Sparking Practical Innovation in Spiritual Care

The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab (CIL) launched in October 2018 to bring chaplains, theological educators, clinical educators and social scientists into conversation about the work of chaplaincy and spiritual care.

As religious and spiritual life continues to change, the CIL sparks practical innovations that enable chaplains to nurture the spirits of those they serve and reduce human suffering. Our work is shaped by four central commitments maintained by all who are connected to CIL. Learn more about our principles here.

Chaplaincy Innovation Lab is housed at Sacred Design Lab, a project of Tides Center.

We value
learning together

All
are welcome

We respect
differences

We are
research-driven

What people are saying

Upcoming Webinars

Nones Don’t Exist: The Perils of Labeling and the Reality of Non-Religious Diversity

Date: October 23, 2025

Join the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab and Chaplain Ben Iten, ACPE Certified Educator at OhioHealth and Vice President / Chair of the Chaplain Committee of The Humanist Society, for a conversation on the deep nuance often concealed by terms like “Nones,” “Unaffiliated,” and “Nonreligious.”

Spiritual Care for Those with Dementia

Date: November 6, 2025

Join the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab and chaplain Lynn Casteel Harper for a conversation on providing spiritual care for those with dementia and other cognitive diagnoses.

Navigating Climate Spiritual Care: A Learning Community

Start date: November 10, 2025

End date: April 6, 2026

We are living in times of intersecting calamities, with the climate crisis adding increased instability, uncertainty, and suffering to systemic injustices including racism, inadequate healthcare, poverty, disenfranchisement, homelessness, war, the oppression of LGBTQIA+ communities — and more. No longer can those of us who offer spiritual care avoid the impacts of the climate crisis and…

eBooks, Resources, & Inspiration for Chaplains!

The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab offers subscribers eBooks on a growing variety of topics. If there are topics or ideas you’d like to see explored in an eBook, please reach out. All of these eBooks are created by Lab staff, partners, supporters, and experts in their field. Get yours HERE!

chaplains eBook collage 5 samples