International Standards & Practice Guidelines (IS&Gs)

1. WHO Building from common foundations: The World Health Organization and faith-based organizations in primary healthcare
2. WHO QOL: Spirituality, Religiousness and Personal Beliefs
3. Interventions on Diet and Physical Activity: What Works BPGHM Note: This WHO document also gives Church-based programs “Effective” (highest possible) evidence-based rating (page 25).
4. Bulletin of the World Health Organization: Retrospective comparative evaluation of the lasting impact of a community-based primary health care programme on under-5 mortality in villages around Jamkhed, India
   See Primary care “A. …Jamkhed Website” for further information.

Missions Specific Best Practices Documents

BPGHM Note: This topic section contains a number of documents that may contain no references to IS&Gs but appear to demonstrate compliance.
I. FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATION (FBO) OPEN-ACCESS DOCUMENTS:
A. Best Practices in Global Health Missions (BPGHM) See especially:
—Accord Network Principles of Excellence in Integral Mission
—Standards of Excellence in Short-term Mission (SOE)
—International Standards & Practice Guidelines & Health Missions

B. Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH) Resources Includes numerous articles demonstrating FBO work in the establishment as well as promotion of IS&Gs. See especially:
—CCIH Publications
—Faith Groups and Global Health
— Advocacy Resources

C. Christian Journal for Global Health (CJGH)
—The quantitative and qualitative contributions of faith based organizations to healthcare: The Kenya case
—Sent to heal! – About the biblical roots, the history, and the legacy of medical missions
—Shalom & eirene: The full framework for health care
—Are You Oil or Sand? Resolving Conflict in Christian Global Healthcare
—The Gospel of Science
—Should Christian global health be distinctive? A reflection
—Characterizing the global context for cross-cultural healthcare work by regions of the world
—Christian milestones in global health: The Declarations of Tübingen
—Future of Christian Health Services – An Economic Perspective
—Love in a time of Ebola: reflections on theology of medicine in resource-challenged environments
—An educational model for preparing Christian nurses and church congregations to offer local whole-person health programmes
—Lancet series on the contribution of faith-based health providers: a call for greater accountability  (See also II A “The Lancet” below)
—Building nursing capacity for palliative care at a Jesuit Catholic University: A model program
—The quantitative and qualitative contributions of faith-based organizations to healthcare: The Kenya case
—The Changing Landscape of Mission Medicine and Hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa
—Church-led Partnerships with Interfaith Religious Leaders and Government for Raising Awareness on Leprosy in Sri Lanka
—Adapting Care Groups to Urban Slums: A Case Study of a Church-Based Effort to Improve Maternal and Child Health Outcomes in Mathare, Nairobi, Kenya
—Historic Plagues and Christian Responses: Lessons for the Church Today?
—Health-Promoting Churches: Reflections on Health and Healing for Churches on Commemorative World Health Days, by Mwai Makoka, World Council of Churches Publications, Vol. 1, 2020; Vol. 2, 2021
—All Creation Groans: Toward a Theology of Disease and Global Health, edited by Daniel W. O’Neill and Beth Snodderly, Pickwick 2021
—Effects of Local Faith-Actor Engagement in the Uptake and Coverage of Immunization in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Literature Review
—Finding Common Ground for the Common Good: An Appeal for Innovative Collaboration between Faith- and Non-faith Based Organizations
—Why are MedSend Grant Recipients Leaving the Mission Field? An Internal Review
—Engaging the Local Church to Tackle Stunting in Indonesia: A Case Study in Nias Island
—From India to Africa: A New Approach for Faith Based Healthcare in Africa

D. Christian Medical Association of India (CMAI) Publications
Christian Medical Journal of India (CMJI):
—Mission & Transformation–Renew Your Minds For example  “Someone said that if only Christians lived like Christ, India would long ago have accepted Christ. We have done so much for others in the name of social service, but failed to build a model community life within our churches.”
—Choose Life
—Transforming Lives
—Brokenness to Healing
—Sharing the Pain

E. Contact Publication of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and former Christian Medical Commission (CMC). Includes numerous articles demonstrating FBO work in the establishment as well as promotion of IS&Gs. See especially:
—Facing Death – Discovering Life! Can we strengthen our response?: pages 1-10   pages11-24
—A Jubilee Assembly. An Agenda for Healing: pages 1-10   pages 11-24
—Faith and healing: pp. 1-4  pp. 5-8  pp. 9-12  pp. 13-16  pp. 17-20
—Spirituality and health: Can our beliefs help to heal us?
—Healing Community: Caring is part of the cure
—Healing traditions: Finding answers in gospel and cultures

F. Crossnetwork Journal (Discontinued precursor to CJGH)
—New Paradigms in Christian Health Ministries–Dan Fountain
—Devotion: Are the Goats Thirsty?
—When Hearts and Hands Are Numb
—Charity Begins in the Clinic

G. German Institute for Medical Mission (DIFAEM)
Includes numerous articles demonstrating FBO work in the establishment as well as promotion of IS&Gs.
—The Healing Mission of the Church See especially:
—Christian Responses to Health and Development (“Tübingen III”)
—Witnessing to Christ today-Promoting health and wholeness for all
—Healing and Wholeness. The Churches’ Role in Health, CMC, Genf 1990
—The Quest for Health and Wholeness by Dr James C McGilvray -1st director of the Christian Medical Commission (CMC).  Classic text (Open access). Includes the Tübingen consultations. “When Christ commissioned his disciples to heal, He was not addressing the graduating class of a healing profession. He was laying an obligation on all who would follow Him.”

