Working Out Our Identity

Dr. Robert Vickers, CH (COL) USA (Ret.); D.Min., Lexington eological Seminary, EDD, Vanderbilt University; served twenty-eight years in military chaplaincy; retired as a denominational endorser.

Rev. R. Michael Warner, Ch, Lt Col, USAF (Ret.); M.Div., Southern Baptist eological Seminary; served twenty-nine years as military chaplain; current Director Clergy Care Services, Indianapolis, IN.

Dr. Eric Whitmore; Ch, (Maj) USAF (Ret.); D.Min., Logsdon Seminary; served fourteen years as military chaplain; current Associate Endorser, Baptist Chaplaincy Relations.

Dr. Gene Wilkes; Ph.D., B. H. Carroll eological Institute; serving fifteen years as City, Police and Fire Departments chaplain; current President, B. H. Carroll eological Institute.

FOREWORD

Dr. Gene Wilkes

Iwrite this on the eve of the twentieth anniversary of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. We all remember where we were on that day and the impact it has had on the American psyche.

When I remember the stories of that day, I recall first-responder, hospital, and military chaplains who bravely stepped into the chaos and death and continued to impact lives for the weeks, months, and years that followed. Chaplains were at Ground Zero in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and in homes, hospitals, and military installations across the nation, bringing hope and help to those directly touched by that day’s terror. Some who have written in this volume walked boldly into the fear and loss of that day to serve as a chaplain. eir stories and insights from their experience and knowledge will deepen your appreciation for those who answer the call to be chaplains.

When Dr. Jim Spivey, CH BG (Ret.) and a founding Senior Fellow of B. H. Carroll eological Institute, came to me with the vision for a center for chaplain studies as part of our seminary, I did not realize the depth and breadth of that vision. I was enthusiastic about adding additional pathways to equip men and women called to serve in ministry. However, I was unprepared to realize the expansion of chaplaincy, both in numbers and in its many forms in the last few decades. My personal experience as a volunteer police and fire department chaplain widened my perspective and influence to the needs of first responders and those they helped day in and day out when I was a local church pastor. rough my interaction with Drs. Jim Spivey and Jim Browning, Ch, (Col), USAF (Ret.), I have come to see the significance of chaplains in every arena of life.

In many ways, chaplains are the new pastors. Local church pastors are essential to the mission of God through the church, but chaplains often are invited where pastors are no longer welcomed or cannot go. Chaplains find their way onto the battlefield, into border crises, prison cells, hospital rooms, classrooms, and board rooms—all arenas of influence to which pastors do not always have equal access. Chaplains carry hope, healing, and health into these diverse and various venues to represent the mystery and holiness of God to all people, no matter their faith or lack of faith in God. Chaplains comfort and confront the brokenness of humanity when they are called upon to serve. ey do this in the storms of battle, the calm of a human’s last breath, or a baby’s first cry. In this volume are the voices of those ministering as chaplains. Read carefully, and you will sense their call, identity, passion, and motivation—the heart of a chaplain.

I am grateful to the Senior Fellows for their vision for a chaplain studies center and Drs. Jim Browning and Jim Spivey for working to bring that vision into reality. e Heart of a Chaplain: Exploring Essentials for Ministry is a tangible expression of this vision. e information presented here comes from studied students and seasoned practitioners in the field. You will not find wish lists or theories of what may be but accumulated centuries of experience, study, and application in real life.

We at B. H. Carroll eological Institute are honored to partner with and support the Gerald E. Marsh Center for Chaplain Studies. Even the Center’s namesake, Dr. Gerald Marsh, retired seminary professor and chaplain, reflects the depth and longevity of those who serve in chaplain ministry. My prayer is that this volume will be the first of several resources that encourages and trains those who are called to chaplaincy and that more and more men and women will answer the call to this vital service to the spiritual needs of all people.

PREFACE

Dr. Jim Browning

Chaplaincy may very well be the fastest-growing ministry in the United States. Chaplains minister to persons of all faiths in a wide variety of nonreligious settings. e growing demand for effective chaplains requires a more refined and collaborative way to educate, support, and advocate. e Marsh Center for Chaplain Studies, a center of B. H. Carroll eological Institute, builds collaborative synergy with other chaplain agencies, institutions, faith groups, and educational institutions for a threefold purpose: to equip chaplains to meet tomorrow’s ministry needs, provide adaptive and creative solutions, and advocate publicly for chaplain ministry. e Marsh Center leverages an interfaith advisory team of diverse and highly experienced professional chaplains to bring critical insight, guidance, and support. e Heart of a Chaplain: Exploring Essentials for Ministry contains five sections. Section One seeks to define what chaplain ministry is. Our definition highlights the sacred and stresses the importance of God’s call and spiritual formation. Understanding and developing a chaplain’s foundational competencies starts an individual on a lifelong journey of learning.

Section Two answers two key questions: Who are chaplains, and what do chaplains do? is section focuses on the foundations of chaplain ministry and the multifaceted nature (roles and tasks) of chaplains.

Section ree focuses on the uniqueness of chaplain ministry. We highlight unique issues, challenges, and typical questions most chaplains must confront. We conclude this section with some keen insights from a chaplain’s spouse.

Section Four details the value of endorsement, professional chaplain standards, and continuing education.