Chaplaincy

Chaplains in the CUA, and most religious groups, are ordained clergy, who provide spiritual care for individuals in a non-religious setting or organization, rather than a church. Chaplains can work for government, serving members of the military, wherever they are deployed. They also serve patients in healthcare and hospice facilities. Police departments, fire departments, and prisons are also common for chaplains. Less common, but growing, are corporate chaplains–who serve employees.

Since chaplains are ordained ministers, they can officiate weddings, funerals, and other religious rites. They take on the role of a spiritual leader for individuals who do not belong to a specific religious community. Rather than preaching messages directed toward a specific faith, chaplains often lead non-denominational religious services, that can benefit individuals from a variety of religious or spiritual backgrounds. Chaplains at various institutions can minister to staff members. For example, chaplains at hospitals can provide spiritual care to nurses, doctors, and administrators, as well as to patients and their families.

Chaplain Transfer:

We welcome chaplains who have realized that through Christ, God reconciles all to Himself. We currently have more of our clergy in chaplaincy than in congregational ministry. The first step in that process is ordination, either officially recognizing your existing ordination, or ordaining you ourselves—whichever is best for your situation. Our FastTrack ordination process is for people, who come to the CUA with both ministry experience, and at least a Christian Bachelor’s degree. For most chaplains, we handle endorsement ourselves, but for US Federal chaplains, or Board certification, we are part of a larger endorsing cooperative.

International endorsing:

Each country has their own set of rules and regulations for chaplains. You are going to have to find out the specifics for your country, whether you are looking for medical, or military employment. The first step, with us, is ordination with the CUA. We can ordain you ourselves, or recognize your current ordination—if you are already ordained. The CUA has ordained ministers outside the United States, that’s not an issue, we can handle that anywhere. A traditional minister’s education is required, from either a seminary or university; we also offer an internal education program, but that is not always enough for paid chaplaincy jobs.

Less common situations:

If you are considering applying for a US military chaplain candidate program, please contact our office, and we will be happy to discuss the process. It’s very easy; you will need to apply for our ordination before getting approved for the program, but otherwise it’s much like any other traditional ordination program.