Chaplaincy - Local Church Commitment

By it's very nature Chaplaincy finds its place beyond the four walls of the Church not unlike missions. A Chaplain is a form of urban missionary - faced with isolation, challenges and becoming somewhat disconnected with the day-to-day running of church life. And this isn't a bad thing, although the operative can be face isolation, or alternatively, be lost, forgotten, or even overlooked by their local church as the ministry of Chaplaincy can 'seemingly' have llimited relevance to the fellowship. This is a historical reality.

However, Chaplaincy Australia is committed to making Chaplaincy a vital part of every local church. We desire the Chaplain to feel as much as an important part of the local church ministry team as the church owning the Chaplain's role in the community.

So we have developed a number of strategies to make this happen.

We have:

• Invited the Senior Pastor to recommend the candidate in writing
• Invited the Senior Pastor to be a Credential Referee
• Require the Candidate to have their Senior Pastor or his appointee at the Credentialing Interview where possible
• Encourage a  monthly catch-up or yearly review with the Senior Pastor
• Encourage the Chaplain's Local Church to pay the Credential Fee as an acknowledgement of their accountability

Accountability: The Vital Ingredient

With the nature of Chaplaincy apparent and the reality that a Chaplain may have a greater public profile than the local church pastor it is incumbent upon the operative to keep high levels of accountability with his/her Senior Minister and local fellowship. Thereby offering a greater level of commitment to their call and safeguard to their ministry.