H. MedicalMissions website See especially:
—Resources
—Church-based Health Screening and Education Fairs around the World
—Heath care professionals and Christian leaders in the time of Covid
—What Happens When the Global Church Goes Together?

I. Journal of Christian Nursing
—A Foundation of Trust Built on Green Beans 
—Free Health Clinic Links College, Church, and Community
—Healing, Healthcare, Missions, and the Church
—Health Mission Today: A Closer Look—Classic article: Dan Fountain
—(Re)Claiming the Church’s Role in Promoting Health: A Practical Framework

J. William Carey International Development Journal (Click full screen icon & scroll down to page number) See also WCIDJ Blog
—The Theology of Disease and Our Role in Its Eradication p7
—Blessed Are the Shalom Makers: The Role of the Health Practitioner in the Church p17
—Poverty and the Christian Ministry p25
—The Church, Shalom, and the “Slow Motion Disaster” p28
—Leaves from the Tree of Life: Healing the Nations through Global Health Service p42

K. West Coast Healthcare Missions Conference
—The Church, Health & Shalom-HMC Proceedings

L. The World Council of Churches (WCC)
Includes numerous articles demonstrating FBO work in the establishment as well as promotion of IS&Gs. See Especially:
—Health-Promoting Churches Volume I: Reflections on Health and Healing for Churches on Commemorative World Health Days  2020
—Health-Promoting Churches Volume II A handbook to accompany churches in establishing and running sustainable health promotion ministries  2021
—Preparatory Paper N° 11: The Healing Mission of the Church
—Health & Healing
—Dignity, Freedom and Grace: Christian Perspectives on HIV, AIDS, and Human Rights See listing of extensive open access “Resources” links

M. Additional Resources–Church-based Health Program Websites Include:
1) Adventists
—In Step For Life
—In Step For Life Toolkit
2) Baptist Missionary Association of America
—Missionary Care Resources
3) Bread for the World-Have Faith. End Hunger
—Engage Your Church
4) Catholic Health Association of the United States Focus Areas See especially:
—Community Benefit Overview
—International Outreach Activities and Resources
—Nursing Overview
5) The Church for Whole Person Healing Website  See especially:
—Special Issues in Wholistic Ministries
—Models and Best Practices
—Wholistic Screening and Education Activities in Church Health Fairs
—Whole Person Growth Facility
—See also Contact Special Series Number 5, October 2018: Primary Health Care Revisited pp 29-31
6) Saddleback Church
—Daniel Plan
—Peace Plan-See especially “What is the PEACE plan?” video
7) The United Methodist Church
—Improving Global Health
8) Emmanuel Hospital Association Website
—Getting to Know EHA
—Duncan Hospital–India, Nepal  Website
—Duncan Community Overview
9) Lawndale Christian Health Center Website
—See especially Free Downloading of Policies
10) Jericho Road Community Health Center Website
—See especially Global Work and Buffalo Programs
11) Church Health Website
—See especially Church Health Reader
12) Esperanza Health Center Website
13) Hospital Christian Fellowship Website
—See especially On line Training and Christian Caring Guide
14) Village Heart BEAT(Building Education and Accountability Together) Website
—Carolina Impact – Village HeartBEAT

N. WIPF & STOCK Publishers
—For the LOVE of GOD–Principles and Practice of Compassion in Missions

O. International Religious Health Assets Programme  Website
—PIRHANA  Participatory Inquiry into Religious Health Assets, Networks and Agency for Health Seekers and Health Providers  2007

P. Church Health Reader Website  For example see:
—Fall 2017: The Model for Healthy Living

Q. Tearfund Website
—Church and Community Mobilization For example see:
——An evidence-based study of the impact of church and community mobilisation in Tanzania

II. SECULAR OPEN-ACCESS DOCUMENTS:
A. The Lancet-Global Health
—Faith-based health-care

B. The World Bank Group
—Faith Based and Religious Organizations

C. The Barefoot Guide Connection
—The Barefoot Guide 3: Mobilizing Religious Health Assets for Transformation Secular publication (Also included in Tübingen III) documents clergy and missionary contributions to WHO IS&Gs, Public health (Identification of cause of cholera), Eradication of smallpox, etc.

D. Journal of the American Medical Association
—Health and Spirituality

E. American Journal of Public Health
March 2019 Issue Includes 9 papers on Faith-Based Organizations and Public Health Those related to global health include :
—Faith-Based Organizations and Public Health: Another Facet of the Public Health Dialogue
— Partnerships Between Public Health Agencies and Faith Communities
— Positive and Negative Influences of Religion, Culture, and Tradition in Public Health
— Faith and Global Health Practice in Ebola and HIV Emergencies

F. The Joint Commission
—Spiritual Beliefs and Preferences – Evaluating a Patient’s Spiritual Needs–Does the Joint Commission specify what needs to be included in a spiritual assessment?