Our Core Values:

Trusted – Those we serve depend on us to “do what we say we will do”, today and in the future.  Our donors and volunteers trust us to be good stewards of their gifts. 

Compassionate – “There is a sweet spirit in this caring place.”  We are encouraging, supportive and welcoming.

Committed – “We are not going away.”  We are faithful to our mission and, with the help of others, will sustain our ministries.

Quality – We provide innovative, whole person care using best practices and highest standards, which is  “good enough for our mothers”.  

Dr. Scott Morris, a family practice physician and ordained United Methodist minister, founded the Church Health Center in 1987 to provide quality, affordable healthcare for working, uninsured people and their families. Thanks to a broad base of financial support from the faith community, and the volunteer help of doctors, nurses, dentists and others, the Church Health Center Clinic has grown to become the largest faith-based clinic of its type in the country. Currently, we care for 70,000 patients of record without relying on government funding. Fees are charged on a sliding scale based on income. The average visit costs about $20.

In 1986, after college, seminary, medical school and his ordination as a United Methodist minister, Dr. Morris moved to Memphis. Memphis has historically been one of the poorest major cities in America, a city with a vast and growing population of uninsured people. Dr. Morris knew the need would certainly be there, and if the Center could work in Memphis, it could work anywhere.

At St. John’s United Methodist Church, Dr. Morris was appointed as an associate pastor in 1986 (a position he maintains to this day) and he began to plan and to raise the initial funding for the Church Health Center. St. John’s purchased the Center’s first building, a dilapidated boarding house across the street from the church, and agreed to lease it to the Center for $1 per year, a fee that remains the same to this day. Central Church agreed to finance the renovation of the building and its conversion to a clinic. The Memphis-based Plough Foundation and Methodist Hospital each agreed to give funding to launch the Center. Dr. Morris and one nurse saw 12 patients on September 1, 1987, and since then the Church Health Center has grown to handle over 36,000 patient visits a year.

But healthcare is about more than just prescribing pills. We at the Church Health Center believe we have a responsibility to take care of the bodies God gave us, so we have been committed from our beginning to health education and prevention. Our Wellness ministry now offers everything from personalized exercise plans and cooking classes to group exercise classes and activities for children and teens. CHC Wellness is open to the entire community with fees charged on a sliding scale based on family size and income. More than 100,000 member visits are recorded annually.

Our Faith Community Outreach staff offers hope for a healthier life by reaching people where they worship. The Church Health Center provides the support, consultation and education to start or strengthen health ministries in congregations. Since 1988, more than 600 Congregational Health Promoters have been trained to be health leaders within their congregations. Faith Community Outreach also develops faith-health curriculum for congregations and collaborates with faith communities in other ways as well.

The MEMPHIS Plan is the Church Health Center’s employer-sponsored healthcare plan for small business and the self-employed. By relying on donated services from volunteer doctors and area hospitals and laboratories, the MEMPHIS Plan offers uninsured people in lower-wage jobs access to quality, affordable healthcare.