Pastor: The Hospital Evangelist

The Hospital Evangelist Standing at the Door of the Church

Jesus' words, "I was . . . sick, and ... ye visited me" are a fitting tribute that could be said of a thoughtful and dutiful shepherd. Hospital visitation is no small art, and necessitates an artisan for best performance.

Pastor-Evangelist, Northern California Conference

Jesus' words, "I was . . . sick, and ... ye visited me" are a fitting tribute that could be said of a thoughtful and dutiful shepherd. Hospital visitation is no small art, and necessitates an artisan for best performance. I call it an art since it requires skill and a bit of genius. Every field of productive evangelism is in a true sense an art.

Hospital visitation, with its unlimited opportunities, is a form of evangelism that demands careful thought and planning. We are too prone to think of this sacred privilege as a pastoral duty or ministerial routine, and to disassociate this holy work from the gospel commission, which speaks of going to all people.

The hospital ward may become a Bethel, where a heart of stone is made flesh; a Mount Moriah, where faith fires are rekindled; a Bethesda, whose waters wash away blindness of soul; a Patmos, where Christ becomes a revelation.

We envision the Master, Creator of soul and body, walking through the wards and with a penetrating insight revealing not only the physical but also the spiritual infirmities. The Christ with His keen surgical knife cuts away the foul flesh, and we behold a miracle. It is a wonderful cleansing, purifying, and renewing process. But this Surgeon performs a spiritual operation that goes deeper than flesh. The cold steel of His relentless love gets underneath the moral cancer of the soul and does not stop its work till every particle of evil is removed.

Thus the challenge comes to the evangelist to be a spiritual doctor. As he walks from bed to bed he is the physician's assistant. He not only lays the soul bare but binds up its wounds. He cheers and encourages, comforts and strength ens. His presence is like that of Christ, fragrant and refreshing. What a fertile field!

In the district in which I serve there are four major hospitals a mental, a tubercular, a county, and a general hospital. A sizable parish indeed! I feel this to be a unique situation fora rural district. Finding myself encountering problems that are most difficult to deal with, especially those experienced in the mental hospital, I am of the firm conviction that a specialized form of training is needed to help the larger portion of those who are mentally ill. Here lies a tremendous claim upon the ministry.

We shall confine our discussion, however, to general hospital evangelism. I would like to make a number of helpful suggestions, without apologizing for them, because I believe they work. Let us consider (1) the hospital management, (2) the patient, (3) evangelistic objectives.

The Hospital Management

One of the quickest ways to build up good relations between the ministry and hospital management is by being cooperative. As ministers we must never forget that it is a privilege granted by the institution to visit those who are in their trust. Cooperation is essential. Let us never assume that the cloth has a magic spell about it that opens all doors everywhere and any time. What do we mean by cooperation? Simply this. State, county, and private hospitals maintain certain policies regarding visitation by the clergy. These ought to be investigated and adhered to implicitly. Many institutions insist that the clergy visit at the regularly appointed visiting hours. Others give the ministry the high privilege of visiting any time during the day. If this be your lot, guard it religiously. Some hospital codes give the ministry a specified visiting time during the day other than the regular visiting hour. It is called the clergy hour. This has proved most satisfactory, for it provides the minister an opportunity to be alone with the patient, which is very desirable.

Know the policies respecting your hospital parish. If necessary, counsel with the hospital administrator. You will be benefited by such a procedure. The administrator will become your friend because he is aware that you are cooperative and seeking the best interests of his institution. Where a patient is critically ill and not expected to survive, the management makes every possible concession to the gospel minister. It is rare that a member of the clergy is denied permission to stand by a deathbed.

Keep in mind the little courtesies that should be expressed as you walk up and down the aisles and into the wards. A Good morning is always in order as you pass by the main desk or stations. Walk softly. Keep your voice low. Give a greeting and smile to orderlies, nurses, and physicians as you pass by. Their lot in life is exceedingly strenuous, perhaps more so than yours. A cheerful countenance eases the strain of life and promotes friendship.

Before you enter the patient's room, inquire from the nurse in charge concerning his physical status. The patient may be too ill to have visitors, or may be getting much-needed rest and wishing not to be disturbed. You should know these things.

Make sure that the patient is ready to receive you. There is nothing more disconcerting to a nurse or orderly or a patient than to be in the midst of a treatment and have you walk in unannounced. Such bull-in-a-china-shop actions may prove embarrassing to both you and the patient. Remember, the hospital staff knows you as a representative of Christ. Don't disappoint them.

The Patient

The patient is your objective. He comes in many different forms. He is young, middle-aged, and old. He is tubercular. He is mentally ill. He is critically ill. He is recuperating from surgery. He is in an oxygen tent. He is in an iron lung. He is in a cast. He is appreciative of the management. He criticizes the management. He is a Christian. He makes no profession of Christ. He is a church member but not converted. He is a backslider. He is an Adventist. He is a Methodist. He is full of confidence. He is despairing. He knows that in everything God works for good. He asks, "Why did God let this happen to me?"

There you are, pastor! Here is a field to challenge the best within you. Personally I feel in adequate to approach the sickroom without first seeking divine guidance.

