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Dr. George A. Langhorne on communities that
share a common commitment
Just What is COMISS?
The COMISS Network – the Network on Ministry in specialized settings – was founded as the Council on Ministry in Specialized Settings in June of 1979. The organization has been known as the Council, the Congress, the Coalition, and the Network on Ministry in Specialized Settings, or less formally, The COMISS Network.
The COMISS Network is the product of many years of interfaith cooperation in the development and delivery of pastoral services to persons in a variety of specialized ministry settings, including hospice, chaplaincies in health care facilities, correctional institutions, mental health settings, pastoral counseling, the armed forces, business settings, industrial settings, clinical pastoral education, the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces, denominations and faith groups which endorse military, civilian chaplains and pastoral counselors across the country, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Vision of the COMISS Network is to be a pre-eminent network, a collective voice for the preparation and practice of spiritual care through chaplaincy and pastoral counseling.
The Mission of COMISS Network as a network of professional organizations, institutions, and faith communities is to promote and support collaboration among its membership and is the collective voice of advocacy to a variety of constituencies on behalf of the Network. COMISS Network is a forum for dialogue and collaborative action among five distinct pastoral care and counseling communities:
1. Professional Certification Organizations, which certify professional board chaplains and pastoral counselors to perform ministry activities in specialized settings.
2. Professional Accreditation Organizations, which accredit programs to train clergy (lay people) on their way to becoming professional chaplains or pastoral counselors.
3. Religious Endorsing Bodies, which endorse professional chaplains and pastoral
counselors to perform ministry in specialized settings.
4. Professional Pastoral Care Organizations, which exist as groups of chaplains and/or other pastoral care professionals whose work focuses on ministry in specialized settings.
5. Chaplain and Pastoral Care Counselor Employing Organizations, which utilize the services of chaplains or pastoral counselors certified by one of the certifying organizations of the COMISS Network.
These five distinct communities share a common commitment to the value of religious faith/cultural differences and beliefs in the shaping of the individual and community life. In addition, they share a common will to make available appropriate ministry, counseling in specialized settings, ministry counseling characterized by the highest levels of professionalism, loving service, mutual trust, mutual support, integrity, and justice.
The COMISS Network reaffirmed its vision and mission during its annual meeting in December, 2005. The objectives of the COMISS Network are:
1. To provide a forum for dialogue among those who share a similar mission.
2. To develop shared program/resources in order to increase collaboration and reduce duplication among members.
3. To advocate regarding professionalism in standards and service in the provision of professional faith-based care and counseling.
Dr. George A Langhorne is the Director, Chaplaincy & Pastoral Counseling Services for the Board of National Ministries of the ABC, USA. A native of Richmond, VA, George was commissioned in the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps. He holds a BA from Virginia Union University, an M.Div. from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts from Pepperdine and a Doctor of Education from United States International University. He was ordained to the gospel ministry by Grayland Avenue Baptist Church in Richmond in 1965.
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