Marsh Institute for Chaplains launched

Organizers announced the formation and launch of The Marsh Institute for Chaplains, a nonprofit organization dedicated to collaborating, equipping, supporting and advocating for chaplains in diverse settings.

The Marsh Institute builds on five and a half years of work of the Gerald E. Marsh Center for Chaplain Studies, a chaplain-focused endeavor of B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary.

“The Marsh Institute marks a transformative step in our mission,” said Jim Browning, a career military chaplain and co-founder of the Marsh Center for Chaplain Studies.

“It all started with the simple idea that we can do more to enhance a chaplain’s ministry by working together than apart. By establishing this new nonprofit organization focused entirely on enhancing the diverse ministry of chaplains through collaborative engagements with chaplains, institutions, organizations and seminaries, we achieve synergy in our combined efforts.”

As the Marsh Institute’s director and chairman of the board, Browning added, “Our response to God’s sacred calling to care and support people from all walks of life anchors this work.”

Demands for qualified and effective chaplains are growing in the United States and globally, organizers said. But they are concerned the equipping and training pieces often lag behind the demand for more chaplains.

Find ways to collaborate

The Marsh Institute’s vision is to enhance the competency and effectiveness of chaplains by working alongside partners. By leveraging this synergy, the Marsh Institute can strengthen the effectiveness of chaplains through shared curriculum development, research of chaplain-related issues, and public advocacy of chaplains and their ministries, Browning said.

“Many wonderful chaplain organizations exist with amazing operations, but they often operate independently with each other,” he said. “When we find ways to collaborate on issues affecting chaplains and their ministries, we learn so much from each other. Additionally, we will then leverage limited resources by not ‘reinventing the wheel.’”

Jim Spivey, a founding fellow of the B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary and Marsh Center for Chaplain Studies, joins in the launch of the new Marsh Institute.

Spivey, a retired military chaplain and long-time educator, said too many institutions work with limited resources and insufficient capacity to meet the growing demand for highly skilled chaplains.

“Seminaries are responding, but most lack the resources to offer more than an introductory course,” Spivey said. “For instance, by developing and making curriculum widely available to seminaries, we strengthen a stronger foundation for the role and function of chaplains in every setting.”

Carroll Seminary will continue to train chaplains

B.H. Carroll Theological Seminary at East Texas Baptist University will continue to offer chaplaincy training through its Master of Divinity in Chaplaincy program and its Master of Arts in Christian Ministry degree with a chaplaincy specialization, said Gene Wilkes, dean of the seminary.

“I am grateful for the partnership we have shared with the Marsh Center, and I look forward to opportunities to equip chaplains with Drs. Browning and Spivey and the Marsh Institute,” Wilkes said.

Named after a former seminary professor and chaplain Gerald E. Marsh, the Marsh Institute honors his long legacy of dedication and service as an educator and chaplain, organizers noted.

In conjunction with the Institute’s launch, organizers announced the second edition release of The Heart of a Chaplain: Exploring Essentials for Ministry.

Initially released in 2022, the second edition adds several new chapters, reflection questions, case studies, and a more global perspective of chaplaincy. It will be available online and through The Marsh Institute for Chaplains in the spring.