Chaplains Move In Next Door, Aim to Care for America
Lay Christians are being trained and sent out to be chaplains in their neighborhood as part of a new initiative to mobilize thousands to care for communities across the United States.
"Our vision is to have thousands of chaplains serving millions of people by 2012," said Mark Cress, founder and president of Corporate Chaplains of America, in a statement.
"While community chaplains are not professional counselors, they can offer care to people who may not have anyone else," he said. "They can be the light in the darkness for a person in need."
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According to data from The Barna Research Group, 60 percent of people do not attend church on a typical weekend.
"What this data indicates is that a significant majority of people encountered in the community environment have no pastor or other caregiver to turn to during a time of crisis," said Chris Hobgood, Corporate Chaplains of America vice president of chaplain and project development.
"By training church members to adequately provide care, we can show Christ's love through our actions and help those in the community face difficult times and situations," he added.
The creators of the Community Chaplains of America program have been providing care in the workplace since 1996 through Corporate Chaplains of America. With nearly 100 chaplains, Corporate Chaplains of America serves some 600 business locations across the nation.
"We have seen the need to provide care and support not only in the workplace but in other areas of the community," Hobgood noted.
A community chaplain is someone who reaches out to the community by building relationships with the hope of gaining permission to share the good news of Christ in a "non-threatening" way. Community Chaplains of America volunteers are trained never to force the evangelistic message, but to only offer it with the person's consent.
They develop relationships by serving as a "pastor to people who have no pastors." Chaplain care can include hospital visitation, marriage or family care giving, and assistance with a variety of other difficult issues.
Community chaplain training takes place through an Empowerment Kit that includes books, interactive workbooks and educational CD's by seminary-trained corporate chaplains.
The Empowerment Kit was recently named one of the top five finalists in the Fifth Annual Outreach Resources of the Year Award.
Upon completion of the training materials, volunteers need to be commissioned by their local church before being qualified as an official Community Chaplains of America volunteer.
Community Chaplains of America volunteers are encouraged to serve as a chaplain in an area where they are active. This can include their own workplaces, the soccer fields, airports, coffee shops, nursing homes and other locations.
Corporate Chaplains of America was founded in 1996 to provide genuine "Caring in the Workplace," while following a structured business plan built upon process management principles. The organization employs full time, long term, career chaplains who combine workplace experience with professional chaplaincy training.
