LCC chaplain receives doctorate

CANADA – Maj. Rev. Dr. Vic Morris, a Lutheran Church–Canada chaplain serving with the Canadian Armed Forces, has successfully defended his doctoral thesis and is graduating with a doctorate from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.

Maj. Morris serves as Senior Chaplain at the 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters. His thesis for the Doctor of Ministry program was entitled “Preparing Spiritually Resilient Warriors in the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM).” 

“The Canadian Armed Forces has outcomes and expectations for warriors to be spiritually resilient but does not have a training program that has been researched, tested, and validated to achieve this,” Maj. Morris explains. “This study investigates how chaplains can prepare spiritually resilient warriors in CANSOFCOM. A chaplain-led spiritual resilience course was created and delivered to CANSOFCOM members.”

“The course was aligned with the holistic wellness strategy of the command, and designed as an inductive, experiential learning experience,” Maj. Morris continues. “An active research model was employed, with focus group participants helping to shape the content and delivery. A mixed mode research methodology was used to measure the effectiveness of the training; quantitative surveys were conducted after each learning module, and qualitative interviews were conducted with each participant following the course. The analysis has shown an increase in understanding and a strengthening of spiritual resilience. I conclude that a chaplain led spiritual resilience course is an effective way to increase the spiritual resilience of warriors in CANSOFCOM.”

Maj. Morris was commissioned as a full-time chaplain with the Regular Force in 2012, after previously serving eight years as a chaplain with the Reserve Force.

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Learn more about LCC’s Canadian Forces Chaplaincy Here.

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