Our Logo

The Marsh Institute’s logo, a hurricane lamp, reflects the ministry of chaplains. The lamp represents “The Visible Reminder of the Holy” chaplains bring to those dark places like a battlefield, a hospital ICU, a correctional inmate cell, a burned-out building, a disaster scene, or in the aftermath of a suicide in the university dorm. Chaplains fulfill a sacred calling to accompany and provide professional support and spiritual nurture for everyone in their distinctive secular communities, which authorize and hold them accountable.

Observe closely and you’ll notice a book and shepherd’s hook on each side of the lamp. For Christians, the sacred text of the Bible informs spiritual care and pastoral duties. The shepherd’s hook is a heritage reminder of chaplains’ role in guiding and caring for others, much like shepherds care with their flock. The shepherd’s hook was the U.S. Army chaplains’ insignia from 1880 to 1898.

At first, our logo existed only as rough pencil lines. On three sheets of paper, Jim Browning sketched idea after idea for what was then called the Marsh Center for Chaplain Studies—circles and orbit paths to suggest a global reach, crosses and diamond shapes to highlight Christ at the center, flowing lines and the initials “MCCS,” even simple figures of people walking side-by-side to picture chaplains accompanying those they serve. Those pages were our visual brainstorming: an honest attempt to capture, in a single logo, the call to stand with people in some of life’s darkest moments. Struggling to find an object that captured the essence of being a chaplain, he considered the distinction between a lighthouse and a lantern. A lighthouse shows light guiding a traveler into a safe harbor. It is a symbol of a pastor and a church ministry. A hurricane lantern, however, is a protected light in the midst of storm and chaos. This light moves. It became our trademark symbol of a chaplain, one who carries the light of God, often where pastors cannot go.

Designer Nate Crocker took this hurricane lantern concept and, during a meeting at the Gaylord Hotel, refined it into something simpler and stronger. On a piece of hotel stationery, he drew the first clean version of the lantern that now anchors our seal. That hand sketch became the heart of the Marsh Institute for Chaplains logo—a symbol of light, Scripture, and steady presence.

The process was collaborative, prayerful, and deliberate. Many images were explored; one enduring image emerged. Every time we see the lantern, we’re reminded of our mission to collaborate with, equip, support, and advocate for chaplains in diverse and global settings.