Christian Worldview Concepts

Church Based Medicine

A Model for Church-Based Medical Ministry

At a minimum, churches could implement a modest congregational nursing ministry that would provide such services as blood pressure screening, monitoring of blood sugar levels, home health visits to the elderly, shut-ins, individuals recently released from the hospital or new mothers. Congregational nurses may conduct health-screening clinics, facilitate eye exams, coordinate health promotion activities and integrate health education within the mainstream of the church's educational programs.

A congregational nursing ministry would be under the leadership of a nurse (RN) or nurse practitioner, who would be subject to the oversight of a licensed physician and the pastor(s) of the local church. This person should be included in pastoral staff meetings where the needs of congregants will be discussed in order to foster an interdisciplinary team approach to problem solving. The congregational nursing coordinator (CNC) should have experience in home health care, gerontology, pediatrics or family medicine. The position may be a salaried position, depending upon the size of the congregation. In some instances, several like-minded churches may collaborate to support one salaried nurse to provide administrative leadership and utilize volunteer nurses for service delivery. Some of the key issues that will drive the development and implementation of a congregation-based medical ministry are:

• Congregational commitment to ministering to the physical needs of people.
• Quality of the church's long-term strategic plan.
• Vision and commitment of the governing body and key personnel.
• Level of cooperation between like-minded evangelical churches.
• Core values that drive the church's vision and purpose.
• Facilities utilization and collaboration with existing organizations.
• Cultural, racial and ethnic sensitivity.
• Staff recruitment, orientation and training.
• Quality of care assessment and improvement.
• Level of cooperation with government agencies and monitoring of government regulation that would place a burden on a Christian ministry.
• Economic factors influencing the church's ability to provide "holistic" care.
• Demographic and health status profiles of the individuals served.

The benefits of establishing a congregational compassion ministry model are:

• Resources and facilities of churches and organizations will be optimized by linking them to specific community needs and maximizing evangelistic outreach.
• Services will be localized into specific neighborhoods with tightened cultural and socioeconomic bonds.
• Good community relations are facilitated with local government by reducing the inappropriate use of government services.
• A multidisciplinary "Care Team" utilization improves efficiency of resources as planning, implementation and utilization are managed from a "whole person - whole family" perspective.
• Re-introduces a Christian ethic in medicine, providing an alternative to organizations that undermine biblical values, (e.g., Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers).
• Provides Christians pursuing careers in medicine, counseling, social work and urban ministry with multidisciplinary training, residency and internship opportunities.
• Establishes a "beachhead" for local churches to engage in culturally sensitive community ministry.