Health and Healing

The WCC’s Health and Healing programme facilitates networking and dialogue to promote health and healing for all people, and it leads implementation of the WCC’s ecumenical global health strategy to meet continuing and new health challenges worldwide.

Health is more than physical and mental well-being, and healing is not primarily medical. Health and healing were a central feature of Jesus’ ministry and of his call to his followers, a reason why the church has been engaged in health services for centuries.

By stimulating dialogue among faith-based networks and within civil society, the WCC contributes to reflection on the theological basis of medical mission as well as to the development of new concepts of Christian health care.

The WCC's relationship with the World Health Organization and other international organizations, such as UNICEF and UNAIDS, allows it to facilitate networking and advocacy on behalf of church-related health networks.

The WCC’s networking and advocacy support the global health agenda, which  has changed greatly over the years. In addition to the Sustainable Development Goal 3 on good health and well-being, health is inherent in each of the 17 goals. Universal health coverage, with the virtual elimination of HIV, is an urgent global public health agenda. Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, like Ebola and Dengue, are still a concern. Antimicrobial resistance, neglected tropical diseases and non-communicable diseases, including lifestyle diseases, have now come to the fore with a growing global impact.

With these continuing and new global challenges, the WCC believes that it is time again for the church to reaffirm the role it has played over the centuries in global health, and consolidate all efforts towards health and healing for all.

More back issues of the Contact magazine are available here.

Dr Mwai Makoka, Programme Executive

Health and Healing Programme

email: [email protected]

phone: +41 71 691 62 54