The Chaplaincy Institute for Arts and Interfaith Ministries (or ChI, pron. "Chee"), is an expansive and embracing Interfaith context in which to fulfill a calling to spiritual service. Students are encouraged to find their unique pathways to communication with the Divine in all aspects of life—and in so doing, to define their personal call to ministry and chaplaincy.
ChI is an inclusive seminary experience for body, heart, mind and spirit. It was launched by clergy who saw a need for deeper Interfaith dialogue, and for building bridges of understanding across religious divides to bring peace and understanding to today's world. Rev. Gina Rose Halpern, D.Min., Rev. Jeremy Taylor, D.Min., and Rabbi Michael Ziegler shared a vision for an inclusive Interfaith seminary; The Chaplaincy Institute was the fruit of that vision. Founded by Rev. Dr. Halpern in 1999, ChI's curriculum reflects and responds to the changing climate of religious and spiritual life within the United States, as documented by The Pluralism Project of Harvard Divinity School. (See Diana L. Eck, A New Religious America: How A “Christian Country” Has Become the World’s Most Religiously Diverse Nation, 1997.)
The development of ChI's Interfaith Ordination Program has been further informed by statistics from sources such as the National Survey of Religious Identification, (NSRI), the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), and the USA Today/Gallup Poll 2002, which recognized that “almost half of American adults appear to be alienated from organized religion. If current trends continue, most adults will not call themselves religious within a few years.” Some striking statistics from the study:
• About 33% described themselves "spiritual but not religious"
• About 10% regarded themselves as “neither spiritual nor religious.”
Recognizing the need for religiously and spiritually inclusive educational and theological programs that prepare clergy to serve people of all faith traditions as well as those of no faith tradition, The Chaplaincy Institute for Arts and Interfaith Ministries / The Interfaith Congregation for Creative and Healing Ministries was founded by clergy who had a vision of Interfaith learning and service, promoting peace and understanding for our world today.
Founding clergy of The Chaplaincy Institute include representatives of mainstream religions and denominations, such as Rev. Jeremy Taylor, D.Min. (Unitarian); Rev. Nancy McKay, M.Div. (United Church of Christ); Rev. Jurgen Schwing, M.Div. (United Church of Christ); Rabbi Michael Zeigler, D.Min.; Rev. Gina Rose Halpern, D.Min., Interfaith Minister; and Rev. John Mabry, Ph.D., Old Catholic.
The Chaplaincy Institute's core faculty hold degrees from: Holy Names University of Oakland, California; Pacific School of Religion (a member of The Graduate Theological Union of Berkeley, California); California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, California; and Fuller Theological Seminary of Pasadena, California. ChI's Director of Spiritual and Pastoral Care, Rev. Jurgen Schwing, is a Board Certified Chaplain through The Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) and is Spiritual Care Manager of the Diablo Service Area of Kaiser Permanente.
The Chaplaincy Institute is a religious non-profit organization and Interfaith seminary, one entity with two parts: The Chaplaincy Institute for Arts and Interfaith Ministries (an Interfaith seminary) and The Interfaith Congregation for Creative and Healing Ministries. ChI provides thirty-nine (39) units of graduate level theological and pastoral education. Students are eligible for Ordination after successfully completing all of their study modules, practicum and other requirements. Seminary students receive a certificate of completion from The Chaplaincy Institute upon completion of all modules and other requirements.
Following a process of self-evaluation, faculty assessment, and spiritual discernment, seminarians are ordained to Interfaith ministry and chaplaincy by The Interfaith Congregation for Creative and Healing Ministries.
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To read bios of ChI's Core Faculty and Adjunct Faculty, click here and here.
