Several years ago, I was talking to a friend of mine. He started telling me about an idea that caught my attention—sending chaplains into the workplace. He told me how it works—trained chaplains go into the workplace and basically do two things: (1) make regular workplace visits, engaging in conversation to see how everyone is doing, (2) visit individuals when they have a crisis or a significant life-change situation.
So this means that people get to know the chaplain in a natural, organic way. In addition, they know that someone will be there in the event of a crisis.
Intrigued with this concept, I began researching it further. I learned that the idea began to catch on in the 1980s in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I learned that there are corporate chaplains in all 50 states and in several countries around the world. I was so drawn to the idea that I decided to spring for it myself. I went through the training process and, before I knew it, I was in the workplace, serving as a chaplain. This has by far been the most fulfilling job I have ever had.
There are a host of reasons why corporate chaplaincy is successful. I will list some of the top reasons here:
First, corporate chaplaincy changes a “come-see-us” mentality to an “I’ll-meet-you-where-you-are” one. I meet people all the time that I never would have met when I was doing church-based ministry.
Second, corporate chaplaincy is set up for ongoing relationships. This is a much more effective way to extend care and witness for our faith. There is simply no comparison to door-to-door evangelism or talking to strangers in the checkout line.
Third, it extends a positive witness even when people are not ready to embrace faith in Christ. One time, a lady at a place I was serving asked me to pray for her granddaughter, who had joined a gang. We prayed, and later found out that her granddaughter returned home that very night. I found out that her granddaughter worked at Applebee’s as a hostess. My wife and I went there to eat—on purpose, so I could meet her. When we got there, we met her right away. I told her who I was. Her voice broke as she told one of her co-workers there, “He prayed for me the day I came home.” I asked her if I could get a pic with her and she agreed. My wife took a picture of us in a side hug, smiling. I sent the picture to her grandmother at work. She sent the picture to her boss, and the boss sent the picture around to everyone in the company. The boss wanted everyone to know how great the corporate chaplaincy program was. But God had a higher purpose—He was making Himself famous. People throughout the company—even those far from God—saw Him at work.
Fourth, corporate chaplaincy provides help for people who have no backup in case of a crisis. Many people don’t have a church. Many people don’t have a pastor. So where are they going to go when the unthinkable happens? Corporate chaplaincy is a lifeline for these people.
Fifth, it provides an avenue for people who are curious about faith matters to begin to ask questions. Here's a truth that we probably don’t rehearse enough: people outside of the church are still people. They are not the fire-breathing demons we sometimes make them out to be. They are people. What is more, they still have a spiritual side to them. When crises or life changes happen, things often begin to move in the spiritual realm.
They are much more likely to ask questions and explore matters of faith during a crisis. Once a lady I served as a chaplain was going to the hospital to visit her uncle who was quite ill. She spoke little English, so I wrote up a prayer for her in Spanish with the help of Google Translate. For days, I had practiced it over and over so I could put my heart into it when I saw her at work. When I found out she was at the hospital, I called her on her cell phone. I asked her in Spanish if I could pray for her, and she said yes. So I prayed the prayer I had been practicing, praying earnestly for her uncle and her family. When I got done, she said, “Could you pray that again?” After I did, she told me why. She put me on speaker phone so her family in the waiting room could hear it. The whole family was in crisis, and they were all open to receiving God’s grace at that difficult time.
Sixth, the fields are still ripe for harvest (John 4:35). In 2019, Psychology Today conducted a survey on the topic of loneliness. They found out that 47% of people in the United States have no one to talk to about their life issues. You almost have to stop and stand in place when you see a statistic like that. That is a lot of lonely people filtering in to the workplace. What is more, this survey is pre-COVID, so that figure is likely even higher now. We are looking at a full-fledged loneliness pandemic, which means: We have a wide open door to engage with people who lack any kind of meaningful relationship. Corporate chaplaincy is in a perfect position to reach out to people in a society where people are literally starving for friendship.
Finally, over time, corporate chaplaincy transforms the entire work environment. This starts with individual employees, at the micro level. We all know what it is like to go to work with something stressful on our front screen. We have all felt the frustration of not being able to shake that “something.” No matter how hard we try, we can’t really focus on our work like we might want to. But if someone comes along and just listens to us for a few minutes, the pressure eases off. After they leave, we go “whew!” Then we find that we are able to focus better—just because someone listened! This is a scenario that plays out again and again with corporate chaplaincy. Statistics show that, when unhappy employees become happy, their productivity increases 20%. I don’t know of any company that could not use this kind of a bump. This means that conditions at the micro-level spill over and affect conditions in the macro. For workers, having someone to talk to acts as a pressure-release valve. The entire workplace benefits. Office relationships improve. It is like oil has been poured over the machinery in the entire workplace. This kind of scenario plays out over and over when a chaplain makes regular visits at work.
I will mention one more advantage to corporate chaplaincy that relates to our own faith. Because I know I will see people on a regular basis, I am more relaxed about sharing my faith. I don’t have to force a conversation or press in if they’re not ready. I keep making regular visits. I keep listening to people and asking questions to find out more. I know that, in many cases, over time, people’s perception of believers will begin to change. They know I’m not there to change their minds. They know I’m there above all else as a friend who is out to help them any way I can. This is the kind of Gospel people really desire. This is the kind of disposition people will, over time, respond to.
It is for these reasons that I am a workplace chaplain. I know of no better way to extend the love of Christ on a consistent basis. There are so many people who have no one to talk to in a meaningful way. There are so many bosses who genuinely care for their workers, but just don’t have time to talk. In this setup, everyone wins—the employees win, the boss wins, the company wins, the kingdom wins!
I hope you will consider corporate chaplaincy if you:
- own your own business
- think the company you work for might be open to the concept
- know of another company that might do the same.
After all, 47% is a pretty high number and the fields are still ripe.