PUB 655 TOPIC 7: Faith-Based Organization Case Study
Faith-based healthcare organizations are essential in meeting the needs of vulnerable communities. As the world advances, a significant share of the population is unable to access necessities such as food, healthcare, education, and housing. These vulnerable groups include those living in rural settings, the disabled, and people from lower economic social classes. Faith-based healthcare organizations have been on the frontline to assist these vulnerable individuals to ensure that they also have a chance to live a quality life and experience the love of God (Rivera et al., 2019). Among such organizations is the Advancing the Ministries of Gospel (AMG) international. The organization was founded in 1942 by George Geogarski and Nicholas Lambrides, and it assisted undernourished and homeless children and sent gospel literature overseas. Since then, the organization has grown to reach more than 30 countries where they advance the gospel by providing resources to meet the healthcare and basic needs of the communities they serve. This paper will analyze the Samaritan Purse International relief, focusing on how its mission aligns with its strategies, the communities served, funding, and partnerships with other organizations.
ORDER AN ORIGINAL CASE STUDY WITH US
Mission: Assess how the mission of the organization aligns with its strategies and work.
The organization’s mission is to advance the gospel through the provision of resources to Christ-centered churches and leaders throughout the world to enable them to meet the deepest needs of the people in their communities, especially the vulnerable individuals. The organization focuses on meeting both spiritual and physical needs. Its strategy involves partnering with relevant stakeholders such as local churches and leaders to identify vulnerable communities and establish facilities that provide the basic needs such as healthcare, housing, and education while still inspiring faith. By partnering with local churches and religious leaders, the organization can advance the gospel by meeting the spiritual needs of the communities they serve and their physical needs. The organization notes that providing basic needs such as healthcare, food, and education makes it possible to break down walls of resistance and allow people to quickly open up to God. People who are overwhelmed by their physical needs are unlikely to have adequate time to focus on their spiritual needs, and therefore the organization aims at providing the physical needs first to create adequate time for people to be receptive to their spiritual needs (Advancing Ministries of Gospel International, 2022).
The gospel is integrated into every activity provided by the organization; for example, in their hospitals and clinics, they employ Christian doctors and nurses who pray with patients before they treat them. Devotions are conducted every morning through the public address to inspire faith and hope among the patient. Also, scriptural literature is hung on the walls in the clinics and hospitals to remind the patients about the existence of God and his love for them, to inspire faith, and advance the gospel. Their child and youth development programs provide holistic care to guide the participants to develop a relationship with God as they also grow in others. They conduct Christian summer camps, bible studies, and discipleship classes which guide the youths under scholarships to develop a personal relationship with God. AMG international’s values include faithfulness, trust, and excellence, all of which are guided by the scripture. As servants of God, the organization believes it is their responsibility to faithfully execute the duties assigned to them and use the resources allocated to achieve excellent results, and promote trust with their partners by being accountable (Tagai et al., 2018).
Populations: Assess the populations served by the organization or ministry.
The organization targets the vulnerable in society, including young children, the youth, the economically disadvantaged, and those affected by war, drought, floods, disease outbreaks, and earthquakes. To identify the populations or individuals that require assistance, the organization uses churches and local leaders in the different areas to understand the needs of the communities. The local leaders and churches provide the details about the community’s needs, such as medical needs, educational and other basic needs, which the organization then analyzes to determine whether their service is required or not. The organization also assesses the availability of facilities such as hospitals and clinics in the community. In most of the areas they serve, the organization is the sole provider of medical care services in those communities. The organization also depends on outbreaks or natural calamities to identify populations they need to serve. For example, news of disease outbreaks, war, or other calamities in areas that the organization can reach, are used to guide their services to humanity. The organization does not outline criteria for qualification; they provide help and assistance to those in need. For example, in the medical facilities, they treat everyone, including those who can pay for the services and those unable to cover the medical expenses (Advancing Ministries of Gospel International, 2022).
Funding Mechanism: Assess the funding mechanism of the organization:
The organization depends on funding from donors and revenue collected from their investments, including hospitals and stocks. AMG International receives donations from well-wishers all over the globe. The organization also stocks in different businesses; for example, it owns 98.42% of stocks in St. Luke’s Hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece, which is a for-profit organization, funds collected from this means are used to support its missionary work in different regions they operate in. It relies on local communities being served to support its mission. The organization uses professional volunteers from the communities and provides training to improve their skills to assist them in fulfilling their mission. It also provides education and training scholarships for young children and adults to gather relevant skills in different areas and use them to advance its mission (Murchison, 2020).
Partnerships: Assess the partnerships of the organization within public health to develop innovative and appropriate public health models
The organization has several strategic partnerships with other similar organizations, including Word and Deed, which links businesses, individuals, and institutions to the organizations that carry out missionary work in disadvantaged communities. AMG International also partners with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Kindernothilfe, International justice mission, Wort und Tat, ABWE International, Christofell Blindenmission, and Woord and Daad. The organization collaborates with other partners to educate their target population on health and provides training and scholarships to develop skills that can empower them to achieve independence. This helps reduce the poverty rates in the communities affected and ensures that the population is aware of their responsibility in maintaining a healthy surrounding for their wellbeing. There is no direct evidence that AMG international partners with public health agencies since they primarily operate in medically underserved regions, and in most of their current locations, they are the only healthcare providers. The organization can improve the effectiveness of its aid by engaging diverse partners to provide more services to the community they serve for improved outcomes (Tagai et al., 2018).
Conclusion.
Faith-based healthcare organizations are essential in providing medical services to the underserved and vulnerable communities across the globe. Among the advantages of their involvement is that they do not just provide medical care; they focus on all areas of life, including spiritual and other physical needs. Advancing ministries of the gospel (AMG) is among the faith-based healthcare organizations that focus on providing healthcare assistance to vulnerable communities while catering to other community needs, including spiritual and basic needs. The organization operates in more than 30 countries across the globe and partners with different parties with similar interests and goals. While the organization has effectively reached out to communities in need, it can improve its services by broadening its range of partners to reach more communities.
References
Advancing Ministries of Gospel International, (2022) Mission and Values Retrieved from: https://www.amginternational.org/mission-and-values
Advancing Ministries of Gospel International, (2022) MEDICAL CARE Retrieved from: https://www.amginternational.org/medical-care
Murchison H., J. (2020) AMG INTERNATIONAL, INC. Chattanooga, Tennessee Financial Statements. https://www.amginternational.org/2020%20AMG%20International%20Audit.pdf
Rivera, L., Pagaoa, M., Morgenthau, B. M., Paquet, C., Molinari, N. A. M., & LeBlanc, T. T. (2019). Participation in community preparedness programs in human services organizations and faith-based organizations—New York City, 2018. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 68(35), 757. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6730890/
Tagai, E. K., Scheirer, M. A., Santos, S. L. Z., Haider, M., Bowie, J., Slade, J., … & Holt, C. L. (2018). Assessing capacity of faith-based organizations for health promotion activities. Health promotion practice, 19(5), 714-723. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1524839917737510