The presentation will explore how chaplains can offer meaningful, biblically grounded presence in the midst of crisis, medical complexity and end-of-life decisions. I’ll be sharing from real-world experiences in the ED, ICU and oncology settings, highlighting how chaplains can help facilitate goals-of-care conversations with spiritual insight and compassion.

Matthew Dowling, M.Div., BCC, serves as the full-time palliative care chaplain at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Board certified through the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC/BCCI), he also provides spiritual care in the surgical-neurocritical ICU and inpatient oncology floors. In addition to his hospital ministry, Matthew is the preaching minister for the Plymouth Church of Christ in Plymouth, Michigan, and has previously served congregations in Oklahoma, New Jersey, and elsewhere in Michigan. He is married to Rachel, and they have four wonderful children: Gabriel, Gideon, Trinity, and Abram.