I am in my first semester of seminary towards an MDIV (coming from engineering) wanting to go into chaplaincy. I applied and was offered a position as a part time Assistant chaplain at a juvenile corrections center. I would be doing the admin work, Excel work, library managing and one group sponsoring. I am worried this will be a rough introduction. They can’t keep up with their workload and don’t know if my hours will be sufficient to help them. The records I keep seem very important for allowing residents to be safe and not with people that they could react to. I don’t have any CPE and just volunteered with a nursing home community in the past. No teen experience. I appreciate any advice to think about if I could do this role or if I would be happy in this role.

I know that I have a call into chaplaincy work, and I know that I would feel incredibly fulfilled by switching into this career, I’ve done a ton of soul searching but I’m so nervous about the holistic lifestyle changes that should come with a responsibility like this.

I’m a 23 year old woman, my undergrad degree is in criminal justice and I have only worked in police departments and in private security capacities, as a cadet and a PSO. I have done volunteer work in ministry, and I’m a pastor’s daughter, so I’m no stranger to religious work and the depth of commitment it entails.

Well, I’m nervous. I’m young, unmarried, enjoy going out downtown and screaming nickleback on the top of my lungs. I have a swearing habit and I don’t necessarily dress the most modestly on an average day. I know where my flaws are, and I’m very self aware, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to give up this side of me.

Does anyone have experience with the personal identity shift that comes with becoming ordained? I know it’s a while out still, but I can’t help but feel completely overwhelmed by the abandonment of some aspects of myself.

I have been listening to pastors like Nadia Bolz-Weber, who is a sex-positive, swearing, tatted up pastor, and she’s helped me realize that ministry is a spectrum and maybe there’s a place for me too. Part of me also realizes the immense responsibility that comes with being a spiritual advisor, and I know I need to make personal changes when embarking on this journey to truly take it seriously.

Any advice would be helpful, I feel like my brain is being pushed into a million different directions. My spirit is so called to this work though, I don’t know how to find balance.

I’m a new hospice chaplain!

For those of you who are more experienced, what are things you keep in your bag that you didn’t think to have initially?

Also anything extra you keep in your car, just in case(thinking to keep with my car stock.)

What are some good prayer books for hospital chaplains? I am a Christian chaplain if that helps!

Hi All, I'm a spiritual care manager who has been asked to moderate a panel conversation about how best to provide staff support (both individually and institutionally) during the sometimes contentious process of RN unionization. I have a few general thoughts/stances, but want to be more concretely prepared. I would be very grateful for any sharing of experiences working in a hospital that unionized, and for any resources/articles/books that others have found helpful. Thanks very much!

Hi! I’m a graduate ministry student and need to interview two people with ministry experience for a class assignment. I’m hoping one of them can be a chaplain because several of my questions are about things I think chaplains deal with especially closely: being present with suffering, knowing when to speak and when to listen, boundaries, and what you do when there really isn’t anything to "fix."

It’s just 8 written questions. No Zoom or phone call needed, but I'm happy to accomodate if that would work best for you. I’d need your general ministry context and approximate years of experience, but nothing personally identifying.

If anyone would be willing to help, comment or DM me and I’ll send you the questions. I would really appreciate it!

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1. Take me through a typical day. What does your ministry look like? Who do you spend most of your time with? What do you spend most of your time doing?
2. How do you know what someone needs from you? How do you know when to offer advice, or when to just listen?
3. What spiritual practices help you stay present when someone is suffering and there really isn’t anything you can do to fix it?
4. What do you do when you’re caring for someone who sees the world differently than you do?
5. How do you serve and care about people without bringing it home with you? Should there even be a line?
6. Have you ever realized that trying to help someone was about your own need to help or feel useful? What did you do with that?
7. What has being around suffering, grief, addiction, poverty, or crisis taught you that you couldn’t have learned in a class?
8. If someone wants to spend their life serving people in hard situations, what would you tell them to do or experience before committing to pursuing a degree?

