FUNCTIONALITY, THE
ANTIDOTE TO UNLOCKING YOUR HIDDEN POTENTIALS AS CHAPLAIN
Functionality means
the quality of something being very stable for the purpose it was designed for
or expected to perform. Functionality of trained Chaplains is a challenge for
the Chaplaincy profession in Africa especially Nigeria in particular. Function
means a special activity or purpose of a person or thing, the social event or
official economy.
NB: The greatest
challenges the Chaplaincy profession is facing today in our nation have been
discovered to be that of “Functionality.”
Chaplaincy was
introduced into Nigeria through the Royal British Army by the Colonial Masters
at about 150 years ago. Chaplains were then limited and restricted to the
military barracks and cantonments in their operations as they render their
services to serving officers and their family members.
The functionality of
Chaplains was limited in scope and nature to only military formations until
Churches appointed Chaplains to assist their Bishops, which made Chaplaincy
services available to Church members, congregation and their families.
However, round about
the year 1981AD, Civil Chaplaincy services was introduced into our nation by
Sir Ige Olumide of blessed memory. This singular act of his brought Chaplaincy
services to the majority of the populace of our father land.
Since the year 1981AD
thousands of Chaplains have been trained by various Chaplaincy organizations.
Training, though an important factor in the growing and development of
Chaplains who are expected to deliver the goods to the public in our nation and
world, training seems not to be the end.
What then becomes of
the Chaplains trained by these Chaplaincy organizations is our concern and one
of the challenges facing our noble profession right now is “Functionality of
the Chaplains” rolled out since 1981AD to date, remains a great challenge to us
and our noble profession.
The following
questions I stand to ask you colleagues who are reading this write up with
wrapped attention are:
i.
What
were these Chaplains trained for and to do?
ii.
What
had been the functions of these Chaplains being produced since 1981AD?
iii.
Have
these Chaplains performed creditably and satisfactorily? What challenges do
they have to face in the performance of their duties?
iv.
What
do we have to do now to tackle and find lasting solutions to whatever
challenges they have to contend with in the discharge of their duties?
v.
What
will the Chaplaincy profession do in making sure that functionality becomes the
watchword in the profession as well as in various Chaplaincy organizations?
Dysfunctionality is
surely the bane to sustainable development of Chaplaincy profession.
One of the greatest
challenges facing Chaplains in our nation has been discovered to be that of
functionality of Chaplains to enable them provide profitable services to
humanity and general public.
It will therefore be
expedient for us to consider some known causes of this noticeable challenges
and difficulties in Chaplaincy practice and services in our nation.
Causes of dysfucntionality of chaplains in Nigeria:
i.
Inadequate
preparation and shoddy training of Chaplains.
ii.
Shallowness
of the training curriculum and manuals of most Chaplaincy training institutes,
colleges and academies.
iii.
Inadequate
preparation of trainers and lack of trainers trainings for updates.
iv.
Lack
of specializations in training Chaplains, expected to function in different
areas of life.
v.
Duplication
of courses by most training institutions
vi.
Unavailability
of many professional books or text books on Chaplaincy.
vii.
Unavailability
of professional journals that can be useful for the continuous development of
Chaplains.
viii.
Educational
limitations of trainee Chaplains
NB: In specialized institutions like “Technical schools and
colleges, there are specialized departments and divisions such as carpentry and
hand works, fabrication, electrical, mechanical, foundry etc. Although there
are basic or general courses all students are made to study, as soon as they
are done with those courses, their attention will be directed to their area of
specializations.
Likewise, after the
universal basic general study courses in general Chaplaincy practice has been
done with, trainee Chaplains must be made to focus their attention on the areas
of their choice and specializations such as Hospital Chaplaincy, Aviation
Chaplaincy, Parliamentary Chaplaincy, Sport Chaplaincy etc. Failure to address
this area poses danger to the development of the profession as well as the
development of the practicing Chaplains.
Profounded Remedies:
As a professional
Chaplain, who has been cross-trained to proffer solutions to problems and
difficulties in life, please find my suggested remedies capable of providing
the needed solutions to the functionality issues of Chaplains we keep on
rolling out of various Chaplaincy colleges and institutions.
- Provision of
adequate training for trainee Chaplains by Chaplaincy institutions and
colleges.
- Proper
curriculum development by training institutions to help produce the type
of professional Chaplains needed by our society and the public we are
called to serve.
- Training
institutions must be prepared to discover areas Chaplaincy services are
needed in our national economy and fashion courses that will help provide
or produce the needed man-power for service.
- Continuous and
re-training programmes must be developed and put in place by training
institutions and colleges as well as Chaplaincy associations with the aims
of making all practicing Chaplains relevant in life.
- We now live in a
sophisticated society, enjoying the benefits of advanced technology
challenges and difficulties. Challenges and difficulties we encounter in
operating in sophisticated societies demand practices and services beyond
“General practice.” Our system must learn to devote their attention to the
production of specialized professionals. Professional courses must be
developed along special areas needing the services of Chaplains.
- Chaplaincy
training institutions and colleges should learn to do away with
duplicating and copying others. Originality should be our watchword.
Duplicating other people’s efforts encourages mediocrity.
- Chaplaincy
organizations, professional Chaplaincy associations must learn to
collaborate with government and government agencies to create an enabling
environment for Chaplaincy practice and services.
- Endeavouring
that trained Chaplains are incorporated into public service by government.
- Training
institutions should be encouraged to produce specialized Chaplains and
they should be celebrated and rewarded for such.
10.
Practicing
Chaplains must be made to know their duties and be made to be committed to
fulfilling such duties and never go beyond such in any given situation.
11.
Practicing
Chaplains should be encouraged to obtain membership of international Chaplaincy
associations relevant to their specializations to enable them obtain current
views of practice as obtained in developed nations of the world.
12.
As
Chaplaincy profession is not an invention of Africans. We would need to learn
how Chaplaincy profession is practice in developed nations of the world and
what services Chaplains render to people fashioning our own practice against
such with needed modifications to suit the needs of our own society.
In conclusion, there
is a need for mounting of advocacy to make the public see the usefulness of
Chaplains in the society and to receive the needed recognition from the
government of the day.
Chap. Prof. Mike David D. JP, AP, BSC, MBA, PHD, D.D,
DED, THD.
DMin. Chaplaincy Major, CPC, CCE, CBC.
Professor of Anthropology.
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