In 1973, Yang Chen was a first-year student anxious to spread the gospel among his classmates at the University of the Philippines School of Medicine. Although he shared his faith with almost his entire class that year, the results were dissapointing. Some listened politely but offered no response. Other flatel ignored him. In the years that followed, Chen learned to adapt his message to garner atention from his medical school classmates and colleagues. Those early experiences sparked an idea for an organization that would train medical professionals to effectively integrate their faith and profession. Several years ago Chen, a Gastroenterologist on the faculty at Loma Linda Medical School, joined with several other doctors to form the Medical Strategic Network. He estimates that in 1990 MSN will train 1,200 doctors and other medical professionals to blend medicine and ministry.

In this interview, Chen explores how Christians in the medical profession can wield greater spiritual influence.

How did you begin sharing your faith with classmates and colleagues?
As an undergraduate I was involved with Campus Crusade for Christ, and I had the opportunity to lead many people to the Lord. But when I got to med school, my evangelism methods didn't work. I shared Christ with most of my classmates-more than 100 people-with very little visible results. Part of that was because I didn't understand the medical environment.

What turned things around for you?
Endurance and tenacity. I learned through the school of hard knocks. I made more than my share of mistakes. As time went on, though, I began to discern what worked and what didn't.

When I began med school I was unable to find any role models who could help me along. There were some upperclassmen who were Christians. I looked to them for encouragement and modeling, but they just said, "Yang, you don't understand. Medical school is different than undergraduate. You can't share the gospel like you used to." Rather than give up, I developed evangelism techniques that worked in a medical setting. Eventually, 15 or 20 of my classmates prayed to receive Christ.

Through those experiences, I realized there were others like me who had the desire to witness but didn't really know how. That's when I determined to help med students and physicians learn effective ways to share their fath.

Do you think physicians have a greater platform to share their faith than those in other professions?
We have a unique platform because of our role in society and the relationships we can build. The sphere of influence is very significant. Most professions don't allow for the extensive people contact that doctors have.

Physicians often come in contact with patients at times of crisis when they are very open to spiritual matters. They may be re-examining priorities, grappling with issues and evaluating life in general. We can intervene and help patients integrate the spiritual dimension into that process.

Patients usually regard their doctor with respect, and they're willing to listen to what we say. This provides a powerful forum for presenting the gospel. We have a captive audience, isolated without distraction, receptive and anxious to hear what we say. That's quite a platform for sharing the message of God's love and redemption.

And Medical Strategic Network trains physicians to take advantage of such opportunities?
That's our goal. We want to mobilize our Christian colleagues to help fulfill the Great Commission within the field of medicine. We do that through three basic thrusts:

1. Provide hands-on training through seminars, which include case studies and field experience. That is probably the most visible facet of the network. We now include doctors' spouses as well.
2. Build Christian leaders in medicine through mentoring relationships. We match younger doctors with those more experienced in combining their faith and profession, who model the quintessential principles of Christ's teaching.
3. Cultivate a biblical and culturally relevant medical mission mind-set. We strongly emphasize integration of spiritual and social transformation.

How does a doctor effectively share the faith?
I think some doctors are like used-car salesmen who try to dump the gospel on patients without truly understanding where the needs lie. They show a shiny exterior without giving the whole picture. Some share the gospel in a very haphazard fashion; they may pray with patients or distribute literature but never deliver the entire message.

I believe many people do not respond to the gospel because they've never heard a clear, succinct, positive presentation. Some may throw out bits and pieces, like "I do the surgery, but it's God who heals" or "I'm praying for you" or "God loves you." That's a good first step. But we must move beyond that to a thorough presentation of the gospel.

Why do you think some Christian physicians are reluctant to integrate their faith and profession?
There are several possible reasons. One is a loss of vision. They simply get caught up in the entanglements of a medical practice and lose sight of what really matters.

Second, and perhaps most important, is intimidation and fear. The medical environment is dominated by secular humanists. We often withdraw into a siege mentality-preservation at any cost-rather than taking on the profession and making an impact. A third component is lack of training simply not knowing the best way to make a difference in the medical field.