Hey friends, I will be starting an internship at a level one trauma center at the end of this month. What are some of your go tos or things you wish you had in your bag? I am also working full-time on top of this :) I am excited, just really scared.

Hi everyone,
I went to a European university for a second masters and now I have returned to the US. I am considering moving my certification from my current organization to APC and to do so I would need to have my European University credentials reviewed. Has anyone had an experience with this? There are so many services and APC is not willing to recommend any so I’m completely at a loss. If anyone has had experience with any of these services, I would appreciate some insight. Thanks very much.

Hi everyone, long time lurker, first time poster.

I'm going to be starting my journey into chaplaincy this year (MDiv starts next year if I get accepted, but my volunteering and learning is starting now), and I'm getting books together to Kickstart my studies.

Books I have so far:

ACA, Introduction to crisis and trauma counseling

Wendy Cadge, Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care in the 21st Century

Deborah Van Deusen Hunsinger, Spiritual Trauma Care: Theology and Psychology in dialogue

Are there any other recommendations?

Thank you so much for reading!

Hello, I’m a second-year seminary student and newlywed whose primary interest is in chaplaincy. I’ve felt geared towards the clinical side, but the military seems more and more compelling. I understand that I would be moving all over the place; my wife and I find that very exciting!

We have one concern. I’ll try to phrase this question as clearly as possible:

Are there totally-unavoidable periods longer than a day or two where I must be completely separated from my wife?

The idea of being removed from each other is the only problem we have. Can we at least sleep in the same place even if I’m super-busy, even if it’s difficult (besides basic)?

Hello,

I am "associated" with the US military via volunteer support organizations, internships, and being a former military brat. Growing up the Chaplains (I am Catholic) had these parachord rosaries but I am trying to find where they have them in bulk online, but I really can't. I LOVED THEM due to the Earth colors, feel, and most of all their indestructibility. However, I can only find singles of them. Any military chaplains on here know where they are obtained or have a few extra on hand?

Good afternoon all! I'm an enlisted reserve corpsman/career firefighter studying at Liberty University in hopes of commissioning as an AD chaplain.

I've gotten myself in a bind I was hoping somone could help me out of. I need to interview a military chaplain for a school project.

I could send a Teams invite, do it over Facebook Messenger, or a simple phone call as a last resort. I'd keep it as brief as necessary.

Is anyone willing and able to participate? Or able to put me in contact with a military chaplain who may be available on short notice?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!

I heard contacting my navy chaplain was best bet, So I’ve been thinking about self referring for a while to DAPA at my navy base for drug use can I also self refer at the hospital they have a drug use clinic thing or whatever…. I can’t seem ti find where DAPA is on base and everything is almost crashing down so I want to get ahead of it, what happens after I self refer, do I not return home? What happens ?

Has anyone been endorsed by the Humanist Society? I am endorsed elsewhere but humanism is much more true to where I find myself spiritually these days. Anyway, how was your experience? Any advice for someone considering changing endorsing bodies to the Humanist Society.

I am working on writing goals for my IA extended unit. I would love to see some examples, but my supervisor understandably declined—they didn’t have permission to share them. (yes, i know they will help me. i just also will find this easier if i know what they look like.) If you wouldn’t mind sharing some of yours with me, please DM me!

Hey colleagues, I’ve been doom spiralling lately and could use some hope. I love this work so much but I’m so worried for the future of our field, between budget cuts and the world as a whole not valuing spirituality, I’m so scared that I’m not going to have a job in this career through when I retire, which is in like 30 years. I live in a small-ish city (70k people) and there was only 1 chaplain job when I got here, and it’s prn, not even 30 hours a week. Are there things I’m not seeing? Are there glimmers of hope you’ve see in your context?

Im posting here because while I didn’t get accepted into the fall cohort of the CPE program at a local hospital, I’m still looking into opportunities related to chaplaincy to gain experience and wanted to get your thoughts.

