A Call to Minister to Those Often Forgotten

After spending three years in secondary education as a high school history teacher, Ben Willans MDiv ’25, realized that teaching wasn’t his calling. While still in the education field, the Rutgers University graduate sought other vocational callings and after some time, felt a pull toward chaplaincy.

That pull eventually led Willans — whose mother is a Christian education and youth group director at his home church — to Princeton Theological Seminary with the turning point occurring during his second year as an educator. While visiting a friend in Montana, Willans embarked on a solo hike. At the summit, he sat down on the wet grass. “I felt a weird sense that you need to sit down and be present in this moment,” he recalls. “So, I sat down at the top of the mountain when the rain broke, and the clouds and fog cleared. I had a ridiculously good view of the world around me. I felt a general sense of peace wash over me. At that moment, there was only one word that came to the forefront of my mind: chaplain.”

Following the trip — and after researching chaplaincy — Willans received confirmation. On the same day of his hike, his mom and his pastor had a conversation about the possibility of Willans pursuing ministry work.

“It was one of those things where I said ‘God, if this is your will, I'm going to apply to Princeton Seminary, and if I get in, I'm going to take it as a sign to continue on,’” he says.

When Willans was accepted to Princeton Seminary, the goal was to pursue ministry work as a military chaplain. During the last year and a half on campus, there’s been a shift that is partially inspired by his current field education experience at Ann Klein Forensic Center outside of Trenton, New Jersey near the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital. As a result of working with individuals at the psychiatric hospital for patients in the legal system, Willans feels a pull toward working within the prison system or a mental health hospital. “There’s a lot of neglect that comes with being in one of those communities,” he admits. “And that's something I believe I can speak towards and help people navigate, which I highly value.”

Willans currently serves men and women who either were at a state psychiatric hospital, county jails, or a prison who are now at Ann Klein for treatment and evaluation as requested by the court system. He admits that it’s a difficult environment, but he’s learned a lot about himself, which reaffirms the call toward chaplaincy, he says. It’s an environment where he can give others the same grace he receives from God.

" I can safely say that after working there since September I have learned a lot abut how to care for these individuals which has been very powerful."

Since starting at Princeton Seminary, Willans has had to learn, unlearn, and relearn numerous things. While he spent his childhood inside the church, he didn’t have biblical or theological studies in his repertoire. “I fully recognize that amongst my peers, I'm a bit of an outlier in the fact that I haven't really studied any of this before,” he says. “Part of my experience has been playing catch up to the academic level and expectations that the Seminary has. I knew coming here would be a challenge, that I would have to apply myself more so than some other peers, but at the end of the day, I'm greatly appreciative of that.”

As for the future, Willans plans to pursue a Master’s Degree in Social Work at Rutgers University. After which, he will continue his journey toward chaplaincy. “I don't know what flavor of chaplaincy, whether that be hospital chaplaincy or prison chaplaincy, it is to be determined,” he says. “There's a lot that I'm still sorting through in that regard.”

Once plans are sorted, Willans is confident that his chaplaincy ministry will impact those he serves. “Many people that I work with and meet with are people that have been essentially forgotten by society,” he says. “Some haven't heard from their families for months; I'm one of the few people that they get to talk to and be open with. So, I do believe that the ministry in the field of work that I'm doing currently is important and beneficial to those that I'm working with.”