Being Called Chaplain: How I lost my name and (eventually) found my faith

by Stacy N. Sergent, Merianna Harrelson (Editor)

The story of a first year chaplain who finds herself confronted by the tragedies of life. As a chaplain she is supposed to be offering hope and healing, but what does she do if she can't find her own faith? Follow her story through her first year as a chaplain.

248 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2015

About the author

Stacy N. Sergent was born and raised in the mountains of Harlan, Kentucky. She completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, and a Master of Divinity at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, as well as five units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Carolinas Medical Center and Spartanburg Regional Medical Center. Her experience varies from English teacher to French interpreter, children’s minister to return desk cashier at Lowe’s, all of it enriching in its own way. These days she is a gardener, a blogger, a crocheter, an occasional preacher, and a hospital chaplain at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston. She makes her home just across the bridge in Mount Pleasant with her wonderful dog, Hurley, who takes her for frequent walks on the beach.

Reviews

[Anne London · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Honestly, I purchased it because the author is a relative of a former co-worker and I wanted to support her work. I ended up thoroughly blessed by reading it. It IS spiritual, it DOES contain scripture--lots of it. But the author showed great spiritual insight as she doubted/evaluated/studied/prayed/lived life/did her job.

As a nurse who now deals daily with high risk and life changing situations (and as a former hospice nurse), her real life stories of her overnight hours as chaplain were very thought provoking. I was fascinated to "see" her Chaplain thought processes as she pondered how to handle each situation individually. I greatly appreciated her realization of the signs of burnout and the importance of self care. I think those of us who work healthcare ignore ourselves far too much.

I hope to see more of her work in the future!

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fabulous! Sergent's authenticity about her struggles as a religious professional is refreshing. It's like reading Brene Brown's work on the power of vulnerability in action - and the results in the richness of her community is evident. Recommended for every person interested in spiritual care on the front lines and tired of preachers who act like they have it all together.

[Liralen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been in a pastor-memoir mood, I guess, which has led to me reading books like Pastrix and now this. In Being Called Chaplain, Sergent chronicles her first year as a hospital chaplain. She'd gone to divinity school and been ordained as a minister, not to mention completing many hours of chaplain-specific training, but once she was actually on the ground and in the thick of it, she began to realise how many uncertainties she held: not about whether she believed, but about exactly what she believed (especially in the context of her own grief) and whether she felt capable of ministering to others.

Most people have preconceived notions of whom you should be when you are a minster, and I do no fit many of those. I am a woman, for starters. I do not have a spotless record when it comes to cussing and drinking. I do not spend hours every day in prayer. I do not have the entire Bible memorized. I do not know the “right” thing to say in every situation. And despite four years of divinity school, I do not know with any kind of certainty what I believe. (loc. 85)

One of the things that appeals to me about pastor memoirs is the reminder that we're all human, regardless of profession. It can be tempting to put certain categories of profession, etc., on a pedestal of sorts, to say 'this person is a ____, so they must be ____': they must be smarter, or wiser, or they must have it all figured out; they must be kinder or more grounded or more something. But of course that's not this story. That's not most people's stories. Instead, Sergent describes doubting and grieving and seeking support of her own, and struggling with insecurity both in her personal life and her professional life, and crying over and over and over and over again.

There are a lot of ways in which I have a hard time relating to Sergent: we don't share a belief system, and tears are not really my thing, and I care a lot less what people think of me—none of which should be taken as criticism of the author! See above re: pastors and chaplains being human; I think there's a lot of value in her talking about imposter syndrome and her own feelings and emotions and so on. My point is more that we approach the world from different perspectives, and it's kind of fascinating to see someone else figure out their (different-from-mine) faith, and I wish I could have a conversation about some of these things:

His diagnosis of MS in his twenties is one of the surprising things he shared with me the first time I went to see him in his office in the midst of my own crisis of faith. It is one of the ways he learned life is not fair and maybe there are some things God cannot do. MS has shaped his theology and his daily life, especially on Mondays, like today, when he has to deal with the side effects of the weekly medication that makes the disease manageable. (loc. 3580)

In particular, here, I'm intrigued by the idea that someone has MS because 'there are some things God cannot do'. To me the question is not about what God can and cannot do: the question is about the values of prayer and of faith, and what those can do...and then, coming back to the question of can and cannot, whether (even if God is taken as an all-powerful being) we should expect that God would/should make the changes that we pray for (not just with big things like illness but also less immediately alarming things, like breakups or, I don't know, parking tickets). I'm reminded of something Michael Perry says in Coop:

By and large the prayers were poetic in simplicity in [sic] rhythm, and everything remained resolutely in the spiritual realm—overly specific requests were seen as unseemly. (Thus I was quite unprepared later in life when I overheard a prayer session among a group of young evangelicals at a local coffee shop during which a young woman quite fervently prayed, “Lord, you have got to get me out of this lease!”) (Coop, 260)

This is not about right or wrong answers or right or wrong things/ways to believe: just, religion is so interesting, guys! (Why did I drop out of divinity school before I could write a paper on this?)

[Capucine · Rating 4 out of 5]

One morning last year, I woke up with the name of the author in my head. I didn't know why. I started googling around and found this book. I'm a healer, and to see another healer of souls wrote a book, and made it publicly available via Amazon was just my luck.
I got the book right away & started reading it, avidly until I needed to stop. This week I picked it up again & it was more than perfect timing. Thank you & thank you past self for trusting and buying it!

This is great & I long for more writing by the author!