Effective and Beneficial Chaplaincy Service Delivery in Nigeria and Continent of Africa.

Effective and Beneficial Chaplaincy Service Delivery in Nigeria and Continent of Africa.

For an effective and beneficial chaplaincy services delivery in Nigeria and Continent of Africa. These 8 Rs of chaplaincy must come to play.

For clarity of purpose, permit me here again to itemize the 7 Rs again with an additional one, with reasons why they must of necessity come to play in chaplaincy profession and chaplaincy practice.

1.     Restructuring Chaplaincy:

Either for lack of needed structures right from inception or deformed and polluted structures because of what was built on the original foundation; there is a need for the restructuring of chaplaincy and chaplaincy practice to enable it meet with the yearnings of the people of our nation and continent of Africa in contemporary times.

2.     Reorganizing Chaplaincy:

The present organization of chaplaincy outfits and organizations in our nation and Africa is precarious and chaotic, depicting an incoordination of highest order. This therefore calls for reorganizing of chaplaincy organizations and outfits in line with professional dictates and areas of specialization.

Health care chaplains will be concerned with people in the area of their specialization while the correctional and prison chaplains will concern themselves with their own specialized community.

3.     Reengineering Chaplaincy:

The way chaplaincy and chaplaincy practice was patterned in the past in Nigeria is nothing to be desired or write home about. There is therefore a need for a complete reengineering of chaplaincy and service delivery in our nation to enable practicing professional chaplains meet with the yearnings and aspirations of the Nigerian populace.

4.     Refocusing Chaplaincy:

Either the original focus of chaplaincy and service delivery was defective or has been shifted so badly that chaplains have been classified by people of this nation to be a set of confused, uncoordinated professionals. Thus calling for refocusing chaplaincy and service delivery in contemporary Nigeria and Africa.

5.     Representing Chaplaincy:

Chaplaincy had in the past been presented wrongly and in bad light to the general public, which gave chaplains the picture of terrors, terrorizing the society they are called to serve and even security agents by breaking through   road blocks with impunity; as they impersonate military officers, until of recent where such chaplains are beaten to a comatose level at check points for criminal acts.

There is therefore a need for us to - chaplaincy rightly and in the right light to the people of this great nation and continent. We must endeavor to re-present the right chaplaincy concept to the public.

We must endeavor to re-present the right chaplaincy to the public. We must endeavor to re-present chaplains (a new breed of chaplains) rightly to the public as professionals who interact with people with compassion and empathy not as brutes or terrors.

6.     Repositioning Chaplaincy:

The present position of chaplaincy, chaplaincy practice and service delivery in our nation Nigeria is nothing to write home about. There is therefore a need for us to reposition chaplaincy, chaplaincy practice and the service delivery in Nigeria to be able to bring benefits and dividends of chaplaincy to the people of our nation and continent of Africa.

7.     Recapitulating Chaplaincy:

Taking chaplaincy from one stage of development to another. Ensuring chaplaincy practice is not stagnated but allowed to move from one stage to another to ensure improved and effective chaplaincy service delivery.

8.     Re-invigorating Chaplaincy:

Practicing chaplains in Nigeria and Africa need reinvigoration for beneficial services to people of our great nation. There is an incessant need for chaplains in Nigeria and continent of Africa to be reinvigorated; to enable them be competent in offering the needed services at any given situation to people of our continent in contemporary times.

Chaplaincy profession as well as the practicing chaplains can become like their counterparts in developed nations of the world; if adequate precautions are taken.

As we have chosen chaplaincy to be our profession, let us into the situation surrounding the profession now and have a rethink and make the needed amendment for the needed change to take place. It is now or never!

God bless you all.

Chap. Prof. Mike-Jacobs

Certified Chaplaincy Educator