different, go to Arby’s for some roast beef.
We hope Samaritan Ministries members will
convey the sentiment: “Samaritan is different.
Different is good.”
Samaritan doesn’t want to be just another
health care hamburger joint. We want to offer
innovative, Christ-honoring service that helps
establish health care sharing best practices
and impacts our health care system for the
glory of God. By God’s grace, we are committed
to continuing to honor Jesus Christ, being
faithful to the teachings of the Scriptures and
advancing God’s kingdom in all aspects of
ministry. That goes for every interaction with
members, staff, associates and providers, and
also the way we tell the world about Samaritan.
This commitment means that at times we will
intentionally choose different practices than
other health care sharing organizations when
we believe there is a danger of violating Biblical
teachings. It also means that we are not health
insurance, as we have different operating
philosophies based on different worldviews.
This choice to be different is not dependent on
a claim that insurance is inferior to health care
sharing, as we know there are many ways God
uses insurance to care for people! However, we
are claiming that as Christians our shared faith
in Jesus Christ is to be woven throughout every
aspect of our lives, including our participation
in Christian community within health care.
That’s what Samaritan Ministries is all about.
Because of these philosophical differences,
five distinctives set Samaritan Ministries apart:
1) Commitment to Biblical Mission: For 25
years, Samaritan Ministries has operated under
the acknowledgment that health care needs are
multidimensional—emotional and spiritual, as
much as physical and financial. Samaritan has
the mission to connect members to care for
the whole need with prayer, encouragement
and financial support. Galatians 6:2—“Bear
one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law
of Christ” (ESV)—has remained at Samaritan
Ministries’ core.
Bear
one
another’s
burderns, and so fulfill
the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2 (ESV)
2) An Expression of Shared Faith:
Samaritan’s membership agreement makes
it clear it is a community of Christians helping
other Christians. The ministry doesn’t pay for
anything, but members commit to faithfully
share with one another based on their religious
convictions and according to the ministry
Guidelines.
3) Direct Sharing from One Christian to
Another: Samaritan members send shares
directly to one another rather than send
shares to an organization to administer.
Along with these direct financial shares,
members also send personal notes and cards
of encouragement and commit to pray for their
fellow members.
4) Member-Led: Samaritan is overseen by a
member-led Board of Directors, the majority
43