Master of Chaplaincy Studies Lesson 6
Overview of the Role of a Chaplain in the United Methodist Church
A United Methodist chaplain is a clergyperson called by God and ordained by a bishop to minister outside the walls of the church, caring for those with deep needs. His or her ministry of witness and service extends God's love and service in various settings and requires specialized training to qualify for endorsement by The United Methodist Church.
To ensure high standards of competence and uniform standards, the United Methodist Endorsing Agency is responsible for enlisting, endorsing, and supporting ordained clergy serving in ministries of pastoral care in specialized settings. The primary difference between these appointments and those to local churches is the nature of the institution and the role of the minister in relationship to institutions with the primary purpose of education, international security, peacekeeping, incarceration, hospitalization, or profit.
What Do Chaplains Do?
A United Methodist chaplain's ecumenical ministry includes duties and responsibilities that include:
Prison—A prison chaplain serves inmates, staff and families, regardless of religious affiliation, providing for spiritual needs through preaching, teaching, baptizing, serving Holy Communion, counseling, and visiting. He or she serves as a link between the religious communities outside and inside prison by recruiting, training and supervising volunteers.
Volunteer chaplain finds 'open doors' in community
Andrew J. Schleicher, Jul 28, 2009
Andrew J. Schleicher, Jul 28, 2009
By Andrew J. Schleicher
United Methodist News Service
As a volunteer police chaplain, the Rev. Alex Vergara answers all kinds of calls, such as going to court to help a teenager who had landed in trouble.
"A high school boy got arrested and went to court with other teenagers for driving with an open bottle," Mr. Vergara says.
The family asked him to help the boy, who was on his way to college, so Mr. Vergara spoke with the judge and got leniency for the teen. The chaplain recently joined the family in honoring the young man as he graduated magna cum laude.
A local pastor, he does his chaplaincy with the Honolulu Police Department. Many police and fire departments cannot afford to hire a chaplain full time, so they rely on the contributions of volunteers.
Mr. Vergara has been in ministry for 33 years. Since retiring from active ministry during the June 17-20 session of the California-Pacific Annual Conference, he plans to devote even more time to his chaplaincy work.
"It opens a lot of doors in the community," he says.
The United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry approves chaplains for volunteer work in a process similar to the endorsement process for full-time chaplains. There are 205 United Methodists approved for volunteer chaplaincies, with 1,236 endorsed chaplains, according to Tom Carter, director of endorsement with the board's United Methodist Endorsing Agency.
Endorsed chaplains primarily work full time in the military and in medical institutions, or as pastoral counselors. Volunteer chaplains spend most of their time in local churches.
Mr. Vergara got involved as a volunteer chaplain when one of the Honolulu Police Department chaplains retired. He enjoyed the work so much that five years later he volunteered as a chaplain for the FBI and then became the first sheriff's chaplain.
He is one of seven chaplains—six Christian and one Buddhist—serving the Honolulu Police force. He provides counseling, house blessings and other types of blessings for members of the department, and also conducts wedding services. In addition, he teaches stress management, ethics and integrity, and other courses at the police academy.
United Methodist News Service
As a volunteer police chaplain, the Rev. Alex Vergara answers all kinds of calls, such as going to court to help a teenager who had landed in trouble.
"A high school boy got arrested and went to court with other teenagers for driving with an open bottle," Mr. Vergara says.
The family asked him to help the boy, who was on his way to college, so Mr. Vergara spoke with the judge and got leniency for the teen. The chaplain recently joined the family in honoring the young man as he graduated magna cum laude.
A local pastor, he does his chaplaincy with the Honolulu Police Department. Many police and fire departments cannot afford to hire a chaplain full time, so they rely on the contributions of volunteers.
Mr. Vergara has been in ministry for 33 years. Since retiring from active ministry during the June 17-20 session of the California-Pacific Annual Conference, he plans to devote even more time to his chaplaincy work.
"It opens a lot of doors in the community," he says.
The United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry approves chaplains for volunteer work in a process similar to the endorsement process for full-time chaplains. There are 205 United Methodists approved for volunteer chaplaincies, with 1,236 endorsed chaplains, according to Tom Carter, director of endorsement with the board's United Methodist Endorsing Agency.
Endorsed chaplains primarily work full time in the military and in medical institutions, or as pastoral counselors. Volunteer chaplains spend most of their time in local churches.
Mr. Vergara got involved as a volunteer chaplain when one of the Honolulu Police Department chaplains retired. He enjoyed the work so much that five years later he volunteered as a chaplain for the FBI and then became the first sheriff's chaplain.
He is one of seven chaplains—six Christian and one Buddhist—serving the Honolulu Police force. He provides counseling, house blessings and other types of blessings for members of the department, and also conducts wedding services. In addition, he teaches stress management, ethics and integrity, and other courses at the police academy.
