The Ministry of Healing
Dominic Walker
Four years ago the report A Time to Heal was published, since when it has been re-printed and become an Anglican best seller! It was the first official Church of England report for over forty years about the ministry of healing and during those forty years, the charismatic renewal had transformed the ministry of healing. It is no longer regarded as something that only priests do, and then usually for very sick people. The Holy Spirit has shown us that it is a ministry that can involve all God’s people, and that it should not be restricted to those with serious physical illness, because all of us need God’s healing grace in our lives.
The title of the report A Time to Heal was carefully chosen. There was the obvious biblical reference from Ecclesiastes, but also the recognition that there are two Greek words for ‘time’. Chronos referring to chronological time measured in minutes, hours and days, and kairos meaning a time when God breaks through and provides that moment of opportunity and grace. The report was published in the Millennium year as a gift to the church, encouraging Christians to seize the moment and to ‘preach the gospel and heal the sick’.
Although over 400 pages long, the report is wide ranging and each chapter is complete in itself. An extract of the report, published as a small handbook, was sent free of charge to every serving priest in Britain. Because the healing ministry is often directed towards vulnerable people, the handbook provides guidance for best practice. It also encourages every parish to consider how best to offer a ministry of healing to the people they serve. Surveys following the report show a steady increase in the ministry of healing, although there is still a long way to go before it is seen as a natural and normal part of the life of every church.
The Group
The working group that produced the report comprised a theology professor, health professionals and clergy and laity with experience in the healing ministry. There were two bishops, the chairman, John Perry (then Bishop of Chelmsford) and myself (then Bishop of Reading). We came from a variety of church and professional backgrounds and we also received evidence from a wide range of people.
We began by asking the basic question of whether the ministry of healing is an appropriate ministry for the church to be promoting in the twenty-first century. Some people would argue that God has now given us a greater understanding of human physiology and psychology and that the ministry of healing has passed to the medical professions. Whilst agreeing that God’s activity is not restricted to the Church, we also recognised the need to affirm that we are spiritual people as well as physical and psychological beings and that ultimately all healing is from God. Jesus was a healer who calls his church to continue his ministry in the world today.
The group also questioned whether we should tackle exorcism (or ‘deliverance ministry’ as it has come to be known) as part of the ministry of healing. It is an area that excites the media and a subject that attracts some extreme views, but we felt that a report on the ministry of healing would be incomplete without it. Nevertheless, we needed to keep the subject in perspective, recognising the reality of the power of evil upon our lives, but rejoicing in the God who sets us free through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Report
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The report identifies the healing ministry as visionary, prophetic and dynamic. It views Christ as the supreme sacrament from whom all sacramental ministries derive. It would have been easy to devote 400 pages to the biblical material alone, but that has been done by others, and the report concentrates on the practical issues of the ministry of healing. It also looks at alternative and complimentary therapies and the difficult area of evidence. |
For me, the significance of the healing ministry is that it is a way in which the church proclaims the kingdom of God. Jesus himself proclaimed the coming of the kingdom through his sayings and parables and through prayer and healing. So today, the church proclaims God’s kingdom through its teaching and preaching ministry and through its life of prayer and healing. I would go so far as to say that a church that claims to preach the word, but does not heal the sick, is selling people short!
I am interested in the various ways in which the churches find renewal in the Holy Spirit and how they are all linked with healing. Sometimes, it is through a greater desire for the life of prayer. Churches encourage people to have a desire to pray more deeply. They have parish retreats and explore different spiritual paths so that individuals can find inner peace and healing. Sometimes, churches discover renewal through an enthusiasm for peace and justice issues. God opens their eyes to what the Bible teaches about caring for the poor and oppressed. Then, fired with a passion for justice, they protest through prayer and action so as to bring healing and reconciliation to a broken world. As the leader of the Corrymeela Community said, ‘If the church has nothing to say about reconciliation; the church has nothing to say’.
Healing and the Holy Spirit
Sometimes churches find renewal through making the sacramental ministry of healing available to individuals, and through reaching out to bring healing to the local community. When churches see healing taking place, they recognise the Holy Spirit at work and joyfully share it with others. Evangelism flows naturally from the life of a healing church.
Healing is about restoring and establishing right relationship - with God and others, with ourselves and creation. It involves repentance and confession as we turn back to God and discover our identity as his sons and daughters. It sometimes includes the healing of memories or restoring broken relationships with family or friends.
Today, we are also becoming more aware of the need for a right relationship with ourselves, and prayer and counselling can be ways of achieving a greater self-understanding and acceptance. We also speak of the ‘integrity of creation’, that is, discovering how we relate to our environment, because we often abuse rather than care for God’s creation entrusted to our stewardship.
There is something mysterious about the ministry of healing. It is difficult to know what is taking place, because it is God working through us, and yet he draws us into the mystery to become part of it. Michael Wilson, a priest and doctor wrote, ‘Health is a concept like truth which cannot be defined. To define it, is to kill it. Nor can it be possessed. It can only be shared. There is no health for me without my brother. There is no health for me without Bangladesh’. The ministry of healing touches not only individuals but reaches out to bring healing and reconciliation to the wounds of communities and society.
There are different ways in which the ministry of healing can take place in a public setting. Anointing with oil and the laying-on-of-hands traditionally takes place within the context of the Eucharist, so that those receiving the ministry do so after receiving holy communion. Recently, at a healing centre in my diocese, I took part in a ‘Celtic style’ service where those who were anointed knelt in a circle and had their heads and shoulders covered with a shawl as a symbol of being enfolded in Christ’s love. The liturgical framework needs to create a sense that this is God’s activity and he holds us in the palm of his hand. Some people may feel called to this ministry and the church will recognise in them a God-given gift of healing. Some will have a gift of prayer or encouragement to support the healing ministry team in a parish. And all of us can learn how to listen and minister sensitively to those who come for healing. I was grateful to the advice that Bishop Graham Dow gave me concerning praying over people. He said, ‘Keep it simple, and pray with your eyes open’. Too many words can be confusing and self-centred. We simply need to pray for the healing grace of God, and then, praying with our eyes open, be attentive to the activity of the Holy Spirit.
About The Right Revd Dominic Walker:
The Right Revd Dominic Walker OGS is the Bishop of Monmouth in the Church in Wales and chairman of the Church of England’s Healing Ministry Steering Group.
