“Spiritual Care: Chaplains Beyond Spiritual Roles”
By Renée Owen
Just prior to moving into the role as CBF Endorser, I served as an executive director for spiritual care at a large hospital system. Our team of chaplains often joked during staff meetings that “all we do is pray!” The reality was we needed to continue to educate our hospital administration and interdisciplinary team of doctors, nurses, social workers and therapists that our work as chaplains extended beyond spiritual and religious roles.
When thinking of chaplains, many people picture chaplains praying, leading prayer services, providing sacred texts and devotional materials, performing weddings and funerals and providing spiritual guidance. All of these spiritual interventions and rituals are accurate of a chaplain’s role. At it’s best, spiritual care is offered to individuals meeting them where they are along their journey, respectful of their expression of faith, holding the person’s narrative as sacred, identifying spiritual and religious needs and discerning care that will be most helpful to the individual.
Based on the needs of those in their care, chaplains and pastoral counselors take on many different roles, often beyond religious roles. Trained in giving support to meet a wide array of spiritual, emotional, social and other needs, chaplains and pastoral counselors are available to offer support in non-traditional ways. Here are just a few.
Advance directive facilitator: Having a working knowledge of the end-of-life decision making process, chaplains can help inidividuals and families understand and complete state forms for living wills, name a healthcare representative and assist with end-of-life wishes.
Advocate: Chaplains and pastoral counselors promote health and wellness, equality of services offered, access to resources and advocate for an individual’s rights and care.
Celebrator of healing/new birth: Chaplains lead or assist in celebrating the completion of medical treatments and the arrival of newborns.
Coach: Chaplains and pastoral counselors recognize others’ gifts and know how to encourage them to become their best self.
Crisis intervention: During times of crisis on small and large scales, chaplains and pastoral counselors provide leadership, debriefing and support.
Diversity/inclusion supporter: Chaplains and pastoral counselors embrace and promote cultural humility, recognizing the importance of meeting the needs of people of all cultures, languages, gender identity, sexual orientation and racial and ethnic diversities.
Ethics consult: Well versed in ethics and ethical thinking, chaplains and pastoral counselors can provide important input and help guide conversations and decision making when ethical conflicts arise.
Emotional comforter: For people who do not identify as religious, chaplains and pastoral counselors are trained in providing non-religious compassionate comfort.
Family support: Trained to provide support to families who face difficult times, chaplains and pastoral counselors can provide assistance to families in conflict.
Grief counseling/bereavement support: Chaplains and pastoral counselors provide professional-level support to those who are grieving. (To note – pastoral counselors enter into therapeutic relationships with individuals, while chaplains do not.)
Liaison: Chaplains facilitate cooperation between many disciplines in specialized settings, as well as communicate and refer to community clergy, agencies and resources as needed or requested.
Mediator: Chaplains and pastoral counselors are trained to be mediators for individuals in specialized settings, families and organizational staff to resolve conflicts peacefully.
Moral injury support: Trained in supporting veterans and others who have endured personal moral injury, chaplains and pastoral counselors are a source of support and healing for those who have experienced experienced traumatic events.
Pre/post-surgery care: Trained in the cognitive and emotional needs of patients undergoing surgery and other procedures, chaplains offer spiritual care, support and a calming presence.
Navigators of systems: Chaplains have knowledge of the ins and outs of complex medical, military, federal and other systems in order to guide others to find the resources they need.
Suicide prevention counselors: Trained in recognizing signs of suicidal ideation, chaplains and pastoral counselors assist in suicide prevention and professional referral to individuals in crisis.
Supportive presence: When individuals feel as if they have no one to turn to, chaplains and pastoral counselors serve as a non-judgmental, caring and trusted professional presence.
Supporters for people with addiction issues: Some chaplains and pastoral counselors specialize in giving support to those dealing with dependency on illicit drugs and/or prescription medicine.
Utilizers of telecare: A growing number of chaplains and pastoral counselors now use Internet video connections to provide spiritual care, support and counseling to individuals and families in various specialized settings.
Currently, 902 actively serving CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors offer professional spiritual care beyond their religious roles. Daily, they do so in an excellent manner, representing the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, embodying the presence of God’s love and the hope of Christ throughout our country and world.
During this global celebration of Spiritual Care Week, I invite you to join me in celebrating, thanking and praying for CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors. Pray that they will be refilled, refreshed and renewed, as they continue to live out their calling to enter into holy moments, create sacred spaces and offer care beyond religious roles to all persons.
To learn more about the work of CBF Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors, please visit our webpage at https://cbf.net/chaplaincy-pastoral-counseling.
To pray for our CBF-Endorsed Chaplains and Pastoral Counselors by name, please access a copy of “Prayers of the People” at https://cbf.net/prayers-of-the-people.
You can support the work of our CBF Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling Ministries with gifts to the George Pickle Fund and Chaplaincy Assistance Fund.
Spiritual Care Week is celebrated the last week of October and offers us the opportunity to highlight the sacred work of chaplains and pastoral counselors. It was first designated in 1985 by the Network on Ministry in Specialized Settings (“COMISS”). This year’s theme is “Spiritual Care: Chaplains Beyond Spiritual Roles”.
Renée Owen is the Endorser and Director of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling Ministries for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Renée oversees the chaplaincy and pastoral counseling ministries endorsement process, including coaching and mentoring seminary students and ordained clergy through the process, as well as providing ongoing professional and emotional/spiritual support to our endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors, serving as a “chaplain to the chaplains.” Connect with her at rowen@cbf.net.