Educator profile: Mike Langston
Rev. Dr. Langston joined the faculty of Columbia International University’s Seminary & School of Ministry in 2011 and has taught Chaplain Ministries since then. Before coming to Columbia, he served as pastor of a congregation in North Carolina, law enforcement chaplain, and United States Navy chaplain. He is also a graduate of the Naval War College.
Q: What most excites you about the field of chaplaincy?
A: What I find in chaplaincy that excites me is being able to be present with the men and women we are called to serve. The chaplain is there amongst the people and can build relationships on a daily basis and they begin to invite you into the holy places of their lives. We know we’re not God: the Holy Spirit has been there long before we arrive, but when we arrive we remind them that God is present. When we show up, turmoil can turn to peace. The words change, the actions change, the facial expressions go from crisis to a little more relaxed and peace oriented. It excites me that I can be a transformational agent instituting changes as God incarnationally works through me.
Q: What do you consider to be the most important skills to cultivate in future chaplains?
A: The two major skills I try to start developing are good empathic listening techniques and understanding empathy – not just compassion but empathy. Coming out of ACPE, they have set a standard of 39 competencies for chaplains. I have taken those and interwoven those through all of our chaplaincy courses. The two that I want studentsto master immediately are empathic listening, empathy itself, and how it plays into pastoral care. For a Christian working with a non-Christian in pastoral care, the most important thing is for them to know that you care. I use three words: care, comfort, and service. I don’t need to use “God words,” I can sit with them, care for them, and provide comfort.
Q: How can we prepare chaplains to minister to those who have experienced trauma? And how do we prepare chaplains to cope with the impacts of their own traumatic experiences?
A: I think the first thing we need to teach chaplains is how to build self-care as part of their skillset. I think most chaplains have this innate desire in them to care, comfort, and serve. Sometimes things happen in life and if we are not careful we can give and give and give until there is nothing left. We then become traumatized and inefficient of our own providing. I teach that we need to stay connected to those things that refresh us. Scripture, prayer, meditation, journaling — doing the things that keep us on the forefront of our own faith journey. And then how do you care for others in traumatic situations? As a military chaplain in three war zones, I was diagnosed with moderate to severe PTSD. Men and women go to war zones not thinking they are going to be traumatized by what they see, do, and smell. In pastoral care and counseling there are some modalities that can be helpful, I work a lot with CBT [cognitive behavioral therapy]. And instead of using the word “disorder” I use the word “injury” because it has the connotation that there is a wound and that wound can be healed. You were injured, now let’s find out how we can address that injury so you can come to a place of healing.
Q: How do you see the pandemic changing the work of chaplains?
A: This pandemic has created distance. We have to look for new paradigms. While I can’t walk into a room and be present physically, how can I do that with technology that creates presence? There is a little more distance, we need to keep a six feet social distance, masks, no handshaking, and we’re not as open to engage people. That’s not too good when you are talking about a calling that really requires a relationship. But there’s Zoom, Skype, Facebook, texting, cell phones, FaceTime, all of those things: If we can get ourselves in front of people so they can see our facial expressions, we can create a relationship. I think we still have the opportunity to do what we could do in person.
Q: What role do you see for chaplains in responding to racism and police brutality? How can we prepare chaplains to do that work?
A: I think that is one of the most powerful questions you can ask. I can harken back to the fact that chaplains are bearers of the presence of God. I think also the chaplain has to model for the community what is holy, right, and just. They can do that in many ways but the Christian chaplain has to be grounded in Christian ethics. How does that look in application? When they are amongst the people, the people are watching and will imitate. Riding with sheriff deputies, we don’t talk about ethics, but they’ll ask, “what would you do if…?” It’s how you train yourself in terms of attitude. Do you really respect the person you’re enforcing the rules with? The person speeding, or the person abusive to their wife, the person who hurt someone. Do you need to use the most violent means? What if you used the least amount of force? We have to be very purposeful about what we are teaching and saying. If you do it right you will have impacted them and they will model after you.
Rachel Payne is a student in the MDiv program at Boston University School of Theology and Project Assistant for the Educating Effective Chaplains project.