Academic Catalog: Chaplaincy
The chaplaincy program exists to prepare students to represent the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the religious judicatory they belong to, in the pluralistic workplace. Chaplains can be found in the military, healthcare, prisons, residential treatment centers, churches, business settings, campuses, rescue missions, airports, malls, parachurches, and with first providers and sports teams, among others. Similar to missionaries, chaplains take ministry to others rather than wait for people to come to them so the placements are ever expanding. The chaplaincy concentration in the MDiv program prepares future chaplains for ordination, endorsement, certification, and credentialing for any and all forms of chaplaincy; the MA in Counseling Ministries with the optional concentration in chaplaincy prepares future chaplains for more informal forms of chaplaincy that do not normally require ordination and credentialing, but that may require more counseling skills. Courses emphasize the importance of being grounded in one’s own Christian faith and traditions without compromise, while being respectful of a pluralistic clientele and cooperative in a secular setting.
CHP 511 Military Chaplain Practicum
This course is designed for commissioned military chaplain candidates who are attending their military candidate basic training course and base/post military site training. Students will learn the basics of officership and entry-level chaplaincy skills and values. They will need to formulate a practicum training and evaluation plan in consultation with their military training officer/supervisor and the chaplaincy mentoring director prior to their military candidate training. Recommended prerequisite: CHP 550 The Many Faces of Chaplaincy. One hour.
CHP 550 The Many Faces of Chaplaincy
Examines the theological and cultural issues of a formal and informal ministry setting. Explores the similarities and differences among the various types of chaplaincy ministry. Gives attention to ministry in religiously pluralistic, multicultural, and multistaff environments and emphasizes skills, strategies, and character traits necessary for effective ministry. Offered spring semesters, even years. Two hours.
CHP 650 Community-Based Clinical Pastoral Education
This one unit of CPE offers students an opportunity to experience hands-on ministry in a supervised setting with peer-group feedback. Students will be placed in institutional chaplaincy settings in the community for their clinical ministry experience such as youth corrections; homeless shelters; police departments; general, hospice or mental health hospitals; safe houses; inner-city missions; or military bases. All students enrolled in a degree program must also enroll concurrently in Mentored Ministry Experience (1 hour) and Mentored Spiritual Formation (1 hour) while enrolled in CHP 650. Prerequisite: Instructor permission. Offered fall, spring, and summer semesters. Three hours.
CHP 750 Officiating Worship and Religious Services
Students will learn how to write, organize, lead and perform numerous types of worship and religious services within the parameters of various ministry settings and without compromising their own church denominational beliefs. Particular attention will be given to prayer in secular versus religious settings. Students will develop their own personal book of worship with outlines for a regular worship service, communion, wedding, funeral, baptism and infant dedication services, and various other services. Offered spring semesters, odd years. Two hours.
CHP 795 Military Chaplain Internship I
This course is designed for commissioned military chaplain candidates who are attending their second base/post military site training. Students will work on sharpening officership and entry-level chaplaincy skills and values that build on their previous CHP 511 practicum experience. Students formulate an internship training and evaluation plan in consultation with their military training officer/supervisor and the chaplaincy mentoring director prior to their military candidate training. Prerequisite: CHP 511 Military Chaplaincy Practicum; Recommended prerequisites: CHP 550 The Many Faces of Chaplaincy and/or CHP 650 Community-Based Clinical Pastoral Education. One hour.
CHP 797 Military Chaplain Internship II
This course is designed for commissioned military chaplain candidates who are attending their third base/post military site training. Students work on developing chaplaincy skills and values that build upon their previous CHP 795 Military Chaplain Internship I experience and prepare them for applying for employment as an active/reserve/guard chaplain upon seminary graduation. Students formulate an internship training and evaluation plan in consultation with their military training officer/supervisor and the chaplaincy mentoring director prior to their military candidate training. Prerequisite: CHP 795
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