Healthcare and the Mission of God
Finding Joy in the Crucible of Ministry
Why does healthcare seem to compete with spreading the gospel? Why can’t we do both?
Jesus went about healing people and preaching the Kingdom of God. Healthcare professionals who want to serve Christ often find it challenging to integrate faith and practice, especially in a cross-cultural mission setting. Questions that are difficult to answer arise: How do I share my faith appropriately? Is compassionate care enough? How does my healthcare ministry advance Jesus’ Great Commission to disciple the nations? Healthcare and gospel ministry can each be driven by competing agendas. Healthcare and the Mission of God shows how Christians can recover an integrated picture of healthcare ministry. Healing and faith fit together in a larger framework, the whole story of the Bible. From creation to redemption, a clear picture of God’s purposes for humanity features compassionate care for others. The author illustrates this through stories of doctors and nurses facing the challenges of global missions. Jesus invites us as healthcare workers to be transformed for His glory even as He works through us to heal those broken and suffering. The challenges of cross-cultural missions become His invitation to joy.
Meet the Author
I served as a physician and epidemiologist in Ethiopia, Nepal, and Thailand for over three decades, and now have the privilege of helping other medical professionals around the globe. I’ve seen both the blessings and the challenges of connecting medical care and Christian ministry. My book – and this website – is an invitation to a conversation about how to better align our work with God’s. Please check out my book and blog. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
What People Are Saying
“Powerful Insight into the “Why” of Serving Cross-Culturally in Healthcare”
“The real-life experiences and anecdotes shared throughout the book are highly engaging, helping readers picture themselves in these stories and the lessons and critiques Dr. Hudson provides. The book provides powerful insight into the “why” of serving cross-culturally in healthcare.”
–Doug Lindberg, MD Director, CMDA Center for Advancing Healthcare Missions
“Comprehensive and Holistic”
“For 40 years, I have had the privilege of listening to, crying with, struggling alongside, and counseling healthcare missionaries. I have not found a book that addresses the person God to serve Him in healthcare mission so comprehensively and holistically.”
–Jarrett W. Richardson III, MD, Psychiatrist, Rochester, MN. Former Chair Christian Medical and Dental Associations CMDE Commission Former Chair Board of World Missions, Evangelical Covenant Church
“A Must-Read for Healthcare Missionaries”
“He speaks to the issues of burnout, conflict, triumphs and setbacks as only a veteran medical missionary could. This is a must-read for healthcare missionaries currently serving, those preparing to go and mission agency leaders.”
–Neil O. Thompson, MD, FACS, served as a missionary surgeon in Thailand and National Director of OMF (US)
“Not a Book to Just Put on a Shelf”
“This is not a book to just read and put on a shelf. This is a book to consume slowly and intentionally with the goal of being changed into a healthcare worker who will truly serve in the Way of Jesus.”
–Mike Soderling, MD, MBA, Director of Health for All Nations, Lausanne Movement Mission Issues Network
“Incredibly Helpful”
“Whether you are just beginning to think about a career in healthcare missions or are considering a mid-course change in your service, this volume may be incredibly helpful.”
–Dr. John Dunlop, MD, Geriatrician