By Dr. Malcolm Webber

Recently I came across an interesting article entitled “How to Teach Doctors Empathy”. The point of the article was that being a good medical doctor requires an understanding of people, not just science.

This is also true of spiritual leaders. Being a good spiritual leader requires an understanding of – and an ability to connect deeply with – people, not just biblical facts.

Here are some points from the article that can apply to spiritual leaders.

• Clinical empathy is the ability to stand in a patient’s shoes and to convey an understanding of the patient’s situation as well as the desire to help. Clinical empathy was once dismissively known as “good bedside manner” and traditionally regarded as far less important than technical acumen. But a spate of studies in the past decade has found that it is no mere frill. Increasingly, empathy is considered essential to establishing trust, the foundation of a good doctor-patient relationship.

• Studies have linked empathy to greater patient satisfaction, better outcomes, decreased physician burnout, and a lower risk of malpractice suits and errors.

• While some people are naturally better at being empathic, empathy can be taught. Empathy is a cognitive attribute, not a personality trait.

• One study found that, on average, doctors interrupt patients within 18 seconds.

• While some doctors [say] they don’t have the time to be empathic, the skill has proved to be a timesaver rather than a time sink. It can help doctors zero in on the real source of a patient’s concern, short-circuiting repeated visits or those “doorknob moments” doctors dread, when the patient says “Oh, by the way …” and raises the primary concern as the doctor is headed out of the room.

• Doctors are explainaholics. Our answer to distress is more information; if a patient just understood it better, he would come around.

Certainly, as Christian leaders we have considerably more “facts” than medical doctors have. We have the eternal Word of God and not merely the results of human research. Nevertheless, this should not justify being impersonal or mechanical when we deal with people.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Rom. 12:15, ESV)

As we move forward in 2018, it is good to remember what we are about and what is the most important reason we do what we do. For me, and I think for all of our Vision partners worldwide, it is about discipleship though the Word of God. That is why Dr. Chant and I began to write.  Our reason and our focus is to take the whole word to the whole world…until the earth is covered with the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea!

In this Vision update, our founder and friend Dr. Ken provides us with a reminder of our beginnings and our continued passion for today. We are featuring two basic books that help with the discipleship process, especially for new converts, Dynamic Christian Foundations and New Beginnings. If you don’t have these books, I strongly recommend them…as incentive to share your faith with someone you can disciple to Christ.

Blessings, and Happy New Year.

Dr. Stan

https://booksbyvision.org/1754-2/

Mathematics was always a grind for me at school, along with physics, chemistry, and geometry. But writing, I could do. Composition was a breeze. Parsing was fun. Essays were a pleasant challenge to a boy’s creative imagination. Unsurprisingly, in high school I became editor of the school’s quarterly magazine and its annual journal. I sat near the top of the class in anything having to do with language and literature. Indeed, had I been a little less lazy and less curious about too many other things, I probably would have topped the class in English.    ERRRR…

So, again unsurprisingly, I had no sooner become a pastor in my early 20s than I began to search for ways to preach and teach through writing. My first outlet was the denominational journal, Revivalist, of which I became editor, and for many years wrote at least one article every month.

 EUREKA!

Then came a real challenge: write a set of lecture notes for a new Bible College, on the theme of Justification. I glibly agreed, only to discover that gaining an intellectual grasp of the subject was a simple matter, but getting a revelation of what it truly meant was vastly different. So, I begged leave to postpone the effort until the final term of the school year. It was granted, and I began to toil most diligently, striving, not just to understand “justification” in my mind, but to get it burning, dazzling, alive deep in my soul. I laboured for several weeks, until suddenly, one morning I knew – I knew what it meant to be justified by faith in Christ alone, apart from any work of my own. I knew it with every fiber of my being. I knew it body, soul, and spirit. I knew absolutely that I was truly, eternally, utterly justified in the sight of God, simply because, and only because, I believed heartily in Christ!

I jumped up from my desk, ran down the passage into the kitchen, and began waltzing Alison around the table, declaring, “Eureka! I know what it means to be justified! I know what it means!” When I was calm again, it was back to my desk and typewriter, and finishing the notes that would carry me through 12 hours of lectures in the final term. Some 60 years later, that joy in the knowledge of justification still throbs inside me.

From there, I went on to write probably more than half the curriculum the college was using at that time for its two-year diploma programme – several hundred pages of lecture notes.

THIS WE BELIEVE

Because of all that knowledge and experience, the national executive of my denomination asked me to write a book that would give people a clear introduction to our basic beliefs, the fundamental doctrines that undergirded the entire movement. The result was This We Believe, which, in 170 pages and nine chapters, summarised our biblical foundations. That book remained in print for many years, although I think it has now been superseded.

Then, in 1974 in Tasmania (where Alison and I lived for 15 years and pioneered several new churches), having discovered a need for local churches to be able to teach their people without sending them away to a distant Bible college, we decided to establish a Bible correspondence course. I had discovered, too, that while I found it impossible truly to visualise myself as the pastor of a large church, I could easily see Alison and myself establishing a Bible college that would girdle the earth! So, we adopted the brave if not arrogant motto, The Whole Word to the Whole World, which is still the College slogan. So, I set about writing the first book, The Authenticity and Authority of the Bible. Since then, I have added some 50 books to the curriculum, and Alison has written several of her own.

DYNAMIC FOUNDATIONS

Among her efforts, she decided to redo This We Believe, to make it more general, to expand it, and to reshape it to fit our college curriculum. The result is the book we now call Dynamic Christian Foundations.

We think it is an ideal book for new Christians, or for people who have never done any serious Bible study. It introduces readers to the basic doctrines of the Christian faith, shows them how to analyse scripture, and lays a foundation for a strong and firm Christian life.

Do you want a Christian life? Do you want a dynamic Christian life? Then this book will provide a foundation upon which to build it!

 

https://booksbyvision.org/eureka/

Excerpted from the book New Beginnings by Dr. Stan DeKoven

Several years ago I met with a group of Christians, all of whom had been saved and nurtured within a local church. These people were from various denominational backgrounds and independent churches, all experiencing a sincere desire to develop a closer walk with God.

Our conversation revolved around our early experiences in the Lord. I asked this question: “If you could have had anything different, if anything could have been better for you in the beginning of your relationship with Jesus, what would it have been?”

Though the responses varied, all included the need for a systematic, loving, and consistent training or discipleship program presented by the local church. I found that many, if not a majority of Christians, begin their walk in an almost haphazard manner. There seems to be little vision within the local church for bringing the new Christian to maturity.

Over the ensuing years, I experimented with many materials designed to train new believers in the foundational truths. However, I did not find completeness in much of the material available, and the desire to develop a more comprehensive study began to burn within my heart.

In April 1987, while visiting some dear friends in Slidell, Louisiana, I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Orfilia, a pastor in Slidell. He was beginning a series of studies that he had effectively used in his local church. The material he developed and taught from, with modification, is the foundation for this book. I am most grateful for his permission to include his research material herein.

As you read and study this material, do so with prayer and an open heart. Complete the homework assignments in obedience to God and share your new insights with others.

This book is meant as a first step subsequent to salvation in your development of an understanding of the Word of God, enabling you to grow in your knowledge of Him.

If your pastor is teaching from this book, pray specifically that the Lord will anoint and empower him to share the word of truth clearly as you start your New Beginnings journey.