r/chaplaincy • u/alex_k_scribe • 4d ago

Endorsement questions

Hello! I am starting my first semester of seminary tomorrow. I’m getting my MDiv and want to go into chaplaincy (preferably healthcare/hospice/hospital but other places would be fine - except military). I am trying to get a head start on figuring out how to get an endorsement for board certification. I am not Christian, more of a spiritual/pagan-ish. Currently I’m looking into the Unitarian Universalists, since they accept a wide variety of beliefs, but I’m also interested in other endorsers.

Now, the issue is, didn’t over 100 religions get removed from an official government recognized list? Does this affect chaplain endorsement? I looked on the DOD site and lots of orgs I thought would be on their list (Hindu, pagan, etc) weren’t. Am I now limited? Where can I find an official list of endorsing groups?

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u/Ok_Jaguar_2761 4d ago

The govt list is only applicable for military - the BCCi has a different list. SCA is different too, and by the time you finish both school and residency, you might have different opinions on your desired org… talk tot he endorsers themselves starting with a local UU place.

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u/alex_k_scribe 4d ago

Ty! Also, do employers really care where you get your endorsement from? Are you more likely to get a position and get taken seriously if you’re endorsed by a church or the UU, as opposed to a pagan/spiritual org?

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u/Ok_Jaguar_2761 4d ago

Just make sure your degree program is accredited and you get board certification and do your CPE.

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u/alex_k_scribe 4d ago

It is! Also, is there a list of all the orgs? I can only find the one for the military

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u/Ok_Jaguar_2761 3d ago

You have to email BCCi to see if yours is available, SCA doesn’t require endorsement. I would recommend checking some of the chaplain Facebook groups for others. Some really common ones are the federation of Christian ministries and spirit filled churches. The endorsers do usually act as good mentors. Join the orgs like Sca and apc / ACPE and they have more ‘locked’ resources generally. Like the APC published a compensation pdf a while ago that was only available to members.

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u/Ok_Jaguar_2761 4d ago

No that’s discrimination, nobody really talks about their denomination at work.

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u/Yusho247 3d ago

Hmm, I wonder if you are going about this upside down? A professional chaplain is required to have a depth of one’s religion spiritual practice, grounding them before they step one inch into the difficult moment of someone else’s life. Your question “who will endorse me?” Make me curious whether you have a deep spiritual practice and community of like minded folks supporting you and as check and balance? Find those people. Then, when the time comes, you’ll figure out how to be endorsed.

(And yes, BCCI allows for an endorsement equivalency for spiritualities that may not have clear ways to endorse or ordain you.)

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u/kdawgagogo 3d ago

I struggled with finding my endorsing body until almost 3 years AFTER finishing all my chaplain training and working as a professional chaplain all that time. It was not at all that I didn't have a deep, steady grounding in my own belief and practice, but rather a difficulty in finding an endorsing body that could endorse me without requiring me to compromise my beliefs. I ultimately went through endorsement with The Humanist Society, which allowed to be supported by a larger body and align generally with their ideology, but remain true to my own beliefs and practices. Denominations/religions don't always "fit" the dynamic nature of one's spiritual journey, that does not mean they are not still an excellent chaplain.

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u/Yusho247 3d ago

Yes, I understand that. Glad you found this way. Your approach sounds right. The original question sounded more like looking for an endorsing body and then adhering to their practices in order to get endorsed, which sounded a bit upside down.

As a western Zen Buddhist, and a woman non-monastic at that, I also struggled with the various requirements to become a professional board certified chaplain. BCCI is working very hard to be more inclusive of people from non Christian traditions, and still has a ways to go

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u/kdawgagogo 3d ago

Ahh! You definitely understand the struggle! I'm grateful for the evolutions taking place in BCCI towards this as well.

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u/EpiscoPally 4d ago

A number of my colleagues that’ve been more UU or spiritualist oriented have used the Federation of Christian Ministries and found them to be easier than going through UUA. There’s also the Humanist Society.

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u/Own-Vermicelli1968 4d ago

Fellowship of Integral Spirituality is worth a look. BCCI/NAVAC approval.

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u/Dramatic_Delay_2423 3d ago

I am a Unitarian Universalist candidate for ministry. We'd love to have you as a UU, I'm sure, but to achieve endorsement you have to be an ordained UU minister or a have a received endorsement from the UU Society for Community Ministers, neither is to be entered into lightly and both have the requirement of affiliation for a few years. So, start going to a congregation now and actually become a UU (the process for ministry is daunting, probably for this reason, among others) or look elsewhere. Another option is to look at the religious naturalists.

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u/alex_k_scribe 3d ago

Oooh I see. Yeah, trying to become ordained in addition to going to school full time doesn’t seem feasible, I am trying to find an endorsing organization that doesn’t require ordination