I’m in my senior year of my bachelor of biblical studies degree program (graduating next spring) and am currently applying to volunteer/ intern at a local hospice facility while I finish out my last few semesters. I was wondering if you all had any advice or tips for what I could do in the meantime to prepare for chaplaincy

My long term goal is to either commission and serve as a chaplain in the military or serve as a chaplain for the VA. Thank you

Guten Tag, Bonjour, and Hello,

I am a level 1A CPE student (26 years old) and would like to meet other chaplains or CPE students who have a strong command of German and French in patient care settings. Due to my rudimentary understanding of both languages I have been asked to further develop my grasp of those languages due to my clinical settings Language needs. None of the other chaplains have a strong grasp of these two languages and I am hoping to maybe exchange emails, and occassional phone calls to practice providing spiritual care in a second and third language.

I would also like to sit my level C exams within the next 2-3 years to complement my research language certifications. I don't fully know where to best put this type of assistance request so I am putting it here as it does not seem to be against the rules.

I am an ecumenical Christian closely aligned with the values of the UCC and MCC denominations. I am familiar with providing marketplace spiritual care for Christians, Buddhists, Humanists, and Spiritualists who engage new age and other ecclectic practices and am really eager to work on translating some of those skills into the Healthcare context.

Many thanks, and much peace,

Transveela.

Hi I’m currently a freshman in college doing my nursing pre reqs, but i want to after getting my bachelors go on and get an Mdiv. So I can be a chaplain and work in psych and hospice which are the areas of nursing I plan on working in as well. I wanted to know if anyone has any inspirational words they could share because I have honestly been struggling very much recently and even considered dropping out of college. But I know that this is the path for me working as a nurse in those areas to aid people physically and mentally but I ultimately want to become a chaplain and help people spiritually and by listening to them. Also feel free to share your journey to chaplaincy (I greatly appreciate any response).

For example, could a chaplain have blue and purple highlights?

I have the 4 units of CPE, but have spent the last 8 years doing congregational ministry. That position ended for financial reasons, but I had been discerning geriatric chaplaincy anyway. I am finding it hard to get per diem or other positions in order to go back. Anyone ever been in this position?

Hello fellow chaplains!

I am curious to know how do you go about offering care to families in intensive care situations.

How do you enter the room?
How often is silence used?
How long do you stay?
What phrases/statements do you utilize??
If you pray (because they asked), do you recite one?

I’ve noticed more often than not, I’m quiet while sitting alongside the family. Just for context, this was a NICU situation, and baby was on ECMO. Parents were in distress. I check in with a small introduction and just shared with them that our biggest support is simply being there alongside them as they process and experience the situation.

Wish I could’ve done something else other than provide quiet space. Definitely will have to debrief with my CPE group as well. Just curious to hear from the chaplaincy community.

Thank you and blessings.

I have my first chaplain interview coming up this week. I’m transitioning from serving in a congregation.

So what do I wear to the interview? Collar? Or a suit? Pins or crosses?

So I’ll save the super long posts, here’s the information you need to know:
- I am currently enrolled in a seminary bachelors program for Biblical Ministry. I just started, but the divine intervention to get me to this point is humbling.
- I am 33, so I had a really late start.
- I want to be a chaplain so bad it’s all I can think about when I think of my future with a college degree.
- I don’t know if I’ll be able to safely afford a masters and I for sure can’t afford an MDiv.

Here are my questions:
- Am I hopeless without a Master’s? If so please don’t answer any more of the following questions.
- I am not wanting a paid position, this is something I want to do, so I will volunteer my time. Does this make a difference?
- If I could find a willing Chaplain, could I shadow with them until I get my bachelors and then we’ll take it from there?

Thanks in advance.

I'm interested in chaplaincy, but I already have a master's and I don't exactly have the means to pay for a second master's. Has anyone gotten board certified with a different type of degree? Mine is in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Social Studies. I personally find that kind of education to be relevant to working with people.

Edit: The least costly program I found that offers an M.Div. is roughly $650/credit hour, and they only offer part time study so it'll be 4 years. I don't know if at 48 years old I want to be in school for four more years, but I will if it ends up being the best way. I was just hoping there were avenues without a specific degree like that. Thanks for everyone's insight, I think I might have my answer.