Chaplains work in the military, healthcare, prisons, higher education, airports, ports, police and fire departments, government settings, disaster zones, with sports teams, in social movements, and in a range of community organizations. Some lead local congregations and volunteer as chaplains on the side while others work more full-time as chaplains. Full time positions for spiritual care providers are largely available in healthcare, the military, prisons, and higher education.
Chaplains provide compassionate presence to vulnerable people in need of spiritual care. The work varies significantly by the setting in which chaplains work. Navigate the sector tabs to learn more about the daily work of a chaplain.
A Handbook of Chaplaincy Studies Understanding Spiritual Care in Public Places
A Christian Theology of Chaplaincy
Chaplaincy Ministry and the Mission of the Church by 
Professional Spiritual and Pastoral Care : a practical clergy and chaplain's handbook
Professional Chaplaincy and Clinical Pastoral Education Should Become More Scientific : Yes and No by 
The Arts of Contemplative Care : pioneering voices in Buddhist chaplaincy and pastoral work by 
A Ministry of Presence : chaplaincy, spiritual care, and the law by 
Edge of Ministry : the chaplain story : chaplain ministry of the United Methodist Church, 1945-1980 by 
Enlisting Faith : How the Military Chaplaincy Shaped Religion and State in Modern America by 
Evidence-Based Healthcare Chaplaincy : a research reader by Training requirements vary based on where you want to work. Navigate the sector tabs to learn more about the specific trainings and qualifications required to become a chaplain..
In some settings, clinical training is required for work as a chaplain or spiritual care provider. There are several clinical training organizations in the United States with different approaches to training and certifications, including from the U.S. Department of Education.
ACPE: the Standard for Spiritual Care Education is the largest and oldest accredited clinical training organization. ACPE Educators offer Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at more than 450 locations across the United States, many of which combine onsite and online learning opportunities. Classes - called units - of Clinical Pastoral Education are experiential, typically taking place in healthcare and other settings where students interact with patients and clients as part of their training. Students learn in small groups with other students and an educator. The training includes a combination of group work, individual conversation, and time spent with patients and clients.
All CPE is interfaith bringing theological students and leaders of all faiths into supervised encounters with persons in crisis. Out of an intense involvement with persons in need, and the feedback from peers and teachers, students develop new awareness of themselves as persons and of the needs of those to whom they minister. From theological reflection on specific human situations, they gain a new understanding of ministry. Within the interdisciplinary team process of helping persons, they develop skills in interpersonal and interprofessional relationships.
Most units average 400 hours, 300 in experiential caregiving and 100 in process and content learning. Some settings offer residencies which are 3-4 consecutive units that take place over a calendar year in a full-time work/training context. Each CPE training center reviews and admits its own students. Guidelines for finding a center and applying are here. Each center sets its own fees and timelines for applications and units.
CPE training is divided into Level 1, Level 2, and Educator CPE. Students must complete the learning objectives at each level before advancing to the next. These objectives are evaluated by Educators and / or Committees. We encourage students considering CPE to talk with current CPE students at the centers they are considering to learn more about the approach of the Educator and whether their skills and approach would be a good match.
Chaplaincy jobs require between zero and four units of CPE. Check listings for the kinds of positions you are interested in when deciding how much CPE to do.
Some jobs in chaplaincy and spiritual care require the endorsement of a religious or spiritual organization. Stated most simply, endorsement is a stamp of approval that you are in an accountable relationship with a spiritual or religious organization. Endorsement typically implies that you are fully qualified as a religious leader in the tradition you claim. Different sectors have different rules about who can endorse those they employ as chaplains.Positions in the military, federal prisons, and the Veterans Administration require endorsement. Chaplaincy and spiritual care positions in most other settings usually do not. Some - like in higher education - may require candidates to be ordained but this tends to be institution specific.
We have identified several dozen professional associations that support chaplains and spiritual caregivers from a range of backgrounds working in a broader range of settings.
The world of chaplaincy is changing rapidly and chaplains are more and more part of the public conversation. This is where you’ll find top national news stories on spiritual care providers.
Review the Lab’s past webinars and listen to how chaplains in different settings work. Also learn from and about the professional organizations in different settings. And connect with people in those settings through the Lab’s private Facebook group.
Experienced chaplains answer this question by encouraging you to be yourself and to know your own strengths and weaknesses. Look for a mentor or sponsor (we can try to help through the Lab). There are a very broad range of people who do the work of chaplaincy and space for all in the field we believe.
Many degree programs, CPE programs and chaplains pivoted to working remotely with the COVID-10 pandemic and there are a lot of resources about tele-chaplaincy on the website of the Lab. Whether and how this will continue to be part of the work of chaplain’s is an open question.
More and more theological schools are starting degree programs for people interested in working in spiritual care and chaplaincy. A complete list of degree programs is here. Write to Michael Skaggs or ask in the private Facebook group for alums of particular programs of interest and ask people about their experiences. Also consider taking a unit of CPE before you jump into a degree program to see if your perspective changes once you start to get your feet wet.
We suggest courses in pastoral care and counseling, trauma, psychology, organizational systems and group dynamics, and world religions. Courses in leadership, social psychology and cultural theory are also helpful.
If you want to work in a position that requires endorsement, you will not be able to do so unless you can be endorsed. For some, endorsement is as simple as a letter from one’s clergy or head of their local religious group. Some people have switched religious or spiritual groups in order for this to be possible. Send us an email with your question / situation and we will try to connect you with someone who faced this challenge recently. Also sign-up for our private Facebook group [link here] and consider posing your question to the group.
Interesting question. Only chaplaincy positions in some sectors / institutions require membership in a religious or spiritual group. Consider joining the Lab’s private Facebook group for chaplains to seek support or ask for advice from people in situations like yours that have navigated these paths before. For example, the Humanist Society is an organization many who self-define as spiritual but not religious have found as helpful.
If you aim to make a living as a chaplain, we encourage you to focus on sectors where there are full time jobs for chaplains. These include the military, federal prisons, some state prisons, the Veterans Administration, healthcare including hospitals, hospices, and retirement and nursing facilities and higher education. There are some full-time positions in other settings but these are fewer and further between. Check out current job listings to get a sense of the kinds of positions available and their geographic locations. In urban areas with regular graduates looking for chaplaincy positions, positions in hospice are often most plentiful.
There are part-time positions in many sectors through in some - notably municipal and social movements - many chaplains are volunteers. It is common for chaplains to combine part-time paid or volunteer work in spiritual care with paid full or part-time positions in other settings.
Check out current job listings to get a sense of the kinds of positions available and their geographic locations.
We are working to gather that information now and will update the answer here as soon as we have it. Until then, consider checking Glassdoor or other online resources and putting in your geographic location.
The Chaplaincy Innovation Lab, based at Brandeis University, supports research, teaching, and the provision of spiritual care in a range of settings.
