John Irvine, former Baptist President and Howick Baptist Church member, is passionate about encouraging others in their faith and sees advance care plans as a way to care for loved ones and witness faith even in incapacity.
An advance care plan can be more than a practical document. It can become a meaningful way to bear witness to faith through weakness, incapacity, and even death. When a doctor first encouraged me to prepare a plan, I did not expect the process to be spiritually formative.
At first, the value seemed largely practical. Advance care planning is often introduced as a way to guide health professionals when someone is unable to communicate their wishes. By recording considered views about medical treatment, it provides clarity and reassurance, particularly in situations such as hospitalisation or loss of consciousness.
As the plan took shape, it became clear that it asked for more than medical preferences. I was invited to name who should be kept informed, and whose voices would matter most when decisions were being made. For people of faith, these reflections naturally open space for testimony, revealing what truly matters and where trust ultimately lies.
Advance care plans also allow space to appoint an Enduring Power of Attorney and to offer guidance about care as death approaches, including preferences around funerals. I found that reflecting on these matters shifted my focus away from fear of the future and toward hope, generosity, and the ways families might continue to bring life and blessing to others.
After completing the plan, I felt it was thorough and complete. Then our son noticed another opportunity. I was able to include guidance for my family on how they might minister to me if I were no longer able to communicate, whether temporarily or permanently. It felt like a privilege to offer this kind of teaching and encouragement at such an important moment in life.
Family involvement proved to be one of the greatest gifts of the process. As they contributed their thoughts, conversations deepened, and understanding grew. For them, it strengthened their sense of what God means in my life; for all of us, it became a shared blessing.
Advance care planning can also sit alongside other acts of preparation, such as writing letters to loved ones, planning family gatherings, or discussing funeral arrangements. Together, these practices create space for honesty, blessing, and connection. Independently of the advance care plan, I had already written letters to descendants and their spouses and suggested a family hui at which they could share them if they wished.
I believe churches have a valuable pastoral opportunity here. Encouraging people to think ahead about later life, and to prepare advance care plans alongside wills and Enduring Power of Attorney documents, is a gift of care to individuals and families alike. When embraced thoughtfully, advance care planning offers peace, clarity, and compassion, while quietly bearing witness to a hope that holds firm, even in life’s most vulnerable moments.
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