With solemn prayers, passionate hymns, and a compelling charge to “finish the course with joy,” the Fourth Adventist Chaplaincy World Congress officially opened on Monday, June 30, under the theme “A Chaplain’s Response in a World of Crises.” Held in St. Louis, Missouri, the global gathering brought together 482 registered Seventh-day Adventist chaplains and 125 spouses to reflect on four decades of chaplaincy ministry and to address the urgent spiritual needs of a world in turmoil.
Inspiration From a Heartfelt Vision
In his opening presentation Ivan Omaña, director of Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries (ACM) at the General Conference (GC), established the event’s deep spiritual tone, calling the attendees’ attention to growth and steadfastness. “I want you to hear me say this to you, my dear leaders,” he began. “Your leadership, your dedication, your tirelessness, and your advocacy as chaplains and ministers have made this global gathering possible. The growth of this ministry over the past four decades is because of your mentoring and your belief in our chaplain ministry. Your partnerships have been the backbone of our collective mission.”
He then turned to the pressing realities facing the global community. “We gather at a moment in history when wars rage, political divisions deepen, economic uncertainty looms, and personal suffering intensifies, from refugee camps in the Middle East to overcrowded emergency rooms, from correctional institutions to university campuses. Crisis is no longer the exception. It is the norm. And into this storm, my dear chaplains, God has called you and me to be His living presence,” he said.
Omaña emphasized that chaplains serve as God’s incarnational response to crisis. “The world is aching,” he said. “And into this storm God has called you and me to be His living presence, not just pastors behind pulpits, but ministers who walk hospital corridors, patrol prison yards, and counsel traumatized survivors.”
He called chaplains to serve with competence, commitment, and compassion, drawing inspiration from Scripture and the sacrificial service of early Adventist pioneers.
“Chaplains are the professional arm of ministry that will carry the church through the end-times,” Omaña said. “We are the church deployed.”
“None of These Things Move Me”
The evening featured a devotional speaker, Chaplain (Brigadier General) Andrew Harewood, who delivered a message based on Acts 20, centered on the theme “One Mission, One Ministry, One Message.”
Reflecting on more than 30 years of military chaplaincy, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Harewood testified to the importance of faith, resilience, and spiritual leadership.
“Paul said, ‘None of these things move me’ [Acts 20:24]. And that has to be our attitude today,” Harewood said. “Chaplains must lead from the soul, preaching always, but using words only when necessary.”
He challenged attendees to reject passivity and embrace spiritual courage. “Leadership is being before doing,” he declared. “Don’t fight the crows; just keep soaring.”
Harewood concluded with a call that resonated deeply with the congregation. “We’ve got to be healed before we can heal.”
In the Inter-American Division
Every division of the world church has a particular approach and state of development of its chaplain workforce, leaders explained. “We have 125 registered individuals from the [Inter-American Division] who are at this congress,” reported Hiram Ruiz, Inter-American Division (IAD) Chaplaincy Ministries director and an endorsed chaplain under ACM. “This total includes both delegates and participating chaplains.”
Ruiz added that the IAD boasts a well-established chaplaincy program, with more than 280 chaplains participating in Clinical and Educational Pastoral Education training. “The role of the chaplain has been reaffirmed not only within institutions but also in government sectors across the IAD,” Ruiz said. “For example, in Colombia and Jamaica respectively, one Adventist chaplain serves in the Secretariat, another in a non-Adventist hospital institution.”
Of the 35 presenters at the Fourth World Chaplaincy Congress, six presenters were from the IAD, Ruiz reported.
Spouses Included for the First Time
For the first time, chaplains’ spouses participated in the World Chaplaincy Congress. A special program honored their role in ministry support, including an outreach project on July 1, at Agape Seventh-day Adventist Church, where they distributed essential supplies to tornado-affected residents.
“We wore our blue shirts and comfortable shoes, rolled up our sleeves, and were the hands of Jesus,” said Debra Anderson, wife of retired U.S. Navy chaplain Paul Anderson.
Joyce Johnson, wife of Washington Johnson, Chaplaincy Ministries director for the North American Division, held a seminar to support chaplain families emotionally and spiritually.
The World Chaplaincy Congress also featured worship services, professionaldevelopment sessions focusing on Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), trauma care, military ethics, and crisis response. These include new CPE initiatives in French- and Portuguese-speaking territories, and testimony and networking events that highlight the expanding reach of Adventist chaplaincy, organizers reported.
Seventh-day Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries began in 1985 with just seven officially endorsed chaplains, launched by the GC under the leadership of Charles D. Martin, according to GC sources. “What started as a modest effort to provide spiritual care in military, health care, correctional, and educational settings has grown into a worldwide ministry,” it reads. “Today hundreds of trained, endorsed chaplains serve across all global divisions, offering compassionate, professional support wherever crisis and mission meet.”