Historical Connections

Granger Westberg, parish pastor, hospital chaplain, seminary and medical school professor, CPE supervisor, author and educator; is considered the pioneer of the Parish Nurse movement. Westberg had a comprehensive understanding of faith and practice that enabled him to envision a new role for nurses. His vision led to the establishment of the Parish Nurse Resource Center at Lutheran General in Park Ridge, Illinois.

The national Health Ministries Association (HMA) was formed as a related but separate entity of the Parish Nurse Resource Center. HMA defines itself as a membership organization of persons “bonded together in the faith/health ministry movement” dedicated to “networking, educating, supporting and sharing a myriad of faith/Health Ministries.” For more information about the Health Ministries Association, click here.

Why is the Oates Institute involved in Health Ministries? The concept and practice of Health Ministries powerfully intersects with the mission of the Wayne E. Oates Institute. As an interdisciplinary learning community the Oates Institute is committed to advancing care of the whole person. We believe that healing ultimately occurs when there is a healthy relationship with one’s self, others, creation and God as the source of divine love.

The Oates Institute’s mission is built on the tradition of Wayne E. Oates. Out of his experience as a “wounded healer,” Dr. Oates had a tremendous capacity to empathize with others. Fully human, and aware of what it meant to experience chronic pain, depression, loneliness, abandonment, rage, anger and anxiety, Wayne Oates developed a life-giving capacity to sit with others and be present to the feelings of another. In his autobiography, The Struggle To Be Free, Wayne Oates explains that his compassion was a result of his deep gratitude for the grace he had experienced in his own life.

As a nationally respected teacher, author, and lecturer Dr. Oates taught Psychology of Religion in a theological setting for 27 years. At the same time he wrote 57 books and countless articles that have been used as texts to teach pastoral care and counseling in seminaries throughout the world.

In 1947 Dr. Spafford Ackerly invited him to work at the University of Louisville Medical School as a theological consultant in the Department of Psychiatry. Here he uniquely influenced the medical, religious, social work, and therapeutic communities as he taught that healing required their collaboration.

In 1974 Wayne Oates formally joined the University of Louisville Medical School faculty and continued to integrate and teach his knowledge of Christian theology with his psychiatric insights. He taught and mentored numerous caregivers in the understanding that treatment requires collaboration, compassion, and integration among all of the healing disciplines. In 1984 the American Psychiatric Association conferred on him the Oskar Pfister Award for his contribution to the relationship between psychiatry and religion.

By melding his knowledge from the fields of Theology and Psychiatry, with a pastoral heart, Wayne Oates pioneered, and expanded the fields of pastoral care and counseling for more than 50 years. Roy Woodruff, Executive Director of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors said of Wayne Oates,

Wayne Oates served as a Diplomate in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, a Fellow and approved supervisor in the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. He became a supervisor in the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education, and served as organizing chaplain for several hospitals in Kentucky.

From a popular perspective, Wayne Oates was best known for coining the term workaholic, a term that came to him during a counseling session as he connected with a patient who was struggling with alcohol abuse. Following that session he wrote a national best seller, Confessions of a Workaholic. From multiple perspectives, Wayne Oates understood the importance of caregivers paying attention to their own needs.

The Oates Institute and Online Education

The Wayne E. Oates Institute was founded in honor of Dr. Oates by Dr. James Hyde and was officially incorporated in 1993. In November of 1998 the Institute led the way into the 21st century by offering its first online conference, Hope As A Dynamic for Healing. The Oates Institute is a continuing education provider for those in religion, nursing, social work, medicine, counseling, and other therapeutic fields. By continuing to offer online education, the Institute has made it possible to offer numerous continuing education resources while connecting participants throughout the world with a new and reflective learning community.