How To Become A Chaplain Was Not On My Mind

Launching Of My Chaplain Career

I certainly was not thinking about how to become a chaplain, chaplain training, chaplain, chaplain career or anything even related to chaplaincy. In fact, I had not given myself permission to consider changing careers.

While shopping at a large department store in Lacey, Washington, I certainly was not thinking about how to become a chaplain, chaplain training, chaplain, chaplain career or anything related to chaplaincy.

But in late October of 2000, a man who had pastored with me a number of years previously in Western Washington, saw me shopping. Truth be told, we were both victims of pastor burnout, but neither of us used that term nor did we see the positives in negative pastoral problems.

My Career Change Journey to Chaplaincy: Part 2

Our meeting would have huge implications in changing the direction of my career, becoming a "change career, with purpose" encounter.

We chatted for a few minutes catching up on each other's lives. We discovered that we lived 6 blocks from one another! In early January 2001 he called me and said he must talk to me and that it was urgent.

Our meeting would impact my ministry career and would start me thinking about how to become a chaplain, lead me to a life changing chaplain training opportunity, resulting in people addressing me as Chaplain Paul as I began my chaplain career.

When Changing Careers, Never Underestimate The Benefit Of A Good Breakfast

We arranged to have breakfast at a local Denny's and included our wives in our plans. While eating breakfast, the following career changing conversation took place between him, my faith challenging friend, and me, the frustrated burned out pastor:

Faith Challenging Friend: "Paul, I don't think I have ever told anyone this but I believe that God gave me a message to tell you. I have to admit that this is very unusual for me to do. But God has impressed upon me to give you a message and you can decide for yourself if it is from God or if I just had a bad dream."

Frustrated Burned Out Pastor: "Well you certainly have my attention and as long as it isn't a multi-marketing scheme, I am very curious to hear what it is."

Faith Challenging Friend: "Have you ever considered Chaplaincy as a ministry option for your life?"

Frustrated Burned Out Pastor: "I have never even considered becoming a professional chaplain, but just you asking the question begins to make sense out of a lot of events and experiences in my life."

My wife: "I see chaplaincy as a perfect fit for you, your personality, and your ministry style."

His wife:, "Paul, let me share with you that becoming a chaplain has been the best ministry career path I have taken. It all begins with CPE.

The Main Menu Item: How To Become A Chaplain

She then described the entire process of how to become a chaplain, explaining that CPE was a reference to Clinical Pastoral Education, the chaplain training track required for most hospital chaplain jobs, necessary for a chaplain career.

For her, ministry as a women has some restrictions, especially in her evangelical denomination. She discovered that her new career as a hospital chaplain had no such barriers, and so, after preparing for chaplain certification and searching for hospital chaplain jobs, she was hired as a chaplain at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, Washington.

As we shared events and rejoiced in seeing the hand of God lead us to this moment, a new sense of direction and destiny gripped me. It truly was the breakfast that changed my life. Who would have guessed that a Denny's Grand Slam breakfast would make such an impact!

Now my thoughts were focused on the process of how to become a chaplain, how to make chaplain training happen for me, entering the chaplain world, and launching a chaplain career in San Diego, California. Never underestimate the power of a good breakfast.

Three weeks later I was enrolled in CPE at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, WA. In July of 2001 I felt compelled to resign my position from the Internet company.

And, as they say, the rest is history in my ministry career change from pastoring a local church to serving as a healthcare chaplain, specifally a hospice chaplain. I became a Board Certified Chaplain in April of 2005.

Let's Have A Career Changing Breakfast

Perhaps I can repeat the sensitivity of my friend, and his obedience to God in sharing what he considered a message from God -- that I consider chaplaincy as a viable ministry career.

Imagine it is my wife sharing at our imaginary breakfast how to become a chaplain, describing my chaplain training, how I launched a chaplain career. And now they now call me Chaplain Paul.

Perhaps we could consider this website page as Our Career Changing Breakfast With You, even launching a new direction in your career, possibly a chaplain career.

Is it time for a "Change Career, With Purpose" decision in your vocational life?

How To Become A Chaplain? is the most often asked question asked of me on this website.

There are also questions concerning chaplain certification, questions about the chaplain employment process, and even questions about chaplain jobs.

I hold no official position with any official chaplaincy organization. I am simply a healthcare chaplain who has a passion for chaplaincy.

Nonetheless, I do receive questions about those considering a career change to chaplaincy.

Click below to see Chaplain Career Questions asked by other visitors to this page...

Which College or University Offers Clinical Pastoral Education or CPE?  The Importance Of College Education Seeking information regarding educational requirements for any career is a basic step to changing careers.

Knowing ...

Florida Hospitals Clinical Pastoral Education Providers  Florida Hospitals Place To Begin Search I live in Florida and have questions about becoming a chaplain. I live in Palm Harbor, Florida and am exploring ...

Banking Career Change  Questions Concerning Banking Employment Career Change This question comes from someone working in the financial services industry, banking to be specific....

Online Chaplain Courses  Online Chaplain Educational Opportunities While there are numerous questions about the kind of schooling needed to become a chaplain, I have another ...

Professional Photographer Career Change  Professional Photographer Career Change Question A Professional Photographer expressed interest in a chaplaincy career

Prison Ministry Prompts Chaplain ...

Chaplain Certification Question  School of Theology and Ministry We are developing a School of Theology and Ministry in the greater Cleveland area and I am gathering information on Chaplain ...

Training Locations For Chaplain Training   Pastoral Clinical Education Question Many of the questions being submitted have to do with the educational requirements for becoming a chaplain.

Location ...

Chaplain Career Education Requirements  Chaplain Education Requirements Chaplain career education requirements as well as ordination requirements for a chaplain career can be seen in several ...