Chaplains in Public Service
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By Thomas E. Poulin
April 22, 2024
There are on-going, state-level efforts to add chaplains to public schools as an alternative to guidance counselors. There are conflicting views on what might be appropriate qualifications and roles for such programs. This article is not on any specific proposal, but instead on how chaplains have been, and might be, integrated into public agencies.
It might seem antiquated to consider chaplains in public service, but they have long existed in hospitals, prisons, schools and the military. It is common to see chaplains in local police, fire and emergency medical service agencies. In these settings, the role of chaplains is not explicitly religious. Instead, it is to serve in a counseling and advising role, supporting individuals experiencing life challenges. This often means simply being available to people, listening to their concerns with sympathy and empathy. They provide whatever support they can, referring individuals requiring specialized assistance beyond their own areas of professional competence to relevant, qualified, available resources. It is not uncommon to hear people who have overcome difficulties express their gratitude for having someone to speak with during a troubling time in their lives.
Within this context, public sector chaplains might be viewed as the antecedents of employee assistance programs (EAPs). Modern life is increasingly stressful, influenced by trends which are often beyond individual control; being external to their control might increase the stress level in some. A failure to develop and maintain a healthy life-work balance can be harmful to the health and emotional well-being of anyone. Consequently, some within the agency might need support periodically. As people, leaders have a moral obligation to support followers. Concurrently, there exists a professional obligation to support the well-being of employees, so they remain productive in the workplace.
There must be limitations to the activities of public sector chaplains, given the potential for conflict with the First Amendment. The formal structure of military chaplaincy programs might provide a useful model. Those selected to serve in this role must be recognized, credentialed clergy within a religion, but no recognized faith is excluded. Military chaplains are to work in a non-ecumenical manner, supporting all service members, not attempting to proselytize service members to any specific faith. This in no means limits their ability to support the conversion of individuals who have specifically requested it, nor their ability to practice their own faith as they deem appropriate when working with other members sharing their beliefs.
In general, the military model has worked well throughout the modern era. There have been exceptions—sometimes glaring ones—but for the most part the military has sought to minimize the potential for military chaplains to work beyond the formal expectations of the Department of Defense. When issues have been raised, the military has stepped in, seeking to resolve them. When such issues have arisen, they tended to be localized to specific individuals, and the system overall worked as intended. This is an important consideration.
One of the fastest growing belief systems in the United States includes those with humanist beliefs (agnosticism/atheism). Within our legal structure, this is a recognized belief system worthy of recognition and respect. Chaplains shall be expected to serve in their counseling role with those holding such beliefs, supporting them in a non-ecumenical manner as they might any other employee holding a differing belief system.
Chaplains should be willing and capable of making referrals when appropriate. No chaplain—no counselor of any kind—can deal with the wide realm of personal crises which might emerge, which might include not only spiritual concerns but emotional, social, health and financial challenges. Those with suicidal ideation might need very specialized mental health support immediately. An effective chaplain will recognize their own limitations, and be prepared to help an employee needing assistance to find the best support mechanism available.
Among the concerns noted with public sector chaplaincy programs is that individual chaplains might overstep their mark, working primarily towards the goals of their own faith, seeking to steer those they work with towards what they consider the “true” religion. If chaplains who do this are left unchecked, it creates the potential for massive liabilities for any public agency. These liabilities include civil fines, lawsuits and publicity harming the reputation of the agency, negatively impacting public support, budgets and authorities critical to achieving the agency’s mission. Therefore, chaplains must be carefully selected based on their ability to work within the frameworks provided to them, while still permitting them freedom to worship according to their own faith; this might be a “tricky” balance. Without this balance, chaplains might become a major liability, not a valuable asset.
Every public employee is subject to stress, and leadership has a professional obligation to help them address their concerns, supporting the well-being of them as individuals, while also supporting ongoing service delivery to the community. A well-structured, effectively implemented public sector chaplaincy program might be a useful tool in the managerial arsenal for the leaders of any public sector agency.
