Christians in the medical profession have a profound calling to care for both the physical and spiritual well-being of their patients. When people are at their most vulnerable physically, they often begin to wonder, “Why am I here? What will happen when I die?”

In India, mission hospitals exist to meet both needs holistically. These hospitals are scattered throughout the country, and through partnerships with local churches, each makes a huge physical and spiritual impact on entire communities by providing dignified healthcare as well as soul care to individuals.

“Mission hospitals attract many patients who are not Christians,” says Haggai leader Dr. G, a urologist and laparoscopic surgeon. “When these patients come to the hospital, they hear the Gospel through the staff, local churches, and missionaries who specialize in sharing the Gospel in medical settings.”

Dr. G travels around the country equipping and empowering local doctors to raise their standards of care. God also provided new opportunities for modern surgical care. Together, these attracted many patients. As more patients utilize mission hospitals for their care, local church partners and missionaries can connect with more people.

“In this way, we have been able to facilitate church planting and growth in the areas around these mission hospitals,” he says.

Dr. G says patients aren’t the only people who hear the Gospel through mission hospitals. During an informational meeting for medical students about serving in mission hospitals, Dr. G and his colleagues shared their testimonies. A young doctor showed up because the woman he was dating had invited him to hear the Gospel at the meeting and became a Christian that day.

“Because he was from the family of the chief of his tribe, members of his tribe began to be receptive to the Gospel,” Dr. G says. “This young doctor helped start churches in his villages as well as a mission hospital. Now, most of the people in his tribe are Christians.”

Written by Jill Clair Gentry