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From Luke’s Journal June 2024  |  Vol.29 No.2  |  Christian Hospitality

Have you ever been asked if you know a Christian…

• GP?
• Psychologist or psychiatrist?
• Pregnancy service or IVF provider?
• Geriatrician/ Palliative care physician?
• Physiotherapist?

Wouldn’t you love it if you could just type a word or two into a search directory, nominate your location, and know that you could find a committed Christian professional in the appropriate field?

This is a secure web-based directory where Christian health professionals in Australia can list their details including their passions and how they specifically integrate their faith in practice. It is a safe space to identify as Christian for mutual support and referrals.

Imagine moving towns and being able to link up with others? How about if you are considering moving and would like some local knowledge? I have really enjoyed meeting in person those I have corresponded with online. Traveling on holidays and meeting up with CMDFA* members and other like-minded professionals has been such an encouragement – especially to those in remote and rural areas.  And it has been a joy to welcome others from afar into our local community via CMDFA contacts.

“Our hope is that this directory would be useful across a broad range of health professionals – GPs, non-GP specialists, nurses and allied health.”

Our hope is that this directory would be useful across a broad range of health professionals – GPs, non-GP specialists, nurses and allied health. It would be most helpful in areas where a patient has a preference for a Christian health professional, in particular where Christian faith and medical ethical practice might be in conflict. As the culture changes, this might include psychologists, psychiatrists, fertility assistance, pregnancy management, paediatricians, endocrinologists, geriatricians, palliative care, oncologists, and general practitioners. You can also search for specific topics, such as gender dysphoria, or IVF (in vitro fertilisation).

For those in the secular workforce, it is encouraging for Christians to be able to find each other. The directory might be used to form Hospital Fellowships to meet and pray with each other. This can be such a support, whether you are on a brief rotation or are a long-term employee. The same could be done in an aged care facility, a healthcare business (think pathology/ radiology), or a government agency.

The directory can also be a place where Christian healthcare students can search out work placements or employment opportunities where a Christian ethos is encouraged. It is great as a student to see a diversity of Christian practitioners at work with different personalities, passions and theological persuasions. Likewise, health students at each University would be able to identify each other for mutual support and encouragement. What a great way to link up with local Christian student groups on campus!

With the cultural shift away from Christian values, the website has been created with security as a priority. Each registrant is required to upload their health professional credentials and to nominate a Christian referee before activating a membership. Referees are contacted directly to confirm a nominee’s commitment to their faith and connection to the referee. The directory also has several layers of cybersecurity in place, including two-factor authentication and anti-hacking software.  Payments are taken through secure best-practice payment channels.

Whilst it is private to the general public, we invite pastors and pastoral carers to join so that they can confidently recommend Christian health professionals to church members in need. We also encourage pastors to list church community resources, such as playgroups, youth groups, op shops, soup kitchens, or other outreach options. Health professionals may recommend these to their patients who would benefit from social prescribing and being part of a supportive community.

We invite Luke’s Journal readers to join the directory, either as health professionals, or as pastors or students. The nominal annual fee pays for the upkeep of the website (domain hosting, licensing, plug-in costs, web management, regular upgrades and trouble-shooting), and to subsidise costs for students and pastors to access the site for free. We hope to attract a critical mass of paying subscribers so that the directory is useful nation-wide and self-sustaining.  

The more subscribers and detailed the listings, the more helpful the directory – a directory is only useful if there are people on it! Help us make it useful by joining, providing as much detail as possible and inviting any Christian health professionals you know. Personal invitations and word-of-mouth are the best ways to engage others. We hope this initiative will establish a legacy of connections to the glory of God, across the nation and into the long-distant future.

* Christian Medical and Dental Fellowship of Australia

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