에스더 쉴즈(Esther L. Shields, 한국이름 秀日斯, 1868-1940)는 미국 북 장로교 파송 한국 간호선교사이다. 쉴즈는 평생 결혼을 하지 않았고 1897 년부터 1938년 만 70세로 선교현장인 한국에서 은퇴할 때까지 40여년을 의료선교와 복음전도 그리고 간호교육과 사회사업에 일생을 바친 인물이 다. 그녀는 “세브란스의 천사”라 불리울 정도로 봉사의 삶을 살았다. 그러 나 그녀에 대한 연구는 그간 많이 이루어지지 않았는데 이는 그녀가 의료 선교사였지만 의사가 아닌 간호사였고, 남성이 아닌 여성이었기 때문일 가 능성이 높다. 쉴즈는 미국에서 간호사 교육을 받았고 충분한 임상을 경험 한 후 선교사로 자원하여 한국에 왔다. 그녀는 세브란스병원에서 정식 간 호사로 사역하였으나 열악했던 당시 한국의 의료상황과 과중한 업무로 인 해 탈진하여 건강을 해쳐 병원 사역에서 벗어나 평북 선천에서 전도와 교 육 사역을 감당하기도 하였다. 그러나 이후 세브란스로 복귀하여 은퇴할 때까지 이 곳에서 간호교육과 간호사들을 위한 사역 그리고 병원에서의 전 도와 사회봉사 활동에 매진하였다. 이 논문에서는 쉴즈의 선교사 지원 이전의 삶과 한국에서의 선교사역을 시기적으로 정리하고 있으며 그녀의 선교사역이 갖는 특징을 몇 가지로 정 리하였다. 이를테면 그녀는 조직과 협동의 중요성을 잘 알았고 이를 매우 중시하여 사역을 진행했으며 그것이 오늘날 한국간호사협회와 같은 기구 로 자라났음을 알 수 있다.

Esther Lucas Shields (1868-1940) was an American nursing missionary who was sent to Korea by the Northern Presbyterian Church in the United States. Shields did not marry all her life and devoted her life to medical missionary work, evangelism, nursing education, and social work for 41 years from 1897 to 1938. She retired at the age of 70 in Korea, a missionary site. She lived a life of service to the extent that she was called the “Angel of Severance.” However, not much research has been conducted on her, most likely because she was a medical missionary as a nurse, not a doctor, and a woman, not a man. Shields received nurse education in the United States, experienced sufficient clinical trials, and volunteered as a missionary to come to Korea. She served as an official nurse at Severance Hospital, but at that time, she was exhausted due to the poor medical conditions and heavy work in Korea, hurting her health. So, leaving Severance Hospital's ministry, she served evangelism and education ministry in Pyongbuk Province. However, until she returned to Severance and retired, she devoted herself to nursing education, ministry for nurses, and Esther Lucas Shields (1868-1940) was an American nursing missionary who was sent to Korea by the Northern Presbyterian Church in the United States. Shields did not marry all her life and devoted her life to medical missionary work, evangelism, nursing education, and social work for 41 years from 1897 to 1938. She retired at the age of 70 in Korea, a missionary site. She lived a life of service to the extent that she was called the “Angel of Severance.” However, not much research has been conducted on her, most likely because she was a medical missionary as a nurse, not a doctor, and a woman, not a man. Shields received nurse education in the United States, experienced sufficient clinical trials, and volunteered as a missionary to come to Korea. She served as an official nurse at Severance Hospital, but at that time, she was exhausted due to the poor medical conditions and heavy work in Korea, hurting her health. So, leaving Severance Hospital's ministry, she served evangelism and education ministry in Pyongbuk Province. However, until she returned to Severance and retired, she devoted herself to nursing education, ministry for nurses, and

Ⅰ. 쉴즈, 주목해야할 이유
Ⅱ. 쉴즈, 연대기적인 삶의 궤적
    1. 미국에서의 삶 그리고 선교사 지원
    2. 세브란스, 선천, 세브란스
    3. 네 번의 안식년
Ⅲ. 쉴즈, 삶과 사역의 특징
    1. 정교분리적인 입장
    2. 자신의 한계에 대한 인식과 대처
    3. 소명에 대한 뚜렷한 원칙
    4. 조직과 협동의 중요성
Ⅳ. 쉴즈, 우리에게 남겨준 것들
참고문헌
Abstract
국문초록

• 권평(평택대학교, 겸임교수) | Kweon, Pyoung (Adjunct Professor, Pyeongtaek University)