Partnering With The Church For A More Effective Work: A Lesson From Ants

As a Christian doctor I find myself going about the interesting task of combining faith and medicine. I don’t’ just want to bring healing to the body but also to the soul. I’ve found that this is not easy.

My limitations are many including lack of time, lack of skill in discussing spiritual things, dealing with medical complexity that leaves little room for spiritual things. It’s made me wonder what it would look like if I didn’t go about my mission alone. What if I could partner with someone to help me?

Ants – Dumb or Brilliant?

I recently listened to an interview of a scientist who studied ants. As they looked a the ants individually they were incompetent. The reporter noticed two ants doing tug of war with a twig. Apparently they can something mindless like this for months. However, when you take the ants together as a whole they become incredibly smart.

In fact this scientist noted that the smartest thing she’s seen an ant do was to build a turret around the opening of the nest just before the summer monsoon season. That way when it rains and the water rises, much of the water could be prevented from going into the opening of the nest. Somehow the ants as a colony were able to discern the barometric pressure in the air and then start a project to minimize damage to their home.

Emergent Intelligence of Ants

Now here’s the interesting thing about all of this. Nobody is telling the ants what to do. Apparently the Queen Ant is not a queen in the way we think of a queen. She doesn’t sit on a throne; she doesn’t give orders. She only lays eggs. Ants are able to accomplish amazing feats not due to the intelligence of any one particular ant, but due to the interaction between the ants.

Taken individually the ants are rather dumb. However, when you start bringing them together an intelligence begins to emerge. They begin to move and act as a body.

This reminds me of what Paul says of the Body of Christ. We are each a part of the body of Christ. No one part can do it all. But together we function in a way that makes Christ the head.

So many times, it seems that God’s people work in silos. There is minimal interaction. But if we work together and interact together can something better emerge? Can the whole be greater than the sum of its parts?

As a Christian doctor who seeks to heal both the body and soul, what would it look like if I didn’t pursue this alone? What if I sought to partner with the church? What if by partnering with the church something greater would emerge?

Here are 3 benefits medical providers partnering closely with their churches.

1. It would transform patients. If I had a church member who understood health and gospel, this person could potentially be effective in teaching patients how to live healthier lives. A church member could function as a health coach.
2. It would engage church members. So many times church members are simply warming up the pews of our churches. Physicians working with churches have the potential to provide ministry opportunities for the church which would be transformative for those engaged.
3. It would allow the church to reach our communities. It can become easy for us to only associate with Adventists and talk to our own kind. A doctor can provide a much needed link between the church and the community. He can keep the church from seclusion and compel it to stay actively engaged.

Somebody once said, “If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far go together.” What could happen if we as Christian doctors would partner with our churches for a more effective work?