Are you called to be a Chaplain?
Inspire
Are you called to be a Chaplain?
If you are a good listener, have compassion for hurting people, and have a desire to lovingly care for people who are struggling, you may want to consider being a Chaplain.
Sometimes people consider Chaplaincy who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These people have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern.
We are reminded of 2 Corinthians 1:4:
“He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
Chaplains are usually people who are encouragers, caregivers, advocates, people who are always ready to help, and good listeners. They are the friend you can call when something goes bump in your life.
Most Chaplains are involved in organizations where traumatic situations occur frequently. They work in hospitals, counseling patients; ministering to the incarcerated. Additionally, they work with organizations like the military, police officers, and firefighters, who may be suffering emotionally from the hazards of their mission. As part of their education, chaplains receive special training in crisis intervention and ministering to people in traumatic situations. A chaplain may at times conduct an informal worship service, which would be for all faiths, but sermons are not their focus.
A key part of the job of a Chaplain is to be on the front lines, where their “congregation” is. Chaplaincy is a ministry on the move. Whether it is with a police officer at an auto accident, with a firefighter after seeing a child lost to a fire, or with a parent in a hospital wondering why their child has cancer, the Chaplain is there to comfort and support.
Disaster Chaplains go where the environment has caused the residents of the community to be displaced because of an earthquake, hurricane, tornado, flood, or fire. They are asked at a moment’s notice to go into a situation where accommodations are scarce and people are trying to make sense of their lives. There are a number of organizations that deploy Chaplains in times of distress and today many churches are raising up their own Chaplain Corps within the walls of the church- ready to meet both the needs of their congregation, their community and communities around the country.
Tragedies occur 24 hours, seven days a week. The greatest value a Chaplain can provide comes in the immediate hours following an event. Many of the most memorable moments for a Chaplain happen at the most inopportune time. When an event occurs, the Chaplain’s telephone rings. Sometimes it is a call for many Chaplains because the event is large and severe, affecting large numbers of people who need help, some need medical attention and some want to see a Chaplain.
Occasionally, Chaplains are called upon to deliver Death Notifications. The situations vary, but it is generally with the immediate family who is unaware of the tragedy. Honest, real communication is required, coupled with a compassionate and insightful presence. The time spent and the words used will often remain with the survivors for the rest of their lives. Completing an effective death notification requires thought, planning, prayer, and preparation.
Chaplains frequently minister to strangers, people they have never met and may never meet again, but they have been drawn together for such a time as this. This may make some people uncomfortable, listening to the pain of a person in distress, being in the middle of a family crisis, or trying to bring calm in a time of chaos. However, the outcomes make it all worthwhile.
Chaplains change the tone of a tragic event, their quiet presence, their understanding of the gravity of the moment, and the hope that seems to emanate from them, change the moment. They help to bring focus to a situation, without minimizing it. They go where others retreat from; death, suicide, drownings, devastating fire, and violence between people. It takes its toll, but it is a price many are willing to pay.
There is something special about being a Chaplain. When a Chaplain arrives on the scene of a crisis that person is commissioned to bear the image of God. Their arrival changes the situation. Everyone knows that the Lord is represented and that truth can bring calm to what was chaos.
There are many adjectives that describe a Chaplain, they start with committed, compassionate, and patient. It takes a special mindset to listen to a person in distress, tell their story for the eighth time, reacting as if it was the first time they had heard it, to try and provide comfort to a parent who has lost a child, when there is no rational explanation.
Frequently, Chaplains are called to homes without an understanding of who they will encounter and what their religious backgrounds are. Many times, one of the first comments is: “I used to go to church” as a way of saying “I am in over my head and I need God’s help now.” Chaplains have to recognize that this is not the time for a sermon, but a time of reassurance that they are indeed still loved.
Before embarking on a career or ministry in Chaplaincy, a person should spend some quiet, reflective time in prayer. The person should evaluate the commitment required, but more importantly, to assess their hearts for the compassion, bravery, empathy, and desire to put others first before stepping out to be the Lord’s hands and feet.
God enables the Chaplain. It is through His strength, wisdom, and his words that enable the Chaplain to serve His people. If the Lord is calling you to this ministry, make sure you put on the full armor of God. Take the necessary training and gain the skills so that you can use these skills to help and not do harm.
“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power.” ~ Ephesians 1:18–19 (NLT).
Do you have the heart of a Chaplain?
A chaplain reaches out and touches people in a tangible way. He/she shows people his/her faith and concern by his/her works, not so much by his/her words. A chaplain is a “doer” of The Word and not merely a hearer and talker. I’m not saying that knowledge and biblical truth isn’t important, but this can come after we show mercy and compassion toward the person. A chaplain understands that we gain the ears of our listeners, not by telling them we care, but by showing them we care.
The goal of a chaplain is to proclaim the love of God to people by being a good neighbor and demonstrating Gods love to them in a tangible way. Jesus said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12).