The Rev. Dr. Jeffery T. Garland on thinking differently about one’s call

The Value of Research That Leads to an Advanced Degree

After completing my Master of Divinity degree at New York Theological Seminary in 1998, I thought that I was finished with the formal classroom setting and actually did not think I would desire to enter a doctorate program. My denomination requires a master of divinity degree in partial fulfillment in order to become ordained. The doctor of ministry degree was something I completed for myself and my ministry. I sensed a need to think differently about my calling and approach to ministry especially because it does not involve being a pastor of a church at this time. My passion and calling in ministry is in the area of hospice and palliative chaplaincy.

As an African American male, my clergy peers have difficulty understanding exactly what I do. Is it possible to perform God’s will at the bedside of a terminally ill patient as their loved ones stand by? Can I feel like I am doing God’s work without wearing a robe or standing behind a pulpit? Not only is the answer yes to all of the above, but it can also be researched and documented as a Doctor of Ministry project.

My ministry in hospice and palliative care began in 1996 when I took clinical pastoral education units at The Healthcare Chaplaincy in New York City. During the next three years I was exposed to a type of ministry outside of the church and one that seems very private at times. Chaplaincy training exposed me to my weaknesses and the weaknesses of those with whom I would later come into contact. After completing the four units of CPE, I chose to go before a board of my colleagues to become a board certified chaplain, a BCC. Looking back I believe going before the Association of Professional Chaplains certifying board for approval taught me a new understanding of what it feels like to be vulnerable and to listen to constructive criticism.

It was at the Theological School of Drew University that I tested my pastoral leadership skills and completed a professional doctoral project and thesis. My dissertation is entitled Hospice and Palliative Care: Educating an African American Community in Newark, New Jersey. My research involved establishing a “Covenant of Churches” with six pastors in Newark, New Jersey communities that had various membership sizes. I explained to the pastors the philosophy of hospice and palliative care and the need to educate African American congregations about end-of-life care issues.

The second stage of my project involved visiting each of the six churches and conducting a six-to-eight hour seminar which included lectures from a medical physician, licensed social worker and a trained volunteer. At the end of each seminar a questionnaire was handed out and feedback was recorded. Lastly, I took the information that was gathered and presented the results to the president & CEO and the executive staff at Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Center. It was my theory that not only the African Americans of Newark, New Jersey needed to be educated, but predominantly corporate white institutions also needed to be educated about the ethos of the communities in which they/we serve.

After numerous revisions and editing, my dissertation passed and I graduated from Drew University in 2004. My project findings and result were submitted to the American Hospital Association 2004 Circle of Life Award committee for innovative projects and it won the Citation of Honor Award.

I strongly encourage all pastoral leaders who are doing great things in ministry to document their research and project thesis. I never considered myself a great writer or great theologian, but I know that God has given me a passion to care for those who are dying. It was my passion for chaplaincy that sustained me through it all and if you have that passion it will do the same for you.

The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey T. Garland, B.C.C., a member of the PlainViews Advisory Board, is staff chaplain at the St. Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center in Millburn, New Jersey, and chairs the multicultural/multiethnic committee of the Association for Professional Chaplains. He received his doctorate at the Theological School at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, writing a thesis entitled Hospice and Palliative Care: Educating an African American Community in Newark, New Jersey. Chaplain Garland served for five years as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 1994 he resigned from law enforcement and answered his call to ministry by enrolling full-time at New York Theological Seminary, completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education and received a master of divinity degree in 1998. He also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in healthcare administration from Nova University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, his native state. Chaplain Garland is an ordained minister with the American Baptist Churches, U.S.A.

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