G. Scott Morris (born March 6, 1954, in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, California) is the founder and executive director of Church Health in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. A medical doctor and ordained minister in the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelical ...

, he is a leader in the field of faith and health and an advocate for the poor in U.S. society. Dr. Morris is married to Mary Gilliland Morris and lives in

Midtown Memphis Midtown Memphis, Tennessee is a collection of neighborhoods to the east of Downtown. Midtown is home to many cultural attractions, institutions of higher education, and noteworthy pieces of architecture. The district is an anchor in Memphis' arts ...

Education and professional life

After graduating with his B.S. from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, Morris earned his Masters of Divinity from

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

and then his medical degree from

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

. Morris spent time working at a clinic called Crossroads in Raleigh, North Carolina before moving to Memphis to open the Church Health Center on September 1, 1987. The Church Health Center, now Church Health, began as a clinic for the working uninsured and has since expanded to include exercise and nutrition programming, healthcare advisory assistance for people enrolling in Church Health's MEMPHIS Plan, Medicare, Medicaid, and Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans, and a Congregational Health Promoter program. Morris also served an associate pastor a
St. John's United Methodist Church
in Memphis through 2016. Morris received the Excellence in Medicine Award from the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's state ...

in 2008. Morris also received the

Alumni Award for Distinction in Congregational Ministry in 1996.

Publications

Morris is the author of the books ''Relief for the Body, Renewal for the Soul'' and ''Health Care You Can Live With'' and he is the editor of two books of sermons, ''I Am the Lord that Heals You'' and ''Hope & Healing: Words from the Clergy of a Southern City''. Morris writes a column for th
Daily Memphian
Dr. Morris' newest book is ''Care: How People of Faith Can Respond to Our Broken Health System'' (Erdmanns ).

Footnotes

External links

G. Scott Morris
Blog
Church Health
Official website
Bio of G. Scott Morris
on the website of The Society of Entrepreneurs in Memphis
Letter to a Future Doctor
article on Church Health Reader, September 2009
Washington National Cathedral
Sermon preached on April 22, 2001
Cancer Surgeon's Death Lesson for All of Us
in The Commercial Appeal, October 3, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, G. Scott Living people American Methodist clergy 1954 births Yale Divinity School alumni University of Virginia alumni Emory University School of Medicine alumni