Author: Thomas E. Poulin, PhD, SHRM-CP, IPMA-CP is a training and development consultant and independent scholar. He served in local government for over 30 years, and has been teaching and consulting at the graduate level since 2004. He served two terms as President of the Hampton Roads Chapter of ASPA. He may be reached at [email protected]
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Chaplains in Public Service
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By Thomas E. Poulin
April 22, 2024
There are on-going, state-level efforts to add chaplains to public schools as an alternative to guidance counselors. There are conflicting views on what might be appropriate qualifications and roles for such programs. This article is not on any specific proposal, but instead on how chaplains have been, and might be, integrated into public agencies.
It might seem antiquated to consider chaplains in public service, but they have long existed in hospitals, prisons, schools and the military. It is common to see chaplains in local police, fire and emergency medical service agencies. In these settings, the role of chaplains is not explicitly religious. Instead, it is to serve in a counseling and advising role, supporting individuals experiencing life challenges. This often means simply being available to people, listening to their concerns with sympathy and empathy. They provide whatever support they can, referring individuals requiring specialized assistance beyond their own areas of professional competence to relevant, qualified, available resources. It is not uncommon to hear people who have overcome difficulties express their gratitude for having someone to speak with during a troubling time in their lives.
Within this context, public sector chaplains might be viewed as the antecedents of employee assistance programs (EAPs). Modern life is increasingly stressful, influenced by trends which are often beyond individual control; being external to their control might increase the stress level in some. A failure to develop and maintain a healthy life-work balance can be harmful to the health and emotional well-being of anyone. Consequently, some within the agency might need support periodically. As people, leaders have a moral obligation to support followers. Concurrently, there exists a professional obligation to support the well-being of employees, so they remain productive in the workplace.
There must be limitations to the activities of public sector chaplains, given the potential for conflict with the First Amendment. The formal structure of military chaplaincy programs might provide a useful model. Those selected to serve in this role must be recognized, credentialed clergy within a religion, but no recognized faith is excluded. Military chaplains are to work in a non-ecumenical manner, supporting all service members, not attempting to proselytize service members to any specific faith. This in no means limits their ability to support the conversion of individuals who have specifically requested it, nor their ability to practice their own faith as they deem appropriate when working with other members sharing their beliefs.
In general, the military model has worked well throughout the modern era. There have been exceptions—sometimes glaring ones—but for the most part the military has sought to minimize the potential for military chaplains to work beyond the formal expectations of the Department of Defense. When issues have been raised, the military has stepped in, seeking to resolve them. When such issues have arisen, they tended to be localized to specific individuals, and the system overall worked as intended. This is an important consideration.
One of the fastest growing belief systems in the United States includes those with humanist beliefs (agnosticism/atheism). Within our legal structure, this is a recognized belief system worthy of recognition and respect. Chaplains shall be expected to serve in their counseling role with those holding such beliefs, supporting them in a non-ecumenical manner as they might any other employee holding a differing belief system.
Chaplains should be willing and capable of making referrals when appropriate. No chaplain—no counselor of any kind—can deal with the wide realm of personal crises which might emerge, which might include not only spiritual concerns but emotional, social, health and financial challenges. Those with suicidal ideation might need very specialized mental health support immediately. An effective chaplain will recognize their own limitations, and be prepared to help an employee needing assistance to find the best support mechanism available.
Among the concerns noted with public sector chaplaincy programs is that individual chaplains might overstep their mark, working primarily towards the goals of their own faith, seeking to steer those they work with towards what they consider the “true” religion. If chaplains who do this are left unchecked, it creates the potential for massive liabilities for any public agency. These liabilities include civil fines, lawsuits and publicity harming the reputation of the agency, negatively impacting public support, budgets and authorities critical to achieving the agency’s mission. Therefore, chaplains must be carefully selected based on their ability to work within the frameworks provided to them, while still permitting them freedom to worship according to their own faith; this might be a “tricky” balance. Without this balance, chaplains might become a major liability, not a valuable asset.
Every public employee is subject to stress, and leadership has a professional obligation to help them address their concerns, supporting the well-being of them as individuals, while also supporting ongoing service delivery to the community. A well-structured, effectively implemented public sector chaplaincy program might be a useful tool in the managerial arsenal for the leaders of any public sector agency.
Author: Thomas E. Poulin, PhD, SHRM-CP, IPMA-CP is a training and development consultant and independent scholar. He served in local government for over 30 years, and has been teaching and consulting at the graduate level since 2004. He served two terms as President of the Hampton Roads Chapter of ASPA. He may be reached at [email protected]
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