Our Mission and Vision
The Marsh Institute for Chaplains’ mission is to work collaboratively to equip, support, and advocate for chaplains serving in diverse and global settings. Our vision is "empowering chaplains worldwide."
As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, The Marsh Institute for Chaplains works collaboratively to equip, support, and advocate for chaplains serving in diverse and global settings.
The Marsh Institute for Chaplains works collaboratively to equip, support, and advocate for chaplains in diverse and global settings. We connect chaplains with organizations, institutions, ministry leaders, subject-matter experts, and people who want to support their sacred calling.
The Marsh Institute carries out this mission by:
› Collaborating bringing chaplains, seminaries, denominations, endorsing bodies, professional organizations, and ministry partners together to share expertise, reduce duplication, and address common needs.
› Equipping developing practical, high-quality educational materials, courses, books, webinars, and training resources informed by experienced chaplains and other professionals.
› Supporting strengthening chaplains through research, shared learning, professional relationships, and resources that address the challenges they encounter in ministry.
› Advocating promoting the value and work of chaplains and defending the appropriate place of chaplain ministry wherever people experience crisis, grief, trauma, conflict, or significant life transitions.
How We Do It:
The Marsh Institute builds strategic relationships with organizations and institutions that share a commitment to effective chaplaincy. Each participant retains its identity and expertise while contributing to work that none could accomplish as effectively alone.
One major expression of this work is the Chaplain Resource Network (CRN). CRN is a collaborative resource and training platform developed through the Marsh Institute with Clinical Pastoral Education International, Community Chaplain Network, Hope Thru Faith Foundation, and the public-safety and crisis-response training legacy of CAREForce. CRN provides practical, modular resources that chaplains and training organizations can use in courses, workshops, certificate programs, continuing education, and other learning settings.
The Institute is named for Dr. Gerald E. Marsh, a longtime seminary professor and military chaplain whose commitment to education, ministry, and service continues to inform its work.
Why MIC Exists
Empowering Chaplains Worldwide
The Marsh Institute for Chaplains works collaboratively to equip, support, and advocate for chaplains serving in diverse and global settings. Named after Dr. Gerald E. Marsh — lifelong seminary professor and military chaplain — the Institute builds on a foundation of faithful service and practical scholarship.
Objectives
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The Marsh Institute for Chaplains’ mission is to work collaboratively to equip, support, and advocate for chaplains in diverse and global settings. Through partnerships, its vision is to enhance the competency and effectiveness of chaplains worldwide.
The Marsh Institute for Chaplains accomplishes its mission and vision through four objectives: collaborate, equip, support, and advocate.
Collaborate
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We collaborate with seminaries, institutions, and organizations across many denominations. By forming strategic domestic and international partnerships, we leverage collective expertise and resources to enhance the training and support available to chaplains. These efforts allow us to create a robust network of educational and professional opportunities, ensuring that chaplains from all faith traditions are well-equipped to meet the needs of the communities they serve.
Equip
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Within The Marsh Institute, we plan to establish a Center of Excellence for Chaplain Resources to develop and provide cutting-edge educational resources and training materials based on research and best practices. The Marsh Institute will share this extensive repository of educational resources and support chaplaincy as an essential profession worldwide through strategic partnerships. By leveraging the expertise of many professional chaplains and organizations, this effort will serve as a hub for developing and disseminating comprehensive chaplaincy curricula.
We will make these curricula and resources widely available to seminaries and institutions worldwide that teach and train students about chaplaincy. Our desire is not to control the institutional process but to enhance chaplains’ competence. By providing access to high-quality educational resources, including master’s and doctoral-level curricula, online resources, publications, workshops, seminars, certification courses, and interactive learning tools, we will empower future chaplains with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in their roles. This effort will also address the unique challenges faced by chaplains in various environments, ensuring they are well-prepared to serve with competence and compassion, no matter where they are in the world.
Support
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We prioritize the well-being of those who serve and understand chaplaincy’s demands and emotional toll. The Marsh Institute for Chaplains creates a nurturing community through webinars, conferences, and networking where chaplains can find encouragement, share experiences, and seek guidance. Through strategic partnerships, our support will extend globally, ensuring chaplains everywhere have access to the resources they need to thrive.
Advocate/Promote
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Chaplain ministry is generally misunderstood by the public and within denominations that support chaplains. We are committed to educating the public and elevating the influential role of chaplains within broader societal and organizational contexts. This advocacy and promotion raises awareness of the importance of chaplaincy. It may also influence institutional decisions, promote viability, and secure resources that enable chaplains to perform their duties effectively. Combining our voices with others will help chaplains receive the recognition and support they deserve domestically and internationally.
"We connect those who want to bring God's light to dark and chaotic places."
Dr. Jim Browning — Executive Director, Marsh Institute for Chaplains
Why is this organization needed? Too many institutions work in their own ‘stovepipes’ with limited resources and insufficient capacity to meet the growing demand for highly skilled chaplains. They keep reinventing the same wheel and fail to learn from one another. Military, health care, and prison chaplaincies have professional agencies that set standards and monitor career development. However, these systems do not dialog with each other. Denominational endorsing agents give similar supervision and provide opportunities for chaplains from different agencies to dialog with each other. But, these forums are informal, occasional, and usually confined to single faith groups. Few of these professional or denominational agencies are directly linked to the academic institutions responsible for the initial academic training of ministers preparing for chaplaincy. This leads to a dichotomy between academics and praxis. Seminaries get insufficient feedback from the field to update classes and ensure they are practically relevant; field agencies employing chaplains become more pragmatic but less scholarly.
Additionally, anecdotal evidence indicates a growing demand for more competent, better-trained chaplains. This demand is substantial enough that more seminaries are responding. However, most lack the breadth and depth of resources to do more than offer an introductory course. Furthermore, chaplains in many countries outside the U.S. and the United Kingdom have limited access to adequate resources. While organizations work independently to meet this need, few collaborative efforts across denominational or organizational lines meet this need synergistically.
We can do more by working together than apart.
Your Gift Equips the Front Lines
Every dollar goes directly to training, resources, and support for chaplains who serve in hospitals, prisons, military settings, court systems, and communities around the world. Compassionate people like you are leaving an enduring legacy.
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