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To be a good chaplain, I believe it's necessary to get an education in “practical ministry,” regardless of whether your particular ministry is a specific sort of chaplaincy, or acting in the counseling aspect of being a pastor or spiritual leader to a community.

I learned a number of valuable things, and the course breaks down into several general areas of chaplaincy: historical background, institutions that chaplains serve, ceremonial services, ethics and behavior, and helpful, practical “tricks of the trade.”

Chaplains serve anywhere there are those under stress, in trouble, and in need of spiritual support. While things such as airport, truck stop, or industrial chaplaincy may seem silly and weird, the lengthy history of military chaplaincy tells us something about how people need ministry and support in times of even work stress, or that encountered while traveling. it is a noble background, and not to get too political, it's somewhat discouraging to me that the military is currently contemplating bringing in “atheist ministers” (however you can possibly conceive that) to “minister” to atheist soldiers. It seems counterintuitive, counterproductive, and merely politically correct in sort of an “Idiocracy” kind of way. “There’s nothing else out there, so shoot ‘em up, it doesn’t matter?” Baffling. A better approach, I think, would be to bring on specifically military interfaith chaplains, but that’s just me- the military doesn’t ask for my opinion.

In the “where one ministers” lessons, we really get down to some of the how-to of the process, and these actually helped me come to a decision on where best to minister for me, personally.

The differences in “application” (for lack of a better word) are interesting. Military, police & fire, hospitals, hospice, nursing homes, the workplace, etc., all come with their own distinct needs and situations. Some are on- going relationships, some (like hospice and hospitals) are relationships that are very temporary (Rev. Daniel’s suggestion of reading Kubler-Ross was excellent). In many of these situations, we will encounter varying degrees of grief and loss. In the public safety arena, we will be dealing with people who see, daily, an incredible amount of horror and some of the worst things that humanity does. Being A Chaplain requires an incredible versatility in skill and understanding, and as the lessons suggest, an effective chaplain will become familiar with a given situation, both generally and specifically, when jumping in to serve.

Ceremonies for Chaplains are interesting. There’s not only sort of a line that can’t be crossed in certain situations (specifically denominational services in most general chaplaincy situations requiring an interfaith approach, for example), but there’s a certain amount of creativity in doing this, whether it's a periodic religious service, a building dedication, holiday blessings, or national holidays. I do the occasional wedding, and it is fascinating how much a basic celebration can vary, and how much research sometimes needs to be done to get it just right.

Other behavioral instruction concerning ministry were relevant, and struck me as being very similar to the skills/ behavior necessary for a sales job (which is what I primarily do). Being a good, active listener, I believe, is essential. I believe this is likely the biggest aspect of effective ministry, and I agree that this, itself, is a way of aiding people to heal. The information and advice counseling the grieving was excellent (as I inferred, this motivated me to read Kubler-Ross) and I found it particularly fascinating (and somewhat startling) to discover that losing a job is just as big a form of loss as any other and involves just as much grieving as any other kind of loss. For some reason, that had not occurred to me (although I’ve lost jobs before) and it is something particularly relevant for an industrial chaplain .

As a result of taking this ULC Seminary course, I think I’m far better prepared to enter the arena as an organized, practical minister, and I am motivated to begin formalizing this more as a career. -- Rev. David Mavity