The Rev. Dick Cathell and The Rev. Russell Myers on the role of advocacy in endorsement

Endorsement and Certification in an Age of Pluralism

Diversity has been the topic of a fair amount of discussion recently. Perhaps these are “growing pains” as professional chaplaincy matures from the narrower focus of the past to a broader, more inclusive approach to spiritual care. We are also living in a time of change, as North American society becomes increasingly pluralistic, including areas of the country without much experience with diversity.

In that context, we’ve had dialogue about chaplains’ responses to a code of ethics that prohibits proselytizing, we’ve heard painful stories about CPE experiences, and we’ve been challenged to reflect theologically about what it means to maintain our own integrity as people of faith while ministering in a multifaith setting. Into that mix we now add another element: individual chaplains who are committed to respecting diversity but whose congregations/denominations do not support that view.

Case study: Chaplain Abraham is a member of a congregation that has recently adopted a “welcoming, affirming, inclusive” mission statement. This congregation is part of a denomination/faith community that does not support the ideals of such a mission statement. The denomination informs the congregation that the mission statement is inconsistent with their beliefs, and puts the congregation on probation. Chaplain Abraham’s endorsement as a chaplain comes from the denomination. If the congregation is removed from membership in the denomination, the chaplain’s certification may be dropped, affecting her/his standing as a chaplain.

What options does this chaplain have?
•      Leave the congregation and join another congregation of the same denomination.
•      Leave the denomination and seek membership and endorsement in another denomination.
•      If the congregation becomes independent, the congregation could function as the endorsing agency.

What is the role of professional chaplaincy in advocating for Chaplain Abraham?

Advocacy responds:

Advocacy is not the same as endorsement or certification. Endorsement is done by faith communities and is a part of the certification process. It is distinct from certification, which is done by the professional associations.

The role of Advocacy in this scenario is to provide support, collegiality, networking, guidance and comfort. In terms of direct intervention, this is an example of a situation that Advocacy would not be involved in. The reason is because religious affiliation and alignment is a personal, heart decision. We provide pastoral care to the chaplain, but do not take an advocacy stance on what is, essentially, an individual matter. When situations like this one arise, in which there are no questions about competence or ethics violations, we support the ACPE Ecclesiastical Endorsement Conflict Resolution Policy. That policy expresses the desire “both to respect the faith group processes and to recognize the dignity and worth of persons who may be temporarily unable to satisfy conditions for ecclesiastical endorsement in a particular faith group.”

The Rev. Russell Myers, D.Min., BCC has been a chaplain at United Hospital, St. Paul, MN since 1993. He is ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He is a co-author of "Providing Spiritual Care to Cardiac Patients: Assessment and Implications for Practice" published in Critical Care Nurse, Vol. 20, No. 4, August 2000. He is also the APC State Advocacy chair for Minnesota. Russ is co-author of a letter to the editor in Critical Care Nurse, addressing the spiritual and emotional Needs of bariatric patients. It is online at: http://www.aacn.org/AACN/jrnlccn.nsf/Files/LettersOct04/$file/Letters to the Editor10_04.pdf. The original article it can be found at: http://www.aacn.org/AACN/jrnlccn.nsf/Files/Wilmoth8_04/$file/Wilmoth8_04.pdf

Do you have thoughts about advocacy you’d like to share with your colleagues? Send an e-mail to info@PlainViews.org.