Balanza, Diego P.
Health
Health Ministries Department
One of the reasons Seventh-day Adventists live longer than the general population is their lifestyle. The Health Ministries Department provides cutting-edge information and training on how to optimize your health and be all that God has designed you to be. Its resources help you discover what the Bible has to say about health and its importance for a rich life. Need to quit smoking or drinking? Health Ministries can help you drop bad habits and develop good ones. Don’t settle for less!
Website: healthministries.com
Why are Seventh-day Adventists interested in Health?
History
(The Adventist Health Advantage)
The work of healthcare and healing is a central belief of the Adventist Church.As early as 1863, Ellen White, co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, counseled the fledgling on the importance of healthful living. The outstanding feature of her initial message was the relation between physical welfare and spiritual health, or holiness. In 1866, the early Adventist Church started the western Health Reform Institute in Battle Creek, Michigan. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, a Seventh-day Adventist pioneer, and his brother William were complicit in developing what we know today as corn flakes and improving the production of peanut butter.
MISSION
The General Conference Health Ministries Department exists to support and empower Seventh-day Adventist churches, members, and institutions around the world to experience the blessings of wholistic health while actively sharing those blessings with others. We believe that we have been created as wholistic beings with physical, mental, spiritual, social, and relational dimensions. We believe that God is deeply interested in the health and well-being of humanity, and that He wants to use His church as a special agent of healing to relieve suffering and reveal His love.The Seventh-day Adventist Church has a rich history of practical health ministry. For over 150 years, the church has supported whole-person health in a variety of ways, including health publications, lifestyle education, the establishment of hospitals, clinics, and sanitariums around the world, training of healthcare professionals and lay members, church-based community health initiatives, medical missions, and more.
Supporting health ministries leaders around the world.
Training health ministries leaders and members to engage in effective health ministry.
Developing health resources and programs for churches and members to use and share.
Publishing relevant articles, stories, and news.
Inspiring the church to understand, experience, and share the health message.
Advising the church and its agencies on health-related policies and programs.
Supporting the establishment and growth of Adventist healthcare institutions and educational programs.
Supporting the health of pastors and other denominational employees.
Making a positive difference in the wholistic health and well-being of the communities we serve.
PHILOSOPHY
We believe in a “ministry of healing” by which people can be restored to wholeness. Reflecting on the life of Christ, the apostle Luke wrote that “Jesus increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Here we see the four dimensions of wholistic health: mental, physical, spiritual, and social. We believe in “whole-person care,” which addresses each of these dimensions.
We emphasize the prevention of disease and relief of suffering through simple lifestyle habits that correspond with the way God created us to live, and at the same time acknowledge the effectiveness of evidence-based therapy when disease has already occurred.
We believe that God is constantly working to heal people on the deepest level, and that His healing power is available to us today, giving us wholeness in our brokenness:
“He [God] is just as willing to heal the sick now as when He was personally on earth. Christ’s servants are His representatives, the channels for His working. He desires through them to exercise His healing power” (Ellen White, The Desire of Ages, p. 823).
The four foundational principles which guide our department’s philosophy and work are:
1. Inspiration: We believe the Word of God is the very best guide to making wise choices in every area of life and health. Scripture speaks eloquently on a wide variety of health topics and reveals a loving God who wants to give His children life “more abundantly)” (John 10:10). We are also grateful for the amplification of Biblical health principles in the writings of Ellen G. White.
2. Evidence: We operate under the conviction that God is the author of all true science. Therefore, we respect evidence-based health science which stands up to the rigors of careful examination and analysis according to accepted scientific principles. We believe this is vital in a world filled with misinformation and falsehood.
3. Balance: Because we are wholistic beings, a balanced approach in life is essential to health. This involves avoiding harmful practices and using wisely and carefully even the best things in life. Even good things can be taken to excess. Therefore, we are deeply committed to physical, mental, social, and spiritual balance to support health, happiness, and healing.
4. Relationships: Social and spiritual support are essential to health and human flourishing. Cultivating positive relationships with God, family members, friends, and community members will play a significant role in our personal health, productivity, and ability to help others.
In summary, we want to be used by God to share His healing love with others. Jesus put it best when He said:
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
We hope this website blesses you in your journey toward abundant life and health.
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
0922-473-0417