On meeting the one who is ill, a minister who is on his toes can in a moment relate him self to the needs of the patient. A minister must also be in part a physician and a psychologist. He is alert to note every indication of the patient's well-being. He sees the torturing pain behind the forced smile. He notices the profuse perspiration on the brow. He senses the shortness of breath. He is aware of the turn for the better or for the worse. He sees the fears and frustrations. He is cognizant of a crisis. In every circumstance he relates himself accordingly. Knowing the patient is hard of hearing, he draws closer. He makes suggestions that put the sick one at ease. He never says a word to cause the patient to become discouraged. He does not tell all he knows about the patient's illness, nor does he divulge confidential information he has received from the physician regarding the illness or disease. He knows what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. He knows when to remain silent and when to leave. A big order, but not too large for Christ's ambassadors.

Helpful Suggestions

Here are some guiding suggestions that will keep the patient at ease:

1. It is better to stand by the bed of the patient than to be seated. If you are seated, you will be lower than his eye level. For him to turn on his side and look down at you may be a strain.

2. By keeping the voice low and well modulated, you will not wear out the sick one or disturb others about you.

3. Be cheerful, not grave.

4. Talk constructively of the management and the environment, even if your patient dis agrees.

5. Prayer is a powerful therapeutic. Use it consistently.

6. The length of visit depends upon the physical condition of the patient. He may de sire your presence all day, but remember that he is there for a purpose. A visit should usually not exceed fifteen minutes. Make your visit vital but short.

Evangelistic Objectives

There are five classes of people to whom you have the privilege of ministering. You know too well the difficulties of placing people in categories. But for the sake of understanding the patient and to assist you in properly approaching him, it is well to know a bit of his back ground. They are classified accordingly:

1. Active church member (genuinely converted).

2. Passive church member (needs guidance).

3. Former church member (backslider).

4. Member of another denomination.

5. Non-Christian.

You will find that this list includes nearly everyone whom you visit. Knowing what you are "up against" will determine what you are to say. It has been my experience to visit individuals from each of the five classes in my hospital rounds. Rewarding results have been achieved in many instances.

Needless to say, the essence of general hospital evangelism is not in the presenting of a course of thirty lessons in Bible doctrines. This is hardly possible or practical. Nor is the objective gained by preaching or offering long prayers by the bedside.

But I know for certain that if confidence is restored in Christ and His ministry, great is the achievement. The pure gold that should be in your soul is not hidden from the suffering one. He detects the brilliancy of character, and the dullness of his soul responds. Not only do you stand as a witness for Christ, but you possess that soul for Christ. You claim it for God. That life becomes wrapped up with "Christ . . . , the hope of glory." Little wonder, then, that the messenger of the Lord has said:

"Wherever the love of Jesus reigns, there is peace and rest. Where this love is cherished, it is as a refreshing stream in a desert, transforming barrenness into fertility." Evangelism, p. 638.

Confidence in a Christ-centered ministry is an objective of hospital evangelism. However, this is only the means. Christ is the objective.

1. ACTIVE CHURCH MEMBER. He heads the list. He knows his pastor is a genuine under shepherd. "I ... am known of mine." He and his pastor talk together of God's care for spar rows and men. They converse in a language peculiar to people who expect soon to go home. The Second Advent is a vital theme with them. They look beyond the sickroom, with its broken bodies, to the future when all things become new. There is no argument here.

2. PASSIVE CHURCH MEMBER. He needs special guidance. He may have doubts concerning God or the church and its doctrines. There may be misunderstanding. Church attendance may have been neglected. Conversion is vague to him. He may frankly inform you that he isn't converted. Prior to his sickness he has been able to throw these questionings aside, but now that he is on his back, he has time to think.

Let the faithful shepherd tenderly and tact fully lift this struggling piece of humanity to his feet. This can best be done by talking his difficulties over with him in Christlike simplicity. Be sympathetic toward his problems. They are monstrous to him. He will probably admit that his illness was for a purpose. After a few visits a transformation may take place. Resolutions will be made. The church will be enriched. A soul will be saved.

3. FORMER CHURCH MEMBER. The former church member, called a backslider for want of a better term, is not too happy, as a rule, to have the resident pastor visit him. And that is only natural. Bringing the presence of Christ into the backslider's presence makes for dis comfort. Conviction is encountered that brings more pain than pleasure. He is wary. He may throw up defenses at the least intimation of things spiritual. He may feel that the pastor is probing into the reasons why he isn't a church member. He will do his utmost to evade.

The true shepherd will demonstrate that he is harmless and has not come to question or argue. The afflicted one has probably been nearly driven to distraction by well-meaning relatives and friends. He knows he is far from the kingdom. Don't throw it into his face. Ellen G. White suggests:

"The spirit of Jesus should pervade the soul of the worker; it is the pleasant, sympathetic words, the manifestation of disinterested love for their souls, that will break down the barriers of pride and selfishness." Ibid., p. 636.

