The Church and Global Health

What would it look like to live a life full of abundance, safety, rich relationships, a sound mind, and a healthy body? Some Christians would argue it is impossible on this side of Eden. Their stories tell of heartache, pain, and injustice. Yet, in the gospel of John, Jesus said, ‘I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.’ To those suffering and hurting, these words sound like a healing balm to body and soul. In the verse prior, John 10:9, we read, ‘I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.’ The Greek word for ‘will be saved’ is sōthēsetai, whose meaning goes beyond being saved from condemnation. It also implies being set free from sin and being made whole. To what end? So that others might also have life and have it in abundance, and Jesus may be magnified. This being made whole includes all of who we are as humans, including our spirit, mind, and body. This is the biblical understanding of health and human flourishing.

The Disruptions

With each passing day, the dream of flourishing seems fleeting for future generations in America. An epidemic of loneliness threatens people’s health, relationships, and livelihood.¹ Almost thirty percent of adults aged 30-44 report being ‘frequently’ or ‘always’ lonely. This lack of connection results in a majority of lonely adults also suffering from depression and anxiety. Despite being the wealthiest nation in the world, we are more detached and have fewer meaningful relationships than ever.

Now, unprecedented funding reductions are occurring in the Department of Health and Human Services,² which will affect the lives of millions dependent on these resources in vulnerable communities. Globally, the withdrawal of billions of dollars in USAID funding is closing down vital programs and research in Low and Middle-Income Countries,³ which will affect the lives of millions, many of whom we know personally. This is causing no end to the anguish being felt and expressed by many faith-based organizations that have recently depended on governmental funding for their operations.⁴

As of late August 2025, U.S. foreign aid cuts have been solidified through both legal manoeuvring and legislation. The administration has filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to uphold a freeze on approximately $12 billion in foreign assistance—including global health and HIV/AIDS funding—despite lower court rulings ordering its release.⁵ However, on July 24, 2025, President Trump signed a bill that officially cancels about $9 billion in funding, covering both foreign aid and public broadcasting.⁶

The impact on the ground is already palpable—for example, in South Africa, a $427 million reduction in U.S. aid led to the shutdown of 12 U.S.-funded clinics, disrupting HIV treatment for over 220,000 people, especially reaching vulnerable communities.⁷ Another example is World Vision, the largest evangelical humanitarian organization in the world, which had to respond to the loss of about 10% of its total budget. The hard consequences include the layoff of up to 3,000 employees and the total shutdown of some projects.⁸

The Advantages

We believe the church has an unparalleled opportunity to affect the health of millions around the world. She can do this by embracing this challenge in a hope-filled way, knowing that we who call on the name of Jesus have the mind of Christ. We are also his hands and feet. That should mean something when it comes to innovating to address such complex funding challenges to improve the sustainable health of people around the world.

The church has a long history of health engagement.⁹ Hundreds of Christian health ministries exist in various forms. Long-term hospital and clinic ministries have been in place for many years. Health ministries have been instrumental in planting the church among unreached people groups for centuries. Community health projects exist amongst the poorest populations. Short-term health outreaches provide care where health systems are less developed. Christians are working in disaster relief, with displaced populations, and in the slums of the biggest cities in the world. Some are developing and managing Christian healthcare education institutions.

The church is the largest multi-ethnic affinity group the world has ever known! Surely, she can make a difference in helping people experience fullness of life in Jesus the Messiah. Sadly, though, this knowledge of Jesus does not yet extend to all peoples. Some 6,000 distinct people groups are still considered unreached, and some have no known followers of Christ. 

The Responses

What should the global church’s response be in the middle of this funding disruption and these disparities?

Consider the disruption felt on Holy Saturday by the disciples of Jesus. Not just the remaining 11, but all who were part of his inner circle, those who believed him to be the Messiah. The events of the day of the crucifixion upended what they thought this Messiah was going to accomplish with his earthly ministry. And what were Jesus’ words to this dismayed group of his followers?

‘On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ‘ (John 20:19). Then he said it a second time with a commission: ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ (John 20:21) And he gave them the Holy Spirit.

The peace Jesus referred to in this passage is the Greek word eirēnē, the equivalent of the Hebrew word shalom, which means:

• completeness (in number)
• safety, soundness (in body)
• welfare, health, prosperity
• quiet, tranquility, contentment
• friendship in human relationships and with God, especially in covenant relationship
• rest from war

We believe this is the best understanding of health from a theological perspective. This is the state of wellbeing God intended for humanity upon creation, and is working to restore and complete in the new heavens and earth. It is walking in the footsteps of Jesus (Matt 4:23-9:38), following the commission to preach and heal given to the 12 apostles (Matt 10:1) and the 72 disciples (Luke 10:1-9).

The call to global disciple-making is a call to address universal human suffering among all peoples as we continue to teach everything he commanded us to do (Matt 28:18-20). The church is called to help all nations experience this kind of health, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized, and those who have not yet heard of the Living Healing God in Christ.

