How Do I Become an Ordained Chaplin?
Chaplains offer pastoral advice and care to individuals in trying situations, regardless of their religious beliefs. You can often find chaplains in prisons or hospitals. You must have years of training and experience to become an ordained chaplain.
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Instructions
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Provide a statement of personal faith. Chaplains must have converted to Christianity and have a deep relationship with Jesus Christ.
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Gain a theological degree or an equivalent qualification. Chaplain Fellowship Ministries International runs an equivalent course. You pay $145 for membership, but the course is free. You complete modules throughout the course and earn a certificate after each module is finished.
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Work as an ordained minister for at least two years. You must show that you have ministerial experience before becoming an ordained chaplain. Chaplains must maintain their ministerial registration with the organization that ordained them, so they have an organization to which they are accountable.
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Go to the Healthcare Chaplains Ministry Association, or HCMA, website. Click on "Contact us" in the right-hand corner of the page. Fill out the required information on the form. Await contact from the organization. Fill out the application form that the organization sends you, and provide references. Wait to see if your initial application has been successful and go to the interview.
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Complete a second application that the organization sends you. The HCMA will check your educational and personal background, as well as your ministerial qualifications and experience.
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Sign the required statement of faith and ethics document for the particular organization.
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Work as an apprentice chaplain under the guidance of a senior chaplain for 1,600 hours. The training will encompass all aspects of ministry as a chaplain, and will include providing pastoral care to people who have faiths other than Christianity.
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Tips & Warnings
To gain valuable experience, do voluntary work with a chaplain.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit tour de la porte prison image by richard villalon from Fotolia.com
