Church of God Chaplains Commission

The Promise to Those Who Care

“Oh, the joy of those who are kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them when they are in trouble. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and rescues them from their enemies.” (Psalms 41:1,2 NLT)

Chaplains are dedicated to a ministry of care to those who are unable to care for themselves, and all too often cannot afford the resources needed to reach necessary aid. The New American Standard Translation uses the word “helpless” in place of the word “poor” in the above listed passage. Nonetheless, however stated, we are engaged in a remarkable ministry to those who are poor and helpless! And, as a result, stand firmly under the covenant promise of God to be blessed.

Over the past few weeks, I have been challenged by the Lord and often reminded by Him of His promises to those who dedicate themselves toward caring for the weak and helpless. Time and time again he has shown me the scriptural principles of His covenant of care for those who minister to the poor. Today I want to encourage you in the work you daily deliver for Christ and the Kingdom. You stand under the “tent” of God’s protective care and His watchful eye. Do not lose heart! Others may not notice, your friends may fail, your family may not even regard the special nature of your ministry, but God does!

We are facing a great season of disaster-related ministry needs around the world. The Church of God Chaplains Commission stands as a lead agency during this momentous time. I am deeply indebted to Chaplain Jake Popejoy and the team of CSC’s that we have scattered abroad. I also want to thank Chaplain Richard Pace for his leadership over all of our vocational chaplains in full-time ministry appointments. Together, he and Dr. Popejoy are doing a superb work in coordinating all of our chaplaincy team worldwide.

May God’s continued care be yours each and every day!

Dr. Donnie W. Smith, D. Min.
Director

Full-Time Chaplaincy News

“Full-time” Chaplains Redesignated as “Vocational” Chaplains

The Chaplains Commission has redesignated the category of Full-time Chaplains to Vocational Chaplains to better identify the unique ministry of this special category of Church of God ministers. The term Full-time has a very broad meaning and sometimes leads to confusion about who these chaplains are and what they do.

The term Vocational communicates the two key components applicable to these chaplains. From the religious perspective, Vocational carries with it the emphasis of a divine “calling” to serve in ministry. All of our Vocational Chaplains are first of all credentialed Church of God clergy whose callings to ministry have been validated by our denomination.

The second key aspect of Vocational Chaplains is the requirement to meet the professional qualifications of the institution or organization in which the chaplains serve. Though the professional qualifications can vary among institutions, most professional chaplains must have a Master of Divinity degree, or a 72 graduate hour equivalent. In addition to this academic degree, many institutions require one or more years of education and training in Clinical Pastoral Education, counseling, or some other specialized training. Church of God Vocational Chaplains are professionals in the purest sense. There is no other category of ministers, comprised solely of Church of God clergy, required to meet the high professional qualifications our Vocational Chaplains hold.

Church of God Vocational Chaplains are spirit-filled men and women of God called to serve as ministerial professionals in institutions and organizations around the world taking the hope of the Gospel to those under their pastoral care. As your endorser, I am proud of the great ministry you do every day. You are outstanding representatives of the Church of God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dr. Richard Pace
Endorser and Coordinator, Vocational Chaplains

Community Service Chaplaincy News

From the Field

The Chaplains Commission has the great opportunity to be representing our church this week in Memphis, Tennessee. There is a national level, multi-agency disaster exercise in progress as I write this update. We are providing chaplaincy services for the various agencies represented in the disaster exercise.

The opportunities of ministry and service continue to grow for the Community Service Chaplain because of the nature of our changing world. Disasters unfortunately have become too common in our world. It appears that God has raised an army of volunteers unafraid of the task ahead of them. Please continue to support with prayer and your counsel as we continue provide chaplaincy service for the hurting and frightened.

I am so sincere when I again take the opportunity to thank so many chaplains for their dedication and sacrifices. As mentioned earlier, we had a large number of chaplains traveling from so many different states. They came at their own expense and gave so much to insure that others received care.

We are focusing on the Hispanic needs in Alabama as I write this letter. We have learned from various sources that the need among the Hispanic community is so great. Because there are a number of undocumented people that have been terribly affected by the tornados, the need to have Spanish language chaplains is ever increasing. This is certainly not a time to address the issue of the undocumented, except to say that they are presently hurting and we truly are wishing to help them recover from these storms. We are, after all, an extension of the Care Division.

We are still praying and trusting that our Community Services Chaplains will continue to respond to these needs in the stricken areas of our country. Please know that both FEMA and the Red Cross continue to ask for our help. We are so proud of your responses.

Dr. Jake Popejoy
Coordinator, Training and Community Service Chaplains