I also think lifestyle can be a hindrance. Many physicians put too much strain on themselves. They burn out or have no time for family and no time to nurture their own spiritual growth. Consequently, they're not very effective.

That's why I think training is so important. If we nurture upcoming doctors and help them think through priorities and their calling, they are likely to tailor practices that allow time for ministry and spiritual growth.

A doctor in Oregon told us his medical review board threatened to revoke his license for witnessing to patients. Have you heard of similar cases?
A few. In some cases the gospel was presented in a very sensitive way with the patient's permission, but later the patient filed a complaint.

Yes, Christian professionals are sometimes singled out and persecuted for their beliefs. As fellow believers, we need to stand by them. We are in a spiritual battle, and sometimes we encounter great difficulty. But we must not be coerced into silence because we think it is illegal to share our faith. Nothing could be further from the truth.

On the other hand, some situations like this arise because the gospel is shared in a harsh way that abuses the doctor-patient relationship. We need to be bold, but we also need to be wise. We never want to repel patients or colleagues.

How do you keep that from happening?
It's the same as when I offer therapeutic options to a patient. I say, "in light of my findings, I think it's best to remove your gall bladder." The patient then has the freedom to say, "I accept your recommendation" or "No, I don't want that." If I force my recommendation upon the patient and drag him into surgery, that would obviously be impinging on his free choice. Similarly, I can offer the therapeutic option of spiritual solutions just like any medical intervention. But I must maintain the freedom of the patient to accept or reject my recommendation.

The medical profession has become amazingly tolerant and liberal over the past few decades. Do you think Christians in the field can stem the tide?
I believe it's possible, and I believe it's imperative. The enemy will continue to take over if we hold a business-as-usual attitude. There is a real crisis need in medicine for Christians of high ethical standards and impeccable moral integrity. I believe it's the responsibility of every Christian-in every profession-to stand up for righteousness and biblical truth. If all Christian doctors took an unwavering stand, we would see the medical field change radically.

You alluded to a mentoring program as part of your network. Can you elaborate on that?
It's our conviction that if we're serious about developing leadership-and I think that's a crisis point for us in the medical profession-it isn't going to happen simply by putting people through a week of training. Leaders aren't produced that way. It's important to provide role models. We've challenged experienced Christian doctors to work with those who are serious about becoming leaders. These doctors stay in close contact, encouraging one another, grappling with issues together and helping each other along. It's similar to discipleship in the biblical sense.

You also mentioned that you involve doctors' spouses in your program. Can you explain that?
No married physician carries on a practice alone. It is a team effort that includes the spouse, who may or may not be a medical person, and the rest of the family. We have found that a doctor will not be very effective if the spouse does not understand the calling and identify with the mission. So in an effort to sharpen the skills of the team, we are identifying a core of medical spouse role models who work hand in hand with their physician spouse and have an effective ministry of their own. We need to strengthen med-spouses in their own ministry and help the medical professionals understand the importance of the tea.

What typically takes place at you training sessions?
First of all, I should mention that the program was developed by and is taught by medical professionals. The information has not emerged from theoretical or theological bases but from experience by physicians who have learned through the school of hard knocks. We do not bring in big-name speakers or theologians. Our program is strictly doctor to doctor-an honest exchange of ideas and strategies.

Our training sessions are typically three or four days long, including lectures, case studies, discussion and field experience. We help doctors rethink their calling as Christians in the medical field, challenging and encouraging them to take advantage of their wide sphere of influence.

We also examine ethical issues. What are the ethics involved in sharing Christ in a medical setting? What is ethical and what is not? Most Christian doctors have heard only one viewpoint-that it's unethical. Very few Christians have thought through the biblical basis of sharing Christ.

We present case studies where doctors shared the gospel with patients or colleagues. Together we work through conversation openings, transitions into deeper issues and the gospel presentation. We discuss how to move from professional issues to general spiritual matters and then to the central issue of the gospel.

Also, field experience is a major component in our training program. We go into a hospital or clinic to implement what we've learned. Finally, there's a debriefing session to work through snags we've encountered.

Most people leave with a new vision of how God can use them. Being around like-minded physicians, people who are committed and on fire for the Lord, fuels others' enthusiasm to make the most of their positions as medical professionals.