So You Want to be a Chaplain? Part 1

“I’ve thought about becoming a chaplain” are words I’ve heard more times than I can count.  Honestly, I’ve said them myself.  Many pastors mistakenly think that being an effective pastor will automatically make them an effective chaplain.  However, as I will explore in this series of posts, the role of chaplain has a number of very important differences from the role of pastor.  As one of my chaplain mentors likes to say, “All chaplains are pastors, but not all pastors are chaplains.”

For the purpose of this series, I’ll be focusing on healthcare chaplaincy, which is my own chaplain setting.  Relatively speaking, I am still a new chaplain at this writing (less than five years of experience).  During my first year serving as a chaplain, I learned to appreciate the difference between a pastor and a chaplain.  I made the “rookie mistakes” many pastors make as they transition to chaplaincy. I readily admit I still have a lot to learn. However, while it’s still fresh in my memory, I want to share a few thoughts about the differences between the role of pastor and chaplain.

Let’s begin by exploring the role of the pastor when providing pastoral care.  A pastor may make hundreds of visits to the hospital or the living room.  In most of those visits, the pastor was likely perceived as the person’s pastor.  Yes – this is obvious.  Because of this perception, the pastor enters the situation as an insider.  Whether one knows the person well or not, the pastor walks in the door with direct or indirect trust.  The pastor is known.  Also, one likely has some knowledge about the person and the situation before one walks in the door. 

Pastors usually have an extended relationship with the people they visit.  Pastors can make as many follow-up visits as necessary and provide care over an extended time.  A pastor may see someone in the hospital initially and then follow-up with several home visits later.  Pastors often see people pre-crisis, in crisis, and post-crisis. 

As part of their care, pastors sometimes make recommendations to their people.  Because of the relationship, the pastor may be able to speak the truth in love and name an issue that needs “fixing.”  Maybe the recommendation is for counseling or a recovery program.  Maybe it’s a support group.  The pastor then helps the person craft a strategy to move forward and provides support and accountability during the journey.  The pastor is often viewed as a trusted advisor in some way.

Pastors also usually have much in common with those they visit.  In addition to religious similarity, pastors frequently have the same racial, cultural, and socio-economic background as their church members.

Pastors often incorporate other pastoral disciplines into their visits.  Discipleship and evangelism are two of the more common disciplines pastors work into their visits.  In the role of pastor, these are entirely appropriate.  Often, people expect these disciplines to be part of the visit because of their understanding of the pastor’s role.

In summary, the pastoral care provided is made possible by the pastor’s trusted insider role.  In my next post, I’ll explain the role of chaplain and you will note a number of differences.