How to Avoid the Malpractice of Ministry: Modern Medicine for Ministry in a Postpandemic Era

By Dr. Jerome E. King

The far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected organizations of all types, including the church. It’s changed the way these entities serve their communities today and how they’ll continue to serve them throughout the postpandemic era.

In The Malpractice of Ministry, author Dr. Jerome King offers insight into ministering in the postpandemic era without compromising the Great Commission, delving into purpose-driven church pre-pandemic and postpandemic. Using the metaphor of malpractices in the medical profession and lessons learned in the pandemic, King combines organizational leadership and biblical scholarship to deliver the resource churches need to transform ministries for the new era.

The Malpractice of Ministry journeys through the process, from identifying symptoms and diagnosing ministry problems to incorporating proven measures with promising outcomes.

It urges churches to avoid the malpractice of ministry by taking proactive steps without compromising the church. King shows the best approach to ministry is based on the prayerful implementation of biblical integrity, sound organizational theory, and responsible ministry practice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jul 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664264618

Dr. Jerome E. King

Dr. Jerome King has more than thirty years in ministry and leadership experience, having served as a denominational leader, executive vice president of Luther Rice seminary, professor of leadership, church consultant, and a senior pastor. He is an Air Force veteran with two doctorates in his field, a doctorate in ministry, and a PhD in organizational leadership.

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Copyright © 2022 Dr. Jerome E. King.

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Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

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ISBN: 978-1-6642-6460-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6459-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-6461-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022907554

WestBow Press rev. date: 07/20/2022

CONTENTS

Author’s Note

Introduction

Chapter 1 A Miscalculation of the Pandemic

Chapter 2 A Misdiagnosis of the Problem

Chapter 3 A Misdirection of the Program

Chapter 4 A Mismanagement of the People

Chapter 5 A Misalignment of the Process

Chapter 6 A Misapplication of the Prescription

Chapter 7 A Misbehavior of the People

Conclusion

Bibliography

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to those who serve on the front lines of ministry, particularly during the Coronavirus pandemic. Amid the dangers and risks to yourself, you adjusted to the circumstances and used creative means to provide spiritual, emotional, mental, physical and material support to your members and the broader communities. You offered godly pastoral care for the nation during one of the most uncertain periods of our generation. Thanks to your bravery and God’s grace, we’re poised to equip the saints to minister to the needs of a new era of church ministry. May this book become a tool in the hands of leaders serving this present age, as they build solid foundations to transition their ministries and enable others to experience God in this postpandemic era.

To my adult children, Olivia Nicole and Jerome Eric King II, thank you for your unconditional love, sacrifice and support throughout my ministry. You became a very present help, ministering to me during the difficulties and challenges faced throughout the pandemic. Your loving presence remain a source of joy and hope that sustains me when challenged by the discontinuity of this present age.

Most of all, I dedicate this work to My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! It is because of Him that I have been privileged to enjoy this new life and continue to progress in my development as His disciple and servant. All I have learned and experienced in becoming more like Him is because of His grace and favor. Thank You for saving me. Soli Deo Gloria!

AUTHOR’S NOTE

On March 11, 2020, the director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, of the World Health Organization (WHO), officially declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic. This respiratory virus continues to duplicate, with more severe consequences than anything most of us have witnessed in our lifetime. Its death rate is ten times that of the flu. The good news is, for most people, the illness caused by the coronavirus is generally mild, and the flulike symptoms of fever and cough don’t last long. The bad news is the virus is highly contagious. The elderly and those with compromised immune systems or chronic diseases can become very sick and, in some cases, die.

The aggression of this world crisis has affected our whole way of life and even our vocabulary. We now speak of PPEs (personal protective equipment) to protect ourselves, being armed with facemasks, gloves, and in some instances face shields to protect us from infection. States were shut down, businesses closed, and airlines grounded as citizens were forced to shelter in place. Even essential personnel were forced to maintain physical distancing in this crisis.

Of course, the far-reaching impact of this pandemic has affected organizations of all types and has changed the way we serve our communities today and how we will continue to serve our communities throughout the postpandemic era. This is where the role of leadership comes into play. The first job of leadership is to define reality (Max Dupree, Leadership is an Art, 1989, 11). This defined reality provides the context for modern medicine for ministry in a postpandemic era.

A particular feature of this work is its approach to understanding ministry challenges by considering the subject matter and its relation to the practice of medicine. The varied nature of ministry and the problems that might accompany it require some unifying theme to provide unity to the discussion. Consequently, I have used medical images as a metaphor to illustrate and describe several points, frequently using a physician’s approach to addressing medical problems. For example, there are clear connections between a responsible spiritual leader’s reactions to a member’s stated issue and a medical doctor’s response to their patient’s complaints. When a patient experiences pain or complains of an illness in their body, they will describe their symptoms to the medical personnel. Prior training, education, and experience enable the physician to match those symptoms to known medical illnesses. They may make an initial diagnosis; however, this diagnosis is not enough to properly treat the ailment.

