AIM Ministry: Healthcare

We long to see healthcare professionals practising, modelling and mentoring competent, compassionate medicine, but doing so in places where they will influence unreached people groups for Christ.

For many years healthcare professionals wishing to be involved in cross-cultural mission in Africa have been encouraged to partner with church health care providers. However, the church/mission hospital paradigm is less applicable these days and alternative models are increasingly appropriate. This might involve partnerships with governments or other NGOs, basic community health work or a variety of creative alternatives. The need for this kind of health ministry is everywhere – we don’t aspire, however, to trying to meet that need anywhere, but more strategically among unreached people (directly or indirectly).

Often it’s more appropriate to go to a place, live there and figure out, in conjunction with the local community, how to be involved after one arrives. The idea that you can take a pre-determined programme or plan and simply implement it may exist in the popular Western mindset (all these needy people need the help that we can offer), but we aspire to more than simply doing things for people and communities.