Preaching? Evangelism? What is your concept of workplace chaplaincy?
"Salt and light" is how Jesus himself describes the role of believers in the world we live in. Sure we can be salt and light to a certain degree within the church but these characteristics are clearly in reference to our lives outside the four walls of what many call the church.
I have personally been "working" as a chaplain for 4 years in the secular world. During that time I have come to the conclusion, rightly or wrongly, that church leaders have very little appreciation for this work. This then filters down to church members who probably aren't even aware that there is such work going on in the marketplace. Let me be clear that we are not talking about police, hospital or military chaplains: we are talking about chaplains in the workplace where companies build windows and cars and where employees have issues that require more than a few days off or a visit to the psychiatrist. The question I have been asking and continue to ask (and one that nobody has the courage to address) is why Christian businessmen refuse to invite this type of chaplaincy into their companies? Along with this: why do pastors ignore such an open door for men and women to be salt and light in a secular world? I think Jesus Christ would ask the same question.
I have worked as a chaplain with a police service. It was a wonderful experience which I hope to do again one day. I did so as a volunteer while I was pastoring. I can now tell everyone that I enjoyed it more than pastoring. I discovered it was my calling in life.
I eventually found myself in a place as I reached the other side of 55, where I needed to reinvent myself or more importantly, I needed the Lord to open doors to fulfill that calling. A man named Cyril Gowler gave me a call out of the blue one day as I was driving through a Tim Hortons drive-through in Milton. He was calling from Edmonton and asked if I would be interested in being a corporate chaplain for a window manufacturing company. I wasn't sure what it would look like but since I was traveling to Alberta a week later, I agreed to meet with him about the opportunity in their Mississauga manufacturing plant. Cyril was the senior chaplain for this company but he was also a chaplain with the RCMP in Edmonton. He had heard about my background as a police chaplain and pastor and a few months later I was a workplace chaplain.
A few years later I was working as a chaplain in a long-term care residence and eventually a second one as well. I was also working as a chaplain with PING Golf through my connection with Marketplace Chaplains Canada. On the side I spent a few hours each week at Toronto Pearson Airport as a chaplain. This is where the Lord has put me for this season in my life and make no mistake about it, it is in the middle of a secular world where Jesus has asked me to be salt and light. I believe people who don't know Jesus are seeing what He asked us to show: Matthew 5:16 says people need to see our good works. You will notice it does not say: and they will hear you preach at them while you carry a big Bible. As we know, most Christians don't have a problem in this area: being salt and light is a challenge at the best of times.
Yet for a chaplain, a door has been opened by the world for us to be a Christian presence in an often messy environment filled with broken marriages, addictions, health problems, family issues, death, weddings and so on. Imagine non-believers coming to Christian chaplains when they need help. Not us forcing our beliefs on anyone but because we are salt and light, those who would never set foot in a church building, are getting counsel from chaplains that have built trust.
So once again I ask the question: why has the church not embraced this work? You will notice I have not used the word "ministry" and I have done so intentionally. In a perfect world, I believe chaplains should be trained in churches the same way we train pastors in seminaries. I believe in fact, that chaplains should be on staff at churches that can afford them: to train believers and not to get paid for proselytizing at work to grow the local church. One of the greatest weaknesses in the church has always been the need to grow the church we call home and with that have terrible motivation for "witnessing" to non-believers. Church growth is one of the biggest hindrances to Kingdom growth.
Let me expand on that point. If church leaders were more interested in the lost than filling their church with new converts, perhaps there would be closer ties between church communities than there is today. Competing for souls is something almost every pastor strives for because job security is fleeting in many denominations. Burn-out among pastors is a very real issue and if that doesn't get you, getting "voted out" is always an option. I would love to see pastors who are frustrated working within a church, get the opportunity to explore the work of a chaplain. I would also love to see church members getting the same opportunity if they are gifted in that area. Too many still believe that pastoring or missionary work are the only options for those who feel called into ministry.
Before anyone (pastors) gets their shorts in a knot, consider this as an opportunity to release your members who have a call to ministry but not as pastors. They do exist!!!
Some may be asking: what are the qualifications for a chaplain? One side of that answer lies in the make-up of the individual. Are you good with people? Are you trustworthy? Are you a person of good character? In other words, is the Fruit of the Spirit evident in your life? It has very little at all to do with your "charisma" in a pulpit. It has very little to do with your ability to "evangelize the lost". If you approach chaplaincy with the idea that you are going to get people saved, you have almost no hope of being a good chaplain. A chaplain walks beside people, not in front of them. In other words, you are a friend who is there to serve regular people when things are going well and then be available when things fall apart. It is part of life and the opportunities to show Jesus will be there all the time. We call it the "ministry of presence".
Education wise, you will certainly require some training. There is one very liberal organization that train from a non-evangelical perspective. Hospitals and prisons often hire folks that have no evangelical background. Unfortunately that may be the result of previous "evangelists" posing as chaplains. Please do not misunderstand what I am saying with this blog. I and other like-minded friends are chaplains because we love Jesus. It is what distinguishes us from chaplains from other faith groups. The training you get will simply help you to understand the role of a chaplain and perhaps more of what you can't do rather than what you can. Proselytizing is never a part of chaplaincy. If you can't accept that fact, you should not be a chaplain. There are many experienced chaplains that could train others if the need was presented.
