Remembering Douglas James Lindberg, MD (January 17, 1977 – August 30, 2025)

“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:26-27).

Doug Lindberg, MD and Ruth Lindberg, MD, met in a weekly CMDA student Bible study at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine as M1’s in 1999. They fell in love and together discerned God was calling them to serve in cross-cultural medical missions ministry. Together with Ruth, Doug served with The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) starting in 2009 in Dadeldhura, Nepal, where he worked as medical director of a 55-bed hospital—the sole care provider for hundreds of thousands across a vast mountainous region.

It was Dr. David Stevens, CMDA CEO Emeritus, who first told me Doug and Ruth’s story in 2020; how Ruth was diagnosed with Stage IV endometrial cancer in 2013 after they had served for four years on the field and returned to the U.S. Around this time, the Nepali government took over management of the Dadeldhura Hospital. The Lindbergs saw their missions career come to an abrupt halt as Ruth underwent systemic chemotherapy.

God had other plans for the Lindbergs. Ruth’s cancer vanished and her oncologists were not able to attribute this remarkable resolution to the chemotherapy she had received. Thousands of God’s people prayed for Ruth and God heard their cry for her healing. In late 2020 Doug came to Bristol, Tennessee with Ruth and was interviewed by our CMDA National leadership team for the position of Director of the CMDA Center for Medical Missions.

For five years Doug passionately led our Center for Advancing Healthcare Missions (CAHM), mentoring and equipping healthcare professionals to serve in medical missions worldwide. Doug also covered a parttime position as an urgent care physician with ProHealth Care in Waukesha County, Wisconsin during this time. Doug advanced several initiatives with CAHM which included Remedy: Healing for the Nations conferences at California Baptist University and Liberty University; funding and mobilization of minority students and residents for missions’ electives, both domestic and international; 5:11 groups for encouraging career missionaries on the field; expansion of new medical missionary pre-field training and so much more.

On August 30, 2025, Doug lost his year and a half battle with metastatic appendiceal cancer and passed peacefully into the presence of his Savior, Jesus Christ in the presence of Ruth and their two teenage children Maddie (16) and James (13).

We asked for testimonies from those whose lives Doug had touched among CMDA members and ministry partners after his death. Dr. Jim Ritchie, a mutual friend of Doug and CMDA, shared the following:

“Doug is a true prince of the kingdom. A treasured friend. We worked together on many projects and programs. He graciously covered for my shortcomings and consistently brought spiritual depth and unswerving competence to everything he did. His many wonderful works will continue to bear spiritual fruit for some time. I miss him awfully and fully expect that the next time we see each other, he will greet me with some groaner of a joke (do they allow those in Heaven?). We look forward to sharing his joy.”

Another testimony about his impact:

“One of the biggest reasons we moved overseas was from the influence, encouragement and guidance of Doug. His heart for the lost and the unreached is so evident in the way he lives his life. We are forever thankful for him walking the journey with us to go overseas and to use our skills as healthcare professionals to bless those in need. We now serve in the Middle East.”

From a veteran, now retired, missionary:

“Seeing Doug’s friendly face at CMDA events overseas while I was serving as a healthcare missionary, hearing there of his passion for the 5:11 groups, which he recruited me to facilitate. Feeling myself part of the pre-field orientation team over the last four years, and participating in Remedy for my organization—I feel Doug’s ministry touched my life in so many ways. He helped me personally develop a transition plan for when I returned to the U.S. after my overseas service with quiet wisdom and smiling encouragement. May all his areas of ministry bear fruit in the age to come, but I join his family and friends in lament.”

Finally, from a medical student leader at Liberty University:

“I will always remember Doug as a passionate leader who mobilized the next generation of medical missionaries. He truly ran his race with endurance all the way to the finish line. What a legacy! What an example to us all of what it looks like to be a man after God’s own heart and a Christ-follower completely sold out for the gospel. Doug has been one of the most significant mentors in my life. His passion for medical missions greatly shaped my journey! Doug’s influence on my life has been immeasurable, and I will forever count him among the few people who have profoundly impacted my life.”

Doug Lindberg lived with confident hope in the guarantee God gave him (2 Corinthians 5:5), that he would enjoy God’s presence throughout eternity because of his faith in Jesus Christ. Doug wanted as many people as possible to discover this same hope and healing through the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Doug’s friend and co-worker in the kingdom, I urge you to pray with me for Ruth, Maddie and James as they process this grief and loss throughout their lifetimes and the ripple effect from Doug’s life and ministry in healthcare missions will result in hundreds of new healthcare missionaries hearing the call and taking the gospel to the ends of the earth, until Jesus comes back.