A responsible physician will further diagnose the problem by using a valid and reliable assessment measure to be sure the issue is correctly identified. Failure to provide a proper assessment can lead to treating symptoms for the wrong problem and giving a prescription that does more harm than good to the patient. Responsible physicians will not treat symptoms alone and will never prescribe a treatment without considering the patient’s overall health and circumstances. Neither should those in ministry.

One of the basic principles employed in this book is the Hippocratic oath. Named after the early Greek physician Hippocrates, this ethical oath is taken by physicians to this day. These guiding beliefs include the practice of medical confidentiality and nonmalfeasance, the primum nonnocere, First do no harm.

The procedures for treating ministry problems in this book are similar in application to the approach of a medical physician. Similar to medical issues, individual, personal, or congregational symptoms of discomfort, illness, or difficulties in ministry are of a serious nature. Such matters require the careful administration of measures to help and heal the patient appropriately. Readers will be guided through the process, from identifying symptoms and diagnosing ministry problems to incorporating proven measures with promising outcomes.

The body of this work is divided into chapters describing the symptoms, diagnosis, and solutions to the problems consistent with an understanding of ministry, ministry-based organizations, and a sensitivity to the spiritual context. Readers are moved toward the solution and directed to the administration of a prescription for their specific problem.

Careful consideration is given to the components that may greatly impact ministry success and vary from one context to another. For example, a church’s culture, environment (i.e., population, spiritual climate, socioeconomics, etc.), and the individuals who make up the congregation are unique to that ministry context. These factors will significantly affect strategy implementation, responses to leadership, and their followership. The administration of the measures contained in this book should be broken down into each specific ministry setting, with special considerations given to the unique circumstances in those contexts that are not covered in this work.

Of course, there are many dynamics to ministry, and a book of this size cannot address all the topics important to ministry practitioners. However, this resource will assist in bridging the gap between the needs for those serving in any ministry, experiencing the symptoms of ministry sickness, and those who are responsible for carrying out and leading in ministry (such as ministers, ministry practitioners, or consultants). This resource adds to the discussion of the many complications associated with ministry. It approaches the subject with an eye on both organizational leadership theory and practical execution techniques.

This book is not intended to be a quick fix or the recipe for every struggling ministry. This is not a cure for every ministry ill that one might encounter in their service to others. The goal is to highlight areas of service that tend to be more common and vulnerable to the malpractice of ministry. The malpractice of ministry are actions that neglect the proper biblical, ethical, and organizational practices consistent with effective ministry. It is my hope that this book inspires a different view of ministry and responsible church leadership. The basic underlying thesis is that the best approach to ministry is based on the prayerful implementation of biblical integrity, sound organizational theory, and responsible ministry practice. In short, this book aims to provide medicine for ministry.

INTRODUCTION

Dr. Farid T. Fata, a native of Lebanon, became a naturalized US citizen in 2009. A leading cancer doctor in Michigan and the owner of Michigan Hematology-Oncology, Fata had multiple offices throughout Detroit’s suburbs. His reach included offices in Clarkston, Bloomfield Hills, Lapeer, Sterling Heights, Troy, and Oak Park, Michigan. On the surface, Fata appeared to accomplish the American dream with a medical practice that included 1,200 patients. However, something more sinister and deceptive was occurring at Michigan Hematology-Oncology that may have continued for years had it not been for the efforts and bravery of a chemotherapy nurse and whistleblower of the cancer-treatment doctor.

We have come to learn that Dr. Fata intentionally misdiagnosed patients with cancer. The criminal nature of Dr. Fata’s actions was providing chemotherapy to patients who did not require it. By diagnosing patients with cancer and providing chemotherapy when it was not needed, Dr. Fata was essentially poisoning them. When people were vulnerable and dependent upon a medical physician for treatments, Fata violated his oath to do no harm. Why? He confessed that it was greed. To the tune of $35 million, he committed two counts of money laundering, thirteen counts of health care fraud, and one count of conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks. He admitted, I knew that it was medically unnecessary.

The consequences of this tragic episode will continue to have a devastating impact on families for generations to come by way of their grief, loss, financial debt, physical and emotional health, trust, and quality of life.

The circumstances and actions in the case mentioned above are more than a mere breach of public trust. It is an awful example of medical malpractice! Medical malpractice is a legal cause of action that occurs when a medical professional deviates from standards in their profession, thereby causing injury to a patient.

The critical need for both medical care and patient-physician trust are two of the many areas where we see a direct relation between medical and ministry practices. For example:

In addition to the list above, another area of similarity between these vocations is their far-reaching impact on those they serve and the harmful effect whenever there are acts of malpractice. The dictionary defines clergy malpractice as A breach of duty owed by a member of the clergy (e.g., trust, loyalty, confidentiality, guidance) that results in harm or loss to his or her parishioner. A claim for clergy malpractice asserts that a member of the clergy should be held liable for professional misconduct or an unreasonable lack of competence in his or her capacity as a religious leader and counselor (The Free Dictionary by Farlex, Legal Dictionary, Online, Clergy Malpractice). This legal definition speaks to the ethical responsibility of clergy and the risks of those