pilot wellness 

circle was quickly noticed by the KW Chile team as well 

as by the participants. While changes had been made 

from necessity and a desire for the program to simply 

survive the COVID-19 climate, they fostered greater 

interest in the program and opportunities for 

expansion. By July, the team had completely 

restructured the original model of the wellness circle to 

permanently include many virtual features recently 

adapted.  

KW Chile is a new and small non-profit program 

that mobilizes believers to serve their neighbors in their 

own communities. While the pilot wellness circle was 

small, it is of value not only to Kingdom Workers but 

to other small-to-medium Christian non-profit 

organizations that operate under similar circumstances 

of limited staffing, technology, and budgets. While the 

information from the pilot group is tentative and in 

need of confirmation over extended time, it is still 

beneficial in that it provides directional insights that 

allow for improvement in future programming. In 

addition, sharing the experiences of KW Chile could 

potentially foster discussions on best practices and 

adaptations during COVID-19 amongst smaller 

Christian non-profit ministries.  

An initial look at the impact of the first wellness 

circle showed overall positive movement and growth. 

KW Chile observed positive movement on the 

following key outcomes:  

 

1. Participants became more comfortable sharing their 

faith with others.  

2. Participants reported eating more fruits and 

vegetables, especially those who previously ate 0-1 

servings a day. 

3. Participants reported an increase in exercise, 

especially among those who previously exercised 0-

20 minutes per week.  

4. Participants were more likely to believe that they 

have control over the health of their bodies after the 

support group than before it.  

 

Throughout the program, and during the final 

celebratory gathering, participants were encouraged to 

share their opinions on the experience. One participant 

shared his joy in gathering with others regularly and his 

love of being encouraged by a Christian community, 

“The more I am in the Word, the more I want to live it 

and to share it.” Another commented on her realization 



Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy 2(2), Winter 2021  

 
Gross and Paltzer, Effects of a Virtual …  89 
 

that her personal health often took the backburner in 

her life, “I have made improvements! I still have more 

to improve, but I know that I have grown and will 

continue to grow.” “There is no doubt that being a part 

of this initiative has helped me improve my wellness 

both physically and spiritually. I am thankful for each 

reflection in the word of God. I felt accompanied in the 

process, strengthened by God.” Even those unable to 

complete the circle due to other obligations and 

meeting changes were supportive of the program, 

“Thank you so much for allowing me to get to know 

you. The program seemed excellent to me even though 

I was not able to fully participate. I began positive 

changes in my eating habits, and I have continued 

them.” Of the six participants who completed the pilot 

wellness circle, two officially trained with KW Chile to 

become coaches and are now continuing their own 

wellness growth while encouraging others. 

The KW Chile team saw drastic changes to their 

operations once moving online. Growth in online 

activities encouraged growth in community engagement 

and knowledge of the program as seen through 

interactions on the program’s Facebook page. Whereas 

previously the team had to recruit volunteers and 

participants, now more people were seeking 

information about Kingdom Workers themselves. 

Upon posting a volunteer job application online for a 

nutritionist, the program received twelve applications 

from all over Chile. A psychologist contacted the 

program, desiring to know how she could be a part of 

it.  

By far, the greatest impact of moving online has 

been the accessibility to the program. People tuned into 

the community healthcare workshops from all over 

Chile. As of December 2020, one online workshop has 

8,100 partial or complete views and approximately 

twenty-five individuals actively participated in each of 

the four online workshops. Upon opening the 

registration for the next round of wellness circles, the 

program received applicants from cities throughout 

Chile as well as applicants from countries where the 

program has sister churches in Colombia and the 

Dominican Republic. By simply moving the program 

online, interest grew, volunteer and participant interest 

grew, and the potential scope of the program grew as 

well.  

 

Limitations 
The online adaption has several limitations. First, 

some elderly community members have expressed 

interest in participating in wellness circles, but they 

would prefer to do it in-person to feel more 

comfortable. Second, internet complications cause 

some participants to drop out of wellness circles 

especially during periods of quarantine when more 

people are at home and online causing the internet to 

be slow or to fail regularly. Third, coaches must be able 

easily to navigate technology and learn how to facilitate 

sessions and build relationships virtually.  

 

Conclusion 
Experiencing the pilot wellness circle during a 

global pandemic forced KW Chile to make immediate 

changes to the program. While the intent of the 

program did not change, the implementation and some 

of the supporting activities and content did. The 

following are the key takeaways and subsequent next 

steps:  

 

1. Small wellness circles led by Christian coaches allow 

for the gospel to be proclaimed not only by coaches, 

but also by participants, some of whom go on to 

serve as coaches themselves. Circles will continue to 

be small and led by volunteers who are passionate 

about the KW Chile ministry of gospel 

proclamation and loving one’s neighbors.  

2. Certain online elements will remain a permanent 

part of the program.  

a. Supplementary activities like fitness 

accountability groups. 

b. Facebook Live sound bites featuring wellness 

habits with community healthcare experts. 

3. Wellness Circles will now meet weekly to encourage 

more accountability and subsequent habit growth. 

KW Chile program staff will facilitate bi-weekly 

Zoom theory sessions where numerous wellness 

circle groups will gather to learn together. In the 

weeks in between, KW volunteer coaches will meet 

with their individual wellness circles either virtually 

or in-person for practice sessions focused on 

building community and accountability.  

4. A completely virtual option for distant participants 

with the hopes of developing coaches and circles in 

other areas and countries will be implemented. 

Coaches can continue to be trained and supported 

by KW Chile through Zoom.  

 

The impact of forced changes to the wellness circle 

program brought on by COVID-19 introduced many 

new opportunities that improved the program’s 

effectiveness and taught the KW Chile team some 

valuable lessons. Regardless of the continued instability 

of COVID-19, the program has continued and now 

provides more benefits to participants and volunteers 

than was originally hoped. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy 2(2), Winter 2021  

 
Gross and Paltzer, Effects of a Virtual …  90 
 

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Elise Gross 

 

Author email: egross@kingdomworkers.com   
 

Jason Paltzer 

 

Author email: Jason_Paltzer@baylor.edu  

 
 

http://www.ipsuss.cl/ipsuss/analisis-y-estudios/financiamiento/chile-el-6-pais-con-mayor-prevalencia-de-diabetes-de-la-ocde/2017-12-01/153048.html
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mailto:egross@kingdomworkers.com
mailto:Jason_Paltzer@baylor.edu