Challenging duties
While he has had a police chaplain car for the last decade, Mr. Vergara also rides along with officers during operations and sometimes is among the first responders to a shooting or other police call.
"In my 33 years, I have seen a lot of homicides," he says.
In those instances, Mr. Vergara is immediately on the scene to comfort the mourning. The most difficult situations are suicides, he says. "My first suicide was a high school kid," he recalls. He also helps notify families of the deceased.
Mr. Vergara may be called to the scene of hostage situations, when he works alongside psychologists. He recently helped arrange for a church to make space available for a negotiating team when a man had barricaded himself in his car with his girlfriend.
Help is needed
More volunteers are always needed. "I encourage pastors to take a look at their local police departments to see if there is a need," Mr. Vergara says.
Mr. Carter says elders and deacons interested in volunteer chaplaincy should check with other organizations and agencies as well. "The important thing is their ability to provide ministry to people in crisis and stress," he says.
While he has had a police chaplain car for the last decade, Mr. Vergara also rides along with officers during operations and sometimes is among the first responders to a shooting or other police call.
"In my 33 years, I have seen a lot of homicides," he says.
In those instances, Mr. Vergara is immediately on the scene to comfort the mourning. The most difficult situations are suicides, he says. "My first suicide was a high school kid," he recalls. He also helps notify families of the deceased.
Mr. Vergara may be called to the scene of hostage situations, when he works alongside psychologists. He recently helped arrange for a church to make space available for a negotiating team when a man had barricaded himself in his car with his girlfriend.
Help is needed
More volunteers are always needed. "I encourage pastors to take a look at their local police departments to see if there is a need," Mr. Vergara says.
Mr. Carter says elders and deacons interested in volunteer chaplaincy should check with other organizations and agencies as well. "The important thing is their ability to provide ministry to people in crisis and stress," he says.
Volunteer chaplains are needed with local police and fire departments, Civil Air Patrol groups and in many other locations. The United Methodist General Board of Higher Education and Ministry approves chaplains for volunteer work in a process similar to the endorsement process for full-time chaplains. There are 205 United Methodists approved for volunteer chaplaincies, with 1,236 endorsed chaplains, according to Tom Carter, director of endorsement with GBHEM's United Methodist Endorsing Agency.Endorsed chaplains primarily work full time in military, medical institutions, or as pastoral counselors. Volunteer chaplains spend most of their time in local churches. While it is not always required, GBHEM provides approval for volunteer chaplains "to give them recognition for their volunteer service," Carter says. Some chaplain associations require this approval for membership.The approval process for volunteer chaplains takes a couple weeks. There is paperwork that must be submitted and the board will also check with the applicant's district superintendent.
Role of the CAP Chaplain
I am proud of the skills the United States Air Force and Civil Air Patrol Chaplain Service have given me in pastoral ministry: field ministry procedures, first aid, critical incident stress ministry, survival skills, map reading, communication, and more. We train for the worst case scenario and hope that in the process we learn to save lives. I consider it an honor to serve with the men and women who make up CAP's senior membership of more than 34,000, along with 24,000 cadets who are involved across the country. As first responders in emergency situations, they are willing to put themselves at risk to help others. The Civil Air Patrol provides opportunities to serve, help, and teach others. Cadets and adults grow in character and personal faith. With more than 700 chaplains recognized by the Department of Defense Armed Forces Chaplains Board, CAP chaplains represent the largest group of volunteer chaplains in the world. We are ordained men and women from all religious traditions who meet standards common to all military chaplains. A denomination or faith group officially approves each CAP chaplain. They have all earned an accredited undergraduate degree, and most have accredited seminary degrees. Wearing my Air Force style uniform, I have officiated at military funerals for veterans, prayed at highlevel banquets, mediated personal conflicts, filed numerous administrative reports, and been involved in many forms of ministry not known to clergy who only serve in a church setting.
Cadet Program
I also enjoy the one-on-one counseling with cadets. Cadet programs develop the potential of youth sixth grade to age 21, giving them character development training and often helping them become leaders in tomorrow's military services. It is a great ministry to see the evolution of young people into responsible, sensitive young leaders!
Aerospace Education
Building rockets, teaching aviation principles, flying your own plane, and helping to save lives is both fun and rewarding. The CAP aerospace education programs for its own members, as well as for entire school systems, is an excellent opportunity to encourage others to learn about air and space. The United Methodist Church prepared me for a local church ministry and the opportunity to serve God and this nation as a chaplain. I am a CAP chaplain because it gives me opportunities for exciting ministry while maintaining my interest in aviation and our country
May God Bless you.....
Rod
Luke 14:23
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