New Clinical Ministry Degree Seeks to Serve Those Called to Become Chaplains

Chaplains are an integral part of the healing process.

They are with patients and families at their most vulnerable moments, and health-care organizations in the United States are in profound need of board-certified chaplains. To meet this need, AdventHealth University will begin offering a Master of Arts in Clinical Ministry degree in fall 2026.

“We are pleased to be able to meet the needs of hospitals, hospices, and other care environments by offering this clinical ministry degree and look forward to developing students equipped to address the spiritual, emotional, and ethical needs of patients and their loved ones,” said C. Josef Ghosn, president of AdventHealth University. “This is one of many ways AdventHealth University continues its commitment to playing a vital role in the health-care workforce pipeline.”

The graduate degree program, which is 100 percent online, is grounded in theology, ethics, and psychology. Courses include Grief and Loss, Narrative Counseling, and World Religions. The clinical ministry degree equips students with foundational competencies for spiritual-care practice and can serve as an academic bridge for those who plan to go on to pursue certification through organizations such as the Board of Certified Chaplains, Inc.

As with other health-care professions, hospital chaplaincy is experiencing a shortage. Currently there are approximately 20,000 professional health-care chaplains in the United States, and projections show that number shrinking by 10 percent by 2030, according to Chaplaincy Innovation Lab.

This shortage comes at a time that research continues to highlight the potential impact that chaplains have on patient experience, family well-being, and even clinical outcomes. Chaplains can help during end-of-life discussions, bring peace to an anxious patient, and offer solace to a parent or child receiving a difficult diagnosis.

“Chaplains play such a vital role in whole-person care,” said Ramona Reynolds, vice president of ministry education and spiritual integration strategy and research for AdventHealth. “Countless AdventHealth patients and their families have been aided and supported by chaplains in ways that statistics can’t fully capture. Hope and healing can be defined in so many ways.”

Eight faculty members will be dedicated to this clinical ministry degree.

“This degree is unique, set apart from a theology or pastoral degree,” said Andy Lampkin, professor and chair of AdventHealth University’s Department of Religion and Spiritual Care. “At AdventHealth University we want to help nurture the next generation of chaplains who will display ethical discernment and spiritual sensitivity and an informed respect for diverse beliefs.”

Professionals in the fields of social work, mental health, public health, or pastoral care as well as volunteers in church or health care may find this degree fulfilling and convenient to complete in as little as four trimesters, school leaders said.

The original version of this story was posted on the AdventHealth news site.