Five Signs You're a Chaplain and Not a Pastor

Thom S. Rainer's Labor Day blog post is entitled Ten Signs a Pastor is Becoming a Chaplain. I generally find Rainer's blog to be a mixed bag. I'm not fond of blogs about "leadership", so I tend to pass over those posts. I have seen church plants thrive under Rainer's "Simple Church" approach, though, so sometimes his blog posts provide useful information.

Today's blog caught my interest because, as a volunteer prison chaplain, I thought it would be interesting to see what he had to say about the different approach a chaplain learns to take, as opposed to being a congregational pastor.

I even hoped it might be a little funny.

Instead, I read a post about pastors who spend so much time meeting the felt needs of people in the congregation that they have no time for other tasks. To make this point, Rainer compares his ideal of a pastor with his wholly warped understanding of what a chaplain actually does.

A couple of other chaplains replied to Rainer's post with complaints about his misunderstanding.  He responds, saying his chaplaincy metaphor is “far from perfect,” I don't think that goes far enough.

I suspect several chaplains clicked on this blog post hoping to see a constructive list of ways what we do is different from a congregation-based pastor. Instead, we read a list that discourages people from being chaplains, since what we do just doesn’t quite measure up to a pastor’s job.

As a volunteer prison chaplain, I recognize very little of the picture Rainer painted of a chaplain’s approach to ministry. Perhaps we need a more realistic list of ways to tell a pastor has become an actual chaplain.

1. The chaplain is constantly connecting with non-believers and seekers, many of whom have never considered setting foot inside the doors of a church.


2. The chaplain is actively equipping believers among the prisoners, military personnel, or hospital/nursing home workers who have more access and can do more to help people in need than the chaplain will ever be able to reach. 


3. The chaplain is always learning, always pursuing new initiatives and new ways to address the specific spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of people in situations and environments that have removed them from the sort of "normal" daily life of the average church member.


4. The chaplain is always planning for the future, but it’s often the future of the people he or she is ministering to, rather than the future of a program or an organization.


5. The chaplain, on a regular basis, experiences the lowest of lows but also experiences the greatest of joys in following the mission God has assigned to her or him. The chaplain constantly deals with people who are bitter, angry with God, and in constant life threatening situations. "Failure" in the chaplaincy often has immediate and soul-wrenching consequences. "Success" in chaplaincy can be an exhilarating victory in a very real spiritual battle.

I could go on, but won’t.

Mr. Rainer, I understand your point about church-bound pastors needing to do more than hold the hands of the flock. But you’ve chosen a way to make your point that wholly misrepresents chaplaincy.

I'd encourage you and every pastor who reads your blog, to wade into the waters of chaplaincy and experience its joys and heartaches.