Notes from the President -- Mission True

While the concern has been around a long time, the handle is new and self-defining. It can apply to organizations as well as individuals. A telling little book by that name Mission Drift sends out a warning to many organizations, particularly those with Christian and moralistic roots. Authored by Peter Greer and Chris Horst from HOPE International, it cites many examples of organizations, both well-known and not, that have simply drifted away from their original roots. Some have done it almost subconsciously, hardly noticing, until the change is so complete there is no turning back. Harvard and Yale are often noted as examples of this, starting as seminaries and now totally secular institutions. Others have been more deliberate, considering it a necessary and appropriate part of the maturation process, such as the YMCA, now just the “Y.”

Mission Drift was a reading assignment for our recent Spiritual Leaders Retreat here at Loma Linda University Health. Reading it was both compelling and concerning, though mostly reassuring as I reviewed Loma Linda’s own history and current situation. Roger Hadley, dean of our School of Medicine, is fond of saying, “Loma Linda is one of only a very few organizations that has exactly the same mission as it did when it started in 1905.” While the words may have changed some, with our motto, “To Make Man Whole,” coming on board in 1956, and our current mission statement, “To continue the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ,” adopted more recently, it is clear that the public affirmation of mission has not changed.

But where are we now, both individually and organizationally? As I was preparing a talk for the spiritual leaders, I could come up with a number of “cultural” constants that are hard-wired here at Loma Linda and anchor us as a “Mission True” organization. They are long term and have survived generational changes. These include, among others:

1. Our motto / mission / vision / values statements

2. Religion classes for all students

3. Weekly required chapel

4. Biblically based sculptures across campus

5. Our commitment to wholeness

6. Our widespread practice of beginning most classes, committees and many clinical procedures with prayer

I personally think another anchor for mission is our pervasive commitment to service, both locally and globally, embodied in the many activities for students, staff and faculty across campus. I often hear visitors to campus, whether consultants or accreditors, say that they have never seen a place where the mission of an institution is more widely known or deeply held than at Loma Linda. That is reassuring.

Greer and Horst also acknowledge, however, that Mission True organizations must themselves learn how to adapt. Circumstances change, knowledge increases, and understandings mature. Certainly that is true in the health science world, and it would be expected in our social, theological, and relational worlds as well. Acceptance of the cultural and racial diversity among us is very different today than it was 100 years ago. Society changes, laws catch up and expectations are placed on organizations and individuals. Some we heartily endorse, like seat belt requirements or no smoking, while others, like gender equality, or age-based requirements, are slower to be adopted.

An equal concern is whether we remain Mission True in our individual lives. It’s enlightening to give back to our graduating seniors their personal mission statements from their admission packet – what they said when applying to Loma Linda University about their goals for life and why they wanted to study here. A lot happens in three, four or five years as they mature and start seeing the world through their “professional” eyes. Potential earnings may awaken materialistic goals in the minds of some. A new spouse may change the course of an individual life. The realization of debt payments can certainly influence their choice of a career and job location. We recognize some degree of responsibility for this maturation, and seek to create a milieu that nourishes the best in each of us. Certainly connecting with human need, whether locally or globally, is one of the greatest influencers on these ideas. Loma Linda understands and maximizes that exposure, as it has for over a century.

My final thoughts expressed to our campus spiritual leaders the other day were: How do we maintain this environment? How do we keep Loma Linda University Health a Mission True organization? Is there a degree of diversity that is too much? Is there a size that is too big? How do we find and nurture the faculty and administrators who are comfortable with their beliefs and can be distinctive while still being accepting and inclusive? No one wants to work for a neutered organization without principles or firm convictions. Certainly not Loma Linda University Health. Our current leaders are united in our commitment to remaining a Mission True organization that unabashedly pursues our mission to continue the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ – To Make Man Whole.

Sincerely, 

Richard Hart, MD, DrPH

President, Loma Linda University Health

P.S. I thought you would enjoy seeing a 360-degree picture of the new hospital construction site from high atop a crane. The old hospital is on top of the picture; our newest parking structure by the Faculty Medical Offices is on the left, and the main campus on the right.