Hospitals, jails, prisons, law enforcement agencies, long-term care facilities, hospice associations, business & industry, juvenile detention centers, college campuses, emergency/disaster response teams - all of these and many more are areas in our communities where chaplains are needed.

We live in a world of hurting and dying people, people who are isolated, alienated, stressed to the breaking point - people who desperately need the message and hope of Christ.

A chaplain has tremendous opportunities to reach people - but it is also a great challenge, ministering to people in such great need. Many have the call upon their hearts to serve, but feel inadequate or ill-equipped to minister in such areas.

The Chaplains Commission offers its Community Service Ministries Chaplaincy Training Seminars to train and equip pastors, ministers and church workers to serve as volunteer chaplains in their communities. . This one-week intensive training seminar is taught by specialists who are on the front lines of chaplaincy - bringing hope to the hopeless and changing lives. It is an outstanding opportunity to learn first-hand from those currently and actively involved in chaplaincy service.  Let us help you prepare for this special ministry beyond the altar.

INSTRUCTORS:

SUPPORT STAFF: VARIOUS PROFESSIONALS

The Community Service Ministries Training Seminar is also offered for graduate/undergraduate credit for eligible attendees.  The following information is provided for those interested in taking the chaplaincy training course for credit:

• COURSE CREDIT: 3 SEMESTER HOURS
• COURSE DESCRIPTION:
  • This course is designed to train and equip pastors, pastoral counselors, lay workers, and other persons for ministry in specialized settings outside the church. These settings include hospitals, prisons, jails, law enforcement agencies, detention centers, nursing homes, hospice associations, domestic violence shelters, and many others. Students will be exposed to the theological and practical ramifications of specialized ministries in these settings and in a pluralistic and secular environment. Areas of chaplaincy to be taught include: Critical Incident Stress, ethics and privilege, confidentiality, sensitivity and diversity, legal issues, counseling in the workplace, peer support, women and minorities in chaplaincy, grief and bereavement, suicide, denominational attitudes, and more. In addition to the sessions dealing with topics applicable to all areas of chaplaincy, there will be specialized sessions on four main chaplaincy areas:
    • Jail and Prison
    • Law Enforcement
    • Clinical
    • Benevolence.
• OBJECTIVES:
  • Each student will: (1) gain practical knowledge and understanding of specialized ministry, (2) learn how to set up and organize a chaplaincy ministry, (3) learn how to utilize available community resources (4) learn to be able to minister as a Christian chaplain in today’s pluralistic environment, and, (5) gain a good working knowledge of pertinent legalities affecting chaplains and their ministry.
• COURSE TEXT:
  • Community Service Ministry Manual
• ASSIGNMENT
  • As directed, complete the reflection questions and case study at the end of each chapter.
  • Develop a bibliography of not less than 25 books/journals which speak directly to the issue of Chaplaincy Ministries.
  • Develop a 15 type-written page paper (with proper AP Style in footnotes, etc.) that seriously reflects on one subject of the course, i.e., domestic violence, law enforcement, jail and prison, hospital, etc., in terms of:
    • What personally and professionally motivates you in focusing on this special area, and how your own Christian faith/theology of care coincides or clashes with other views, i.e., social, sexual, etc.
    • In reflecting on this special area of care or ministry, develop a short response/model to use in a local church or some other institution (i.e., counseling center, social agency, cross-cultural/interfaith ministry).
  • If you so desire, you may use an actual case study verbatim to bring about a proper analysis of this specialized ministry. You will be allowed up to 60 days to turn in your research paper and your chapter assignments. Send all completed work to our office (address at the bottom of the page.)
• Evaluation
  • There will be a final written examination at the end of the course.
• Other Information
  • Certification: All credentialed Church of God ministers who complete this course are eligible for certification and endorsement as a certified Church of God Chaplain.
• Cost: Contact the Chaplains Commission for information on seminar cost or tuition fees as applicable.

• Calendar of Events with Current Seminar Dates
• Applications for Upcoming Seminars
• Seminar News, with News of Past Seminars