One of the many impressions I got from meeting with the Baptist General Conference’s Ministerial Guidance Committee (BGC MGC) was that I needed to slow things down a tad. They felt that I was pursuing ordination the next step in my career as a chaplain when they felt it was more of a pinnacle accomplishment. My response was that I did not like having to use ordination in this way either, but such was necessary to pursue the career that I felt God was calling me to, that of chaplaincy. They suggested seeing if I could do so with the ministerial license I already have. I did look into it, but at the current time with my present qualifications, the best chaplaincy position I can get is the one I already have.
Still, I do understand their desire for me to take things a bit slower. Sometimes I do have a tendency to race ahead when I feel God’s call on my life. A few times it has even felt like I raced too far and too fast. I was so sure that God wanted me in a certain position that I did everything I could to get there and then when I got there I realized that I was not quite ready for it. Sigh, sometimes I wonder if having all this free will is really all it is cracked up to be. Would it not be easier if we were all robots that simply did what God told us to do and never thought about other alternatives? But then I remember, God did not create us to be simply followers; He created us to be friends and lovers (John 15:9-17).
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If you don't mind, could you please tell me what you did to prepare for you job as a chaplain? I found your jounal as I was searching for information. I am an m.div student with a greek/care and counseling emphasis. I'll do that CPE internship and residency but I really don't want to be ordained and its frustrating to hear that I might have to reconsider this. If you could point me in the direction of any web information thats been helpful to you, that would be great too.
Blessings.
It really depends what kind of chaplain you want to be. Some chaplaincy don't require ordination, per say, though every one that I've encountered require some kind of recognition of your call to ministry be it from your local church or larger denomination. If your local church is part of a larger denomination, I would go to their website and see what they advise for those pursuing chaplaincy. You can also check out the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (www.acpe.edu) and the Association of Professional Chaplains (www.proffesionalchaplains.org). The ACPE is the organization that educates chaplains. All the chaplain supervisors you will be under during your CPE unit and residency are certified by them to supervise you. the APC is the certifying body for Proffesional chaplains. Most of the hospital chaplains I have come across are certified by the APC. They do require Ordination and Endorsement by your denomination. Feel free to email me at mwwillard77@yahoo.com with any other questions you may have. I'd be happy to try and answer them. I hope all is well with you. God bless!
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