Climate Conscious Chaplaincy Initiative

Program & Host Organization

The Climate Conscious Chaplaincy Initiative is offered by The BTS Center, a not-for-profit, research, and educational organization. The program equips chaplains and spiritual care providers to respond to the emotional, spiritual, and communal impacts of living in a climate-changed world.

Location & Scope

The initiative operates virtually and reaches participants in Canada, the United States, and other countries. Programs run during the fall, winter, and spring and bring together both local and international cohorts.

Who It Serves

The initiative serves adults who provide spiritual care in congregations, hospitals, prisons, universities, hospice settings, and community organizations. Participants include clergy, chaplains, lay leaders, and spiritual directors.

Climate & Mental Health Focus

The program addresses climate-related grief, trauma, moral injury, and loss of meaning, recognizing the climate crisis as both a material and spiritual disruption. It responds to the increasing emotional and existential strain experienced by individuals and communities facing continuous climate impacts.

Activities & Format

Activities are delivered online through 1.5-hour sessions. Programming includes one-time events and multi-month cohorts that meet every other week for six months. Core offerings include Conversation Circles guided by trained facilitators and a learning community focused on climate-related spiritual care. Sessions incorporate dialogue, guest speakers, reflective exercises, and exploration of pastoral and spiritual care practices.

Inclusion & Accessibility

Details not provided.

Outcomes & Evidence

The initiative aims to deepen practitioners’ understanding of climate impacts, strengthen their capacity to provide spiritual care, and support the development of climate-aware chaplaincy practices. Programs are evaluated through participant feedback and attendance tracking, with CEUs offered as needed. Evidence draws on established spiritual care frameworks and emerging scholarship on ecological grief and climate trauma.

Guiding Principles

The program aligns with emotional processing, social connection, emotional resilience, climate justice, trauma-informed care, community-led adaptation, and collective responsibility by framing climate response as a shared spiritual and communal task.

Resources & Sustainability

The initiative is supported through foundation funding, program fees, and donations. A small staff team leads the work, alongside contracted facilitators and administrative support.

Team & Partners

Programming is co-facilitated by consultants and guided by an advisory group with expertise in chaplaincy and climate-focused spiritual care. The initiative partners with the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab to deliver events and learning communities.

Challenges & Context

The initiative operates against the backdrop of escalating climate disruption and widespread spiritual and emotional distress. External factors such as institutional support and broader societal readiness influence implementation.