Chaplaincy
After four decades of chaplaincy I can truly state, "Chaplaincy is not for the faint of heart. The following are simply my insights over the four decades that may or may not help you. My prayer is that you will take this information and add to it, find support in it, and realize that it has been God, and Him alone, that has brought me through this ministry with His glory, power and might, not me. Chaplain Richard Moyer
Chaplaincy Manual Studies
The correction industry is filled with valuable programs that, if attended and taken seriously, will provide the released inmate with the tools they need to overcome any and all obstacles. The problem is that most inmates fail to recognize their value and simply choose not to participate. Because of this it must be reemphasized that the one aspect of religious programming is that it is unique and different from the other programs being offered to the inmate prior and post release, is the value-added aspect of aiming at and transforming the entire person for all eternity. The physical, the mental as well as the heart/soul are targeted for transformation. And the most influential and dynamic person to bring this type of programming to corrections is the chaplain with strong God anointed leadership.
The history of correctional chaplaincy proves that the added value of the chaplain’s presence historically, currently and in the future continues to be the essential element of corrections for total inmate transformation and reducing recidivism.
The DNA of Chaplains, where did we come from?
It may be precisely the chaos and terror of such moments that make the chaplain as important as a symbol that somehow, even amid death and fear, there is meaning. That role of the chaplain—to embody courage, hope, and steadfastness in the face of alienation and destruction—may in turn explain why so many popular accounts of chaplains emphasize an almost superhuman bravery. Under the most extreme circumstances imaginable, people need heroes, and chaplains, because of their association with traditions that extend beyond the immediate horrors, are likely candidates.