Win his confidence. That is foundational. Visit him often, and in your visiting talk about his interests. Don't talk about yourself. Let him see the Christ. Let him tell you about his operation or illness. Discuss his trade in life, his family, and his ambitions. This is the key to confidence. He may be strong enough to tell you a bit of his life story. Listen with intense interest. Being serpent wise and dove like, you may interrupt gracefully with, "Were you a church member before this or that took place in your life?" or "Were you living in such and such a place when you left the church?" Tactful questioning may lead you into a gratifying discussion. You may be happily surprised to see the wall of pride crumble before your eyes. Christ will penetrate the secret chambers of his heart and work a transformation. This is the highest form of evangelism.

4. MEMBER OF ANOTHER DENOMINATION. A Baptist minister with whom I am well acquainted called me long distance and asked me to visit a member of his flock who was dying in the tubercular sanatorium. I assured him that I would. After being told by the nurse to make my visit short, I went to her bedside. Her frail body bore the evidence of many long days of suffering. We greeted each other. I told her who I was and that her pastor had asked me to visit her.

The next few moments of my life I speak of as unforgettable. She unfolded to me a life of granite faith. She spoke of death confidently and fairly reveled in the thought that she was going home to "my Jesus," as she said. I said very little, for when one is in the presence of a great life he feels inadequate to speak.

Before I left I prayed, committing her to God. Then she confidently prayed, repeating, "Lord, Thou art our strength " and then out of her heart she said, "Bless the Adventists, the Baptists, and people everywhere." She concluded her petition, and I thanked her for being so unselfish as to remember our people in her prayer. I left that ward knowing I wouldn't see her alive again in this world. However, the profound impression this sweet old lady left on my soul will always be kept alive. This lesson from one of life's pages has made me more tolerant. In visiting those of other faiths than ours, let us manifest an enthusiasm toward the flesh-and-blood gospel that will cause them to "burn within." Listen to these words; would to God they were blazing letters of fire on our heart's wall!

"Those who differ with us in faith and doctrine should be treated kindly. They are the property of Christ, and we must meet them in the great day of final account. . . . God has enjoined upon us the duty of loving one another as Christ has loved us." Ibid., p. 638.

Let this soak into our souls and be the guiding force as we visit with those of other denominations. We have divine oracles in common. Dwell on these. Your faith as well as the faith of your patient will take wings.

5. THE NON-CHRISTIAN. Usually he is dubious of the ministry in general. Unfortunately, the cloth can be given a great amount of credit for such a prevailing attitude. However, a still greater portion of such an attitude finds its source in prejudice or hardness of life that is in direct contrast to the fineness of Christian living. The non-Christian patient may frankly tell you that he is a heathen and that he likes his whiskey and tobacco. With a spirit of braggadocio he may tell you that with all his riotous living he is just as good as some Christians he knows. He may boast of his long life. Generally a man of such caliber likes to be dealt with frankly. He is forward and straight and appreciates frankness in return.

There is the good moral man who does not need religion. He has done no one any harm. Such a one is most difficult to persuade into the kingdom. May God give the ministry knowledge and more of His Spirit!

I was standing by the bed of a man dying of leukemia. Though he knew he was about to die, he seemingly had manifested little regard for the hereafter. I had visited with him several times, and had endeavored to persuade him to accept the offers of grace. The closer a man is to death, the more sober he becomes. The day that I was there was his last day upon earth. He had laid aside his pipe, which here to fore had been a facial fixture. He had also thrown away his unreasonable arguments regarding the "sentimentality of religion," as he called it. He talked sanely and sensibly, completely shorn of pride and prejudice. He wondered whether there was any help for an "old codger" like himself, and he was speaking of help other than medical aid. I assured him of the Help the Christ. The acceptance came. The contract was signed. He died, I feel, a saint.

Having found these suggestions helpful in hospital evangelism, I pass them on to you. Take them for what they are worth. I am confident that here is a productive field, and that by earnest study, careful planning, and wholeness of consecration it may be said of the under shepherds: They "came not to be ministered unto, but to minister."

Standing at the Door of the Church

Robert Huston, pastor of the Methodist Church at Weston, Mass., has written a little editorial in his parish paper on the subject of why the minister shakes hands with the people after the morning service. He dears the air about whether or not it is to receive praise on the sermon, or whether its primary purpose is to talk about church business. He says, "He is there to greet you, to show his concern for each person who comes, to let you know that he stands always ready to serve when folks want to use his training and dedication.

" We believe that this is an excellent statement. It indicates that the brief personal contact with the minister at the close of a service of worship is as integral to the whole experience of worship as any part of the service. The process involves understanding from the parishioner as well as the minister, however, for it is clear that the value of the experience is nullified by the shy person who slips out the side door or by the monopolizer who insists that the minister devote exclusive attention to him while he neglects the others.

We like the custom of the Swedish people in this respect. By habit, they greet the minister at the close of the service with the phrase, "Thank you, pastor." This gives the minister an opportunity to inquire about their well-being, or to say something more helpful than he is allowed to say if he is to be thrown into a discussion on the merits or demerits of his morning sermon. It is a pastor-parishioner moment, and can be one of the most important parts of the day's worship. We repeat, however, that its success depends not just upon the minister, but also upon the parishioner. Zions Herald.


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Pastor-Evangelist, Northern California Conference

May 1953

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