For what does it profit a man...if someone says they have faiths but do not have works? - James 2:14
It is the continuous challenge of our lives. Can we practice what we preach? Can we live what we believe?
Faith-based hospitals and charities face the same kind of challenge. I've seen some hospitals with crosses on them that have done such a terrible job at living their missions that many would say they ought to take the cross down and replace it with a dollar sign.
Fortunately, there are so many more that do a beautiful job living Love.
What does it mean for a Christian organization to live it's mission? I've seen some organization carry forward the Christian narrative in very literal and lovely ways.....
At Nashville's Siloam Clinic, for example, staff of all faiths are hired. Yet each
of them are oriented to live around a particular approach: "to see the
face of Christ (or God, or Love) in each patient." And, we may presume, to see the same in each other as
co-workers.
Christians know the story of Christ washing the feet of his disciples as a demonstration of humility. What would this look like if practiced in a Christian organization? Would this mean that a leader would actually kneel down and wash the feet of others?
That is exactly what happens in one of America's finest and most successful charities. It's called Magdalene. We've written about it before in the Journal. It was founded by an Episcopal priest named Becca Stevens. Yes, Becca actually conducts a ceremony in which she washes the feet of others. Who are these others? They are the recovering prostitutes and drug addicts that Magdalene serves. And they are other staff members as well.
Would such a thing feel embarrassing for the leader? What is the difference between embarrassment and humility? In the first condition, the individual is concerned about looking silly in the eyes of others. In the second, the individual gives up thoughts of self to serve others.
Was Jesus embarrassed when he washed the feet of his disciples? The Bible suggests that it was the disciples who were embarrassed, not Jesus.
When CEOs doff their suits and don uniforms to work alongside staff, this, to me, is a form of foot-washing. And that is what Larry Ainsworth, CEO of St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California
does every month. Unfortunately, his example is rare.
But living out faith in faith-focused organizations is not, of course, limited to Christian work places. In the 1980s and 90s, my nomination for the most loving hospital in America was Boston's Beth Israel Hospital (left). I visited the place, founded out of the Judaic tradition, every year for ten years. 100% of the employees I questioned across a decade loved working in this marvelous organization and patient satisfaction levels were extraordinarily high.
Perhaps, the question is not whether an organization offers itself as religious. The crucial question is: Does the organization practice its own mission, whatever it is?
It's a great question for every charity. And a great challenge for each one of us.
-Erie Chapman
