Profiles in African-American Chaplaincy

Rev. Charles Lattimore Howard

University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity and Community, University of Pennsylvania

Field of chaplaincy: Higher education

• Over his more than quarter-century at Penn, Rev. Howard and his team have worked to curate a dynamic spiritual and religious community on and around campus. In addition to his responsibilities as chaplain, Chaz has provided leadership to a range of campus initiatives and taught in Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Education. In 2020, he was invited to assume an additional role at Penn as the inaugural Vice President for Social Equity and Community.
• His writing has been featured in such publications as Sojourners Magazine, Daily Good, Christianity Today’s Leadership Journal, Chronicle of Higher Education, The Huffington Post, The Christian Century, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Forward, Democratic Left, and Slate. He is the author of five books including most recently Pond River Ocean Rain and The Bottom: A Theopoetic of the Streets. He shares life with his beloved wife, Dr. Lia C. Howard and their three daughters

How did you come to your work as a chaplain?

CH: It’s difficult to capture one’s vocational journey in just a few sentences and do it justice. There are so many individuals that have played a role in my journey and so many moments, conversations, miracles and mistakes along the way. Yet, as someone who loves reading biographies and hearing about the walks that others have taken, I’ll offer a brief glimpse here.

It wasn’t until the end of college that I clearly discerned a calling into ministry. I had no idea what kind of ministry or what context(s) I would serve in. I just knew that seminary was the next right step. Towards the end of my time at Andover Newton I realized that I felt pulled towards serving in chaplaincy, thus I took on a role as a hospital chaplain and then as a hospice chaplain. These were deeply fulfilling and yet very heavy roles.

I’ve always loved learning and being in educational spaces, so I enrolled in a doctoral program in theology. My studies and ultimately my dissertation focused on Black Liberation Theology. The first two years of my doctoral work found me poorly attempting to balance my vocation as a chaplain serving in hospice, my academic studies, and being present with my young family. There were days where I stood bed side offering last rites to someone going on to glory and then would speed over to campus to make it on time for a class. And after all of that make it home in time to read to my youngest before bed. It was a lot.

The chaplain at Penn at that time was a brilliant man and mentor of mine named William Gipson. William was looking for an associate chaplain and inquired about my interest. It was truly a timely opportunity as it gave me the flexibility and mental room to finish my academic work. This was meant to be a temporary stop as I was exploring positions as a theology professor. But God…

I ended up having a profound dream one night. I was walking through an outdoor market in Ghana. I was trying on different shirts. None of them fit.

One was too small, one was too large. I finally arrived at a booth that was selling a shirt with the symbol Gye Nyame on it – the sign means “(Fear) None but God.” As I put the shirt on, the person who handed it to me said, “You are going to be the next chaplain at Penn!”

I woke up, went to work and William told me he was taking a new position on campus and that I should consider putting my hat in the ring to be his successor. Long story short, our president gave me a shot.

After that dream, something changed in my heart. It went from being a job to a vocation calling. The people I worked with changed from just students and colleagues to individuals whom I cared deeply for – my congregation. It’s been a wonderful journey and I remain very grateful to God and to my university.

How would, or do, you advise people of color considering entering spiritual care or chaplaincy?

CH: I can’t help but smile at thinking about future chaplains, deans, and campus ministers of color. What a blessing you will be! There are so many paths that lead to this call within the call that I’ve learned to tread very careful when offering advice. So I’ll simply say this. Keep going. The path is laid out before you. Just keep walking it. Focus more on ministering where you are and to the folks who are around you right now – as opposed to being overly focused on possible destinations. Be faithful with the small things, the small assignments, the committees, the invitations to offer brief prayers, preach in small settings. Gardens grow, but give them time. And be sure to reach out to folks who’ve been doing this for a while. Listen to their stories. Adopt mentors. And never underestimate the impact you can have in this field. You can change lives, institutions, and beyond.