Nomination window is open: ABHMS seeks candidates for five national ministry awards

VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 09/15/2025)—American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) invites nominations for five esteemed national ministry awards that recognize American Baptist chaplains, pastoral counselors, spiritual directors, and other specialized ministers who exemplify excellence in spiritual caregiving. Award recipients will be honored at the Chaplaincy & Specialized Ministry Luncheon during ABHMS’ Space for Grace & Spiritual Caregivers Conference, April 21–23, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ministry professionals who receive the following awards of merit demonstrate faithfulness in ways that reflect cultural sensitivity, generational inclusiveness, contextual relevance, and missional appropriateness.

• The Carolyn M. Piper Pastoral Counseling Merit Award recognizes faithful and effective ministry in the field of pastoral counseling.
• The Lorraine K. Potter Military Chaplaincy Merit Award celebrates faithful and effective pastoral and spiritual care in service to the United States military chaplaincy corps.
• The Paul W. Strickland Institutional Chaplaincy Merit Award commemorates faithful and effective pastoral and spiritual care in institutional settings such as hospitals, correctional facilities, colleges, hospice agencies, and the Veterans Administration.
• The American Baptist National Network of Chaplains, Pastoral Counselors, and Specialized Ministers Merit Award honors faithful and effective service in a senior leadership role as a specialized minister who equips and empowers others toward spiritual excellence.
• The John J. “Jack” Gleason Ecclesiastical Endorser Award, a newly established honor that recognizes outstanding leadership in ecclesiastical endorsement and advocacy for chaplaincy and specialized ministries.

The new Gleason award memorializes the legacy of  Rev. Dr. John (Jack) Gleason, who died February 16, 2025, at his home in Indiana, after more than five decades of ministry. Ordained in the American Baptist tradition, Gleason briefly pastored a congregation in Georgia before transitioning to chaplaincy, where he truly flourished. He provided clinical chaplaincy in multiple states and went on to found the chaplaincy department at the University of Missouri’s new Medical Center in Columbia, his alma mater. He later served as chaplain and educator at St. John’s Medical Center in Anderson, Indiana, before assuming a leadership role at American Baptist Churches USA’s denominational headquarters in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

At ABCUSA, Gleason became director of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling Services and served as an endorsing agent, guiding numerous clergy and spiritual caregivers seeking to attain and maintain certification. Even after retiring from full-time service, he continued to mentor and teach part-time. Outside denominational life, his leadership included service with the Congress on Ministry in Specialized Settings and the Missouri Chaplains Association. He also chaired the Endorsers Council for Veterans Affairs Chaplaincy, where he helped shape professional standards still used in the field today.

Gleason’s practical ministry was grounded in extensive scholarship. Although his undergraduate studies focused on business administration, he later pursued his true calling by earning a master’s degree and a doctorate in theology and ministry, respectively. He also authored 38 publications, including the influential multi-volume Pastoral Caregiver’s Casebook from Judson Press in 2015, which drew on real-life encounters to guide caregivers in their work. Through his teaching, writing, and advocacy, Gleason made a lasting impact on the ministry of spiritual care, an influence now celebrated forever through the award that bears his name.

“Dr. Jack Gleason consistently affirmed and encouraged my passion and commitment to the ongoing work and growth of the ministry of chaplaincy,” said the Rev. Dr. Patricia Murphy, ABHMS ecclesiastical endorser and director of Spiritual Caregivers and Specialized Ministries. “With this award, we honor his kindness, vision, and leadership that continue to shape the ministry of spiritual care.”

Nominations for all five awards must be submitted electronically through ABHMS’ online form. The deadline is Monday, November 17, 2025, at 5 p.m. ET. Award recipients will be notified in early 2026.

A downloadable file containing information about the awards criteria and the nomination process is available here. Or, you may contact ABHMS’ Office of the Ecclesiastical Endorser at patricia.murphy@abhms.org or 610-768-2050.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies partners with American Baptists to promote Christian faith, cultivate Christ-centered leaders and disciples, and bring healing and transformation to communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.

American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.