Understanding Who Chaplains Are?

All over the world, there are many kinds of chaplains working or engaged to work in diverse places of work in societies of the world. However, these chaplains who are professional practitioners may be categorized or classified according to their places of work.

In this discourse, I intend to categorize or classify chaplains according to their places of work in chaplaincy settings:-

1.     Public Chaplains: Public chaplains are professional chaplaincy practitioners serving the general public in various public institutions, public works, departments, public hospitals, correctional centers, public schools, colleges and universities.

These chaplains are expected to practice chaplaincy and offer chaplaincy care and services to people in public institutions and establishments called government institutions.

Just as there are public accountants who also offer accounting services in public sectors and establishments; there are also public chaplaincy even today.

NB: Public chaplains, what I want to say is not inferior to other chaplains

2.     Private Chaplains: Private Chaplains, are chaplaincy practitioners who offer their chaplaincy care and services through their professional chaplaincy practice and service delivery. Those set of chaplains or crop of chaplains serve people in private professional practices.

In their capacities, these crops of chaplains offer chaplaincy services as private practitioners. They are not in private practice because they are owned by private chaplaincy organizations but rather because they offered chaplaincy care and services in private settings, organizations or institutions owned by private individuals or groups.

For example, many accountants, lawyers, medical doctors, engineers, pharmacists etc. are in private professional practice to date.

3.     Civilian Chaplains: This crop of chaplains are never members of regimented organization or sector , they are purely civilian who have chosen chaplaincy as their profession, occupation and vocation as they have the calling to serve the civilian population which is the greater percentage of the society’s population.

Civilian chaplains, whether lay or traditional chaplains, denominational or religious chaplains are non-military or para-military chaplains; they do not need to be.

It must be made bare at this juncture that Association of Professional Chaplains Inc., a chaplaincy professional body has her doors wide open to all chaplains, whether military or none military provided they desire to become professional chaplains

Civil Chaplains: Civilian chaplains are sometimes called civil chaplains which simply means chaplains who have chosen to serve people in the public or civil service. I wish to dispel the erroneous view of some people who consider the word civil as inferior.

Civil chaplains are in no way inferior to any other types or group of chaplains. there are civil servants, who work in the civil service, serving people or populace from government officers such as ministers, MDAS etc. There are also civil engineers, who are professional engineers offering special engineering services to people in communities in all nations world over.

 Civil chaplains are therefore not civil because they are inferior but because they have chosen to make services available to civil populace.

Scope of Chaplaincy Practice: Chaplaincy is a well-structured profession with individual professional practitioners knowing their scope of practice and service delivery.

While the scope of chaplaincy practice in the military is limited to military organizations, cantonment, barracks and military institutions only;  and chaplaincy scope of practice in the law enforcement agencies are limited to the law enforcement agencies and para-military organizations; the scope of practice for civil chaplains are also limited to the civil populace of the world.

We should be able to see a very clear cut professional boundary setting so as to forestall confusion, impersonation and unhealthy rivalry between professional practitioners and various professions.

Please take note of this and give room for decorum in practice!!

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Chap. David Mike-Jacobs CPC, CPST, BCC.

Professor of Anthropology, Certified Chaplaincy Educator & Trainer.

Blog: thechaplain1.blogspot.com

11^th Oct, AD2022