WHY SHOULD MY DEPARTMENT HAVE A CHAPLAIN?

Such a Chaplain becomes a trusted friend and partner to the officers who choose to use his services; he becomes a confidant who will not report to the administration with what he is told. Through solid Biblical advice and direction, and in strict confidentiality, the Biblical Chaplain is in a position to increase the overall morale and productivity of the department by decreasing the stress and promoting the mental, moral, and spiritual health of the personnel he serves.

QUESTION: We have our own chaplains and local clergy members. Why would we need someone else?

Answer: It is the exception to the rule to find a clergy member or generic “police chaplain” who fully comprehends today’s law enforcement professional and his chosen field; one who has a true heart for law officers and their families, and who can effectively meet their spiritual and emotional needs from a truly Biblical perspective.

While clergy and members of non-biblical police chaplaincy organizations are often adequate to meet the needs of the public in notifications of death or serious injuries, more often than not it takes a specially-trained Biblical Law Enforcement Chaplain who has an inside view of the profession and who has solid answers from God’s Word to help officers with failing marriages and relationships, unmanageable stress, or thoughts of suicide. Such a Chaplain can more effectively reach the officer whose life is crumbling around him. There really is a huge difference between a generic “police chaplain” and a Biblical Chaplain!

QUESTION: How much would a In PURSUIT! Chaplain cost my department?

Answer: All Chaplains referred by In PURSUIT! Ministries of California serve strictly on a volunteer basis and are not permitted to receive pay for their work, yet you will find them to be as dependable as any paid professional.

QUESTION: How can we get such a Chaplain?

Answer: We will search your local area and refer the right man or woman to meet the needs of your department.

QUESTION: What are the credentials of your chaplains?

Answer: Any Chaplain we refer is a member in good standing in a local Bible-believing New Testament church and has received a written letter of assessment and approval by the pastor for the candidate’s service in the field of Law Enforcement Chaplaincy. Most chaplains we refer will have completed our 55-Hour course of specialized training or will have completed it within six months of appointment as your staff Chaplain.

Question: Why should my department have a Biblical Chaplain?

Answer: Supervisors should not ignore the facts. Utilizing psychology or emotional survival techniques for officers is simply not enough. There is a spiritual dimension within every human being which rules over human emotions and directs human behavior; and the statistics speak for themselves.

The answers to life’s problems are found in the Truth of God’s Word. Anything less is just someone’s opinion.

The Biblical Chaplain will come from a perspective of solid Biblical Truth and will share those truths when asked, those life-changing Truths which will truly help those officers in times of crisis.

In America today:

Law enforcement officers hold the highest rates of suicide, divorce, addictive behavior, and stress-related diseases than any other group of professionals.
An officer is killed in the line of duty every 52 hours in America today.
The suicide rate of law enforcement officers is over three times that of line-of-duty deaths; one LE suicide occurs every 22 hours.
The average tenure of an officer just starting his career today is six years.
Approximately 95% of officers involved in a use of deadly force incident will leave law enforcement within five years if proper intervention is not made.
Most officers whose stress has deteriorated beyond stagnation and burn-out into disintegration are viewed by administration as “discipline problems” and are punished as such, with the spiritual dimension being totally disregarded.

The statistics go on and on…

A law enforcement administrator recently told me that he believed law enforcement is totally “secular” in nature and should have nothing to do with “religion.” He said he believes in the “separation of church and state.” However, the God of the Bible and the field of Law Enforcement are quite inextricably related because it was God Himself Who ordained the institution of human government in the first place (Romans 13:1-7). The two are inseparable.

To be sure, by upholding the laws of the land in honesty, integrity, and impartiality, you’re doing the Lord’s work. There is no higher calling of service to our society.

Unfortunately, most “chaplain” groups do not teach the unchanging Biblical Truths applicable to Law Officers in their times of greatest need. Instead, they rely heavily upon humanistic psychology and emotional therapies which may provide temporary relief but which have no lasting value.

Having a department Chaplain who has been specially trained in Biblical Law Enforcement and Corrections Chaplaincy can be of invaluable help to the personnel and administration of any law enforcement agency Such a Chaplain becomes a trusted friend and partner to the officers who choose to use his services; he becomes a confidant who will not report to the administration with what he is told. Through solid Biblical advice and direction, and in strict confidentiality, the Biblical Chaplain is in a position to increase the overall morale and productivity of the department by decreasing the stress and promoting the mental, moral, and spiritual health of the personnel he serves.

QUESTION: What does a Chaplain Do?

Answer: A Biblical Chaplain:

Comforts his officers through friendship, confidentiality, and trust;
Has a Biblical perspective;
Always maintains confidentiality;
Promotes productivity, morale, and sound spiritual health;
Listens to his officers and prays with them upon request;
Allows them to speak freely without fear of betrayal;
Intently prays for his officers and their families; and
Never forgets Whom he serves!

QUESTION: How are you funded?

Answer: We are privately funded by a team of local churches and committed individuals from across the United States.

QUESTION: What are the credentials of your chaplains?

Answer: Any Chaplain we refer is a member in good standing in a local Bible-believing New Testament church and has received a written letter of assessment and approval by the pastor for the candidate’s service in the field of Law Enforcement Chaplaincy. Most chaplains we refer will have completed our 55-Hour course of specialized training or will have completed it within six months of appointment as your staff Chaplain. We encourage your department to complete a full background check to meet your specifications prior to appointing the candidate to voluntary service within your department.

This information is provided by Chaplain Tim Sherman of In Pursuit! Ministries.