Journal of Sacred Work

Then Jesus began to say to them, "Beware that no one leads you astray." – Mark 13:5

   The leader of a faith-based hospital rises to address the annual meeting of the hospital medical staff. He begins with some well-designed joking then turns to the more serious part of his report. The hospital has experienced a strong quarter financially, he says. He offers Power Point slides as proof. This is good news. He goes on to compare how well the system is doing compared to a competitor who is a for profit organization. Okay, but when will he talk about the mission that distinguishes a faith-based charity from a publicly-traded company? Next, the CEO talks about marketing and branding after which he concludes his report to polite applause.
   Where were the words about caring? What about clinical performance? What about staff morale? What about the heart of an organization that wears a large cross on the outside of he building?…

   The CEO seems to be a nice, well-meaning person. Maybe he just forgot. Yet, it appears that the hospital’s mission of loving care has slipped far down the page of priorities.
   In his book, In the Name of Jesus, Henri Nouwen writes: "The Christian leaders of the future have…to manifest the divine event of God’s saving work in the midst of the many seemingly random events of their time." 
   Leaders of faith-based charities certainly need not be Christian. But CEOs are called to attend to and report on the health of the organization’s mission as well as the health of its financial sheet. Why else is an organization both faith-based and not-for-profit if all its leader can foucs on is how much money the organization is making?
   Putting aside this specific example, it seems to me that most of the leaders of America’s non-profit hospitals have lost their way. They are leading their organizations, in St. Mark’s word, "astray." They have become so consumed with balance sheets and technology and new construction that they seem to have forgotten the reason for their organization’s existence.
   You and I know that it is our responsibility as care givers to keep the purpose of our work at the center of our thoughts. What are we to do when leaders ignore mission? The goal is not to humiliate anyone or to launch accusations. Perhaps, the solution includes gentle reminders. Perhaps we need to pose more questions. Perhaps the CEO in this example is simply reflecting a message he gets from those to whom he reports. If all his boss or board ever asks about is money, then how is he supposed to know other things, like loving care, are important?
   In the midst of our many daily demands, it is easy for any of us to lose track, sometimes, of the sacred nature of our work. Yet, we cannot be led astray by those who persistently ignore the central role of loving care in health care. This responsibility falls heavily on the shoulders of those who lead faith-based organizations. If the central focus of a Chrisitian organization is money, then it’s time to take the cross down and acknowledge that the hospital no longer deserves its non-profit status.
   There is still time to return love to the center of non-profit caregiving. Many hospitals and charities are doing this. Great examples include California’s Saint Joseph Health System, Arizona’s Mercy Gilbert Hospital, Alive Hospice in Nashville, Florida’s Parrish Medical Center and the Siloam Clinic, also in Nashville. It is to these examples that we may look with hope.