Responding to Campus Crisis: Equipping College Chaplains Through Theological Education

ABSTRACT Campus chaplains can provide essential support for students as they learn to navigate life in and through this pandemic. However, if chaplains are to successfully confront the oncoming mental health catastrophe on college campuses, theological educators must prepare and equip them to meet this moment. There are three primary tasks theological education must address in their formation of chaplains for higher education: (1) Chaplaincy concentrations and tracks must address the contextual needs for those entering higher education and must include a clear vision of their role as existential guides and public theologians. (2) Theological educators must critically examine the ways in which Christian hegemony and white supremacy continue to inform and shape the logic of theological education and work to dismantle barriers to access for diverse communities. (3) Theological schools must forge creative, interdisciplinary collaborations that leverage the research and best practices honed by scholars outside of theological education.