Our response to disruptions is not one of panic or devoid of hope, but one tempered with the knowledge that God is sovereign, and we pray and act that his healing intentions will be done on earth as in heaven. His peace must remain within us and our efforts to help improve the health and sustainable wellbeing of people who most need to hear the good news, because it is health to the bones (Prov 15:30).

Is it frustrating that USAID is stopping billions of dollars of international aid support? Of course it is. Will it hurt the health of millions of the world’s most vulnerable? Most likely, yes. Can the church do anything to fill the gaps left by this withdrawal of funding? Of course it can. Interestingly (and sadly), it is estimated that only 5% of Christians in the United States tithe,¹⁰ and those who do give less than 5% of their income to the church. If U.S. Christians all gave a basic 10% tithe, there would be an additional $139 billion for the church’s use! And those extra funds, if used wisely, could make a massive contribution to improving the lives and health of millions worldwide.

So far from being a time of hopelessness, this time of global disruption can be the best opportunity to effectively address complex global health challenges and reduce dependency on outside resources. We need whole-person care innovators who follow Jesus to promote whole-person health for all the nations.

Innovation does not seek to jettison all that has been in place from the past; instead, it aims to draw from and maintain that which is life-giving while acknowledging that some things do need to change if progress is to be achieved. In a complex world that addresses global health challenges, innovation is desperately needed more than ever from the church as the healing hands of Jesus.¹¹

The Opportunities

1. The church can deepen her understanding of health from a biblical perspective and better practice how Jesus cared for the whole person in the community. Several recent publications can be built upon and integrated into theological and missiological training. ¹²

2. The church can then begin caring for those in her community in the way of Jesus, that is, whole-person care for the mind, body, and spirit in an integrated way. Secular healthcare systems cannot do this, though many claim it is their goal. Local churches must discern how best, in their context, they can provide this holistic care. By attending to psychological, social, spiritual, and biological health needs, the church reduces the global disease burden, promotes shalom, and practices presence at the point of human felt need where the gospel can be experienced and articulated more clearly. We must see a Great Convergence where caring for soul and body in community merge seamlessly.

3. We encourage the church to prioritize the sending of whole-person caregivers where the name of Jesus is not yet known and the church is not yet established. Great progress must be made at the frontiers of mission, where billions may live their entire lives without hearing about Jesus or being cared for in the way of Jesus.
   
4. Such progress cannot happen without greater and greater collaboration. This includes interdenominational collaboration within the church, between those already involved in health and healthcare work, and within parachurch organizations like educational entities (colleges, universities, seminaries), those working on the economics of community and health development, agricultural ministries, and with those working for justice in global systems. One excellent platform for this to happen effectively is the Lausanne Action Hub, which was formed to create a ministry ecosystem for global collaboration that addresses the gaps in the church’s calling to heal earth’s multiple alienations.

Endnotes

1. static1.squarespace.com/static/5b7c56e255b02c683659fe43/t/67001295042a0f327c6e6fab/1728058005340/Loneliness_+Brief+Report+2024_October_FINAL.pdf 
2. www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/department-of-health-and-human-services-to-cut-20000-positions-public-health-agencies-hit-hardest 
3. www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyezjwnx5ko 
4. apnews.com/article/usaid-christian-nonprofits-funding-freeze-bbb000ea0e232765db1280c093301a8a
5. Associated Press. (2025). Supreme Court allows Trump-era foreign aid freeze to stand. AP News. apnews.com/article/foreign-aid-funding-freeze-trump-supreme-court-6b0748d2495c9b58e23d58e7bee941a4
6. Associated Press. (2025). Trump, Republicans target PBS and NPR in latest budget cut proposals. AP News. apnews.com/article/pbs-npr-budget-cuts-trump-republicans-7d29c97c85d0b450549af657e115f0f8
7. Business Insider Africa. (2025, August 26). South Africa’s HIV treatment crisis worsens even after US waiver on aid cuts. africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/south-africas-hiv-treatment-crisis-worsens-even-after-us-waiver-on-aid-cuts/658jzdm
8. www.christianitytoday.com/2025/07/world-vision-ceo-edgar-sandoval-interview-foreign-aid-layoffs/
9. 9.https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/issue/healthcare-and-hospitals-in-the-mission-of-the-church
10. www.vancopayments.com/egiving/asset-church-giving-statistics-tithing
11. https://cjgh.org/articles/10.15566/cjgh.v3i1.96
12. James K. Bruckner, Healthy Human Life (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books,2012).
13. Willard M. Swartley, Health, Healing and the Church’s Mission (Lisle, IL: IVP, 2012). Tyler J. Vanderweele, A Theology of Health: Wholeness and Human Flourishing (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2024). 
14. Stephen Ko, Faith Embodied: Glorifying God with Our Physical and Spiritual Health (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2024). Daniel W. O’Neill, Beth Snodderly (eds.), All Creation Groans: Toward a Theology of Disease and Global Health (Pickwick Publications, 2021). Paul J. Hudson, Healthcare and the Mission of God: Finding Joy in the Crucible of Ministry (Tulsa, OK: Genesis Publishing House, 2024).