Pressure Point #10 Health Care – Missiologically Thinking

Every year, multitudes contract communicable and noncommunicable diseases that affect quality of life. Many of these diseases could be prevented with health education, clean drinking water, proper sanitation, and medical workers. While the greatest need for improved health care is found outside of the West, post-industrialized countries are not exempt from this need. As the Church goes into the world, She quickly comes face-to-face with this point of pressure. The challenge is to give water, food, and bandages for wounds while not losing focus on her mission: to make disciples of all nations.

In this post, we take a quick glimpse at the reality of health care issues shaping the face of the Church. We are to care for those in need as we share the message Christ’s love with the nations.

Consider the following pressure in our world:

Malnutrition is the related cause of death in approximately 35 percent of all deaths among children under five years of age.
In 2011 approximately two-thirds of the deaths of children under five years of age were caused by infectious diseases, pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, meningitis, tetanus, HIV, and measles.
Vaccines could prevent about 20 percent of deaths in children under five years of age.
Almost one-half of the global population is at risk for malaria. Of the 216 million cases in 2010, about 655,000 resulted in death, with 86 percent of these among children five years of age and younger.
Ninety percent of malaria deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2010 approximately 2.7 million people were newly infected with HIV.
By 2010, 34 million people were living with HIV, an increase over previous years.
There are 17 tropical diseases (with the exception of a couple not prone to outbreak) that affect 1 billion people in 149 countries, causing severe pain, disability, and death.
In 2010, 2.5 billion people did not have access to improved sanitation facilities, with 72 percent of these living in rural areas.
Over two-thirds of all cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Lung, breast, colorectal, stomach, and liver cancers cause the majority of those deaths.
Each year 2.8 million die as a result of being over-weight or obese.

Matters such as these as well as life expectancies, infant mortality rates (and under 5 mortality rates), maternal health, and clean water influence how the Church ministers to a broken and hurting world. Such issues shape the present and future of the Church when it comes to Her local expressions, membership, and leaders.

Two related questions must be addressed on a continual basis. First, how can local churches equip their people for life and mission in light of the pressure point of health care? For those coming from contexts used to high levels of care, the challenge to minister effectively often arises when faced with poor care elsewhere.

Second, the long-standing question remains. How will we stay focused on making disciples of all nations in light of great physical needs? The Church is to care for all suffering–especially eternal suffering (to borrow from John Piper’s words). We must not allow the sharing of the good news about the Great Physician to take a position of less than primary importance.

Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping the Face of the Church is scheduled for release July 16. You may pre-order it here in paperback, Kindle, or audio versions.

Previous posts in this series:

Pressure Point #9 Children and Youth

Pressure Point #8 Growth of Cities

Pressure Point #7 Poverty

Pressure Point #6 Globalization

Pressure Point #5 International Migration

Pressure Point #4 Pluralism and the Plurality of Faiths

Pressure Point #3 Growth of the Majority World Church

Pressure Point #2 The West as a Mission Field

Pressure Point #1 Unreached Peoples