Recent developments in the world of chaplaincy have encouraged a more positive image of the field. Have you observed a greater awareness of and/or appreciation for chaplains?
Pray with us for the safety and effectiveness of chaplains who represent our denomination and our King in many places you would not expect: from aircraft carriers to children's hospitals and from boiler rooms to board rooms.
As a representative of classis or as a Synodical Deputy, you are sometimes asked to arrange for, counsel, or oversee the ordination and/or placement of men and women as Ministers of the Word or Commissioned Pastors.
“Ministry of presence” is a favorite phrase of chaplains to describe how they work — with or without words — to be the vehicle of God’s love. Some speak of this as “incarnational ministry.”
As a chaplain, I care about people in crisis and try to be particularly attentive to "the least of these." But I sense that we are no longer giving a lot of attention to the immense issue of abortion...
Chaplains intersect with individuals and families at the most critical times when life is most challenging. How can the broader church focus more attention on this important area of ministry?
If you could spend eight to ten million dollars a year to touch the lives of several hundred thousand hurting individuals with the love of Christ, how would you do it? Putting chaplains in locations where hurting people are congregated might be a choice worth considering.
If you have not recognized, prayed for or encouraged a chaplain lately why not do so as we commemorate their work out on the edges of the church and society.
It’s a small thing to do for a large sacrifice that they made (and may still be making) for us. Please take time on this Veterans Day / Remembrance Day (Nov. 11) or on the Sunday before it (Nov 10) to say thank you to those who have served or are serving.
Ron Klimp has served three churches over the course of 21 years in parish ministry. In 1999, he became a chaplain and have loved chaplaincy ever since.
Alan Hirsch argues that the term "missional" should be understood to refer to alignment with the missio Dei that is bigger than just the church. He likes to say that we should think in terms of...
Excellent thoughts!
We don't exactly have a choice between Buhari and Goodluck, but we know who Axelrod will be voting for (and maybe advising) in our own election.
In the end "God...
I am highly biased (aren't we all?), but I would love to see more celebration of the impact we have on the secular and institutional world around us -- particularly the work done by our growing...
Good thoughts -- and necessary re-evaluation of how we prepare future pastors. One thing not addressed is the power of positive models. We could talk about how to produce a great violin concerto...
Good thoughts all! This is a frequent issue in worship, partly because we think of the individual too much as doing something for the community, and the community as a receptor which wants or...
Thanks for getting us thinking about the almost invisible Joseph. But emulate Joseph "in spite of the absence of drama and action in his life"? Do angel visits, a trip to Bethlehem for a census,...
For more information on CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) and its counterpoint in Canada SPE (Supervised Pastoral Education) go here: http://www.spiritualcare.ca/page.asp?ID=7 (for Canada)
...Staci,
Thanks for re-publishing this from another source and thereby drawing attention to both Chaplaincy and Advent. As a cancer survivor can speak better than anyone else to a newly...
Joshua and Bonnie - It might be helpful to note that John's wife Stasi Eldredge wrote a sequel to Wild at Heart, call Captivating, in which she described her understanding of the nature of a...
John Eldridge has offered some good insights into this this in Wild at Heart.
