Chaplain Programs and Roles

Christian Leaders Alliance & Its Chaplain Programs

The Christian Leaders Alliance (CLA) is a global community of credentialed Christian ministers committed to advancing the Gospel through accessible, study-based ordination. Partnering with Christian Leaders Institute (CLI), CLA offers tuition-free ministry training and credible minister credentialing for those called to serve in local churches, communities, and beyond.

The Chaplaincy Pathway

Among its ordination pathways, CLA offers a structured Chaplaincy Track for Christians called to serve as spiritual caregivers in both formal and informal settings. These chaplain programs prepare individuals to provide emotional, spiritual, and pastoral support across a wide variety of contexts—from officiating weddings to responding to community crises.

Officiating Chaplain Program

The Officiating Chaplain Program is an entry-level track ideal for those serving as volunteer chaplains in a variety of chaplain parishes. It equips you with foundational chaplaincy skills, including training to serve as a wedding or funeral officiant. This program allows you to be recognized as a clergy member serving as a chaplain, providing legal readiness, biblical faithfulness, and pastoral sensitivity to conduct ceremonies with confidence.

Best for:

• Christians called to serve in voluntary chaplain positions and parishes
• Those serving as wedding or funeral officiants
• Church elders or lay leaders

Ministry Chaplain Program

The Ministry Chaplain Program prepares you to offer ongoing spiritual care within your local community or ministry setting. Building on the skills gained in the Officiating Chaplain Program, this advanced track expands your training with deeper theological insight and practical ministry application. You’ll explore the biblical, theological, and theoretical foundations of chaplaincy while developing the skills needed to serve effectively as a volunteer or part-time chaplain in diverse situations.

Best for:

• Chaplains seeking to expand and deepen their ministry service
• Church-based pastoral care teams looking for advanced training

Kingdom Chaplain Program

The Kingdom Chaplain Program is CLA’s most advanced track—designed for leaders who serve in corporate, nonprofit, or mission-based chaplaincy roles. It includes advanced theological training, leadership development, and specialization in ministry contexts.

Best for:

• Corporate or workplace chaplains
• Community developers
• Mission or outreach leaders

The Chaplain Lifestyle

In a world filled with spiritual hunger, emotional distress, and everyday crisis, chaplains serve as steady lights—calm voices in chaos, humble hearts in the storm, and faithful witnesses of Christ’s love in unexpected places.

This is not about pulpits or platforms.
It’s about presence.

Chaplains show up where people hurt, hope, or seek guidance—in hospitals, schools, firehouses, correctional facilities, nursing homes, military bases, and workplaces. Wherever God’s people are, chaplains go.

A Different Kind of Ministry

For many Christians, the call to ministry isn’t full-time pastoral work. Instead, it might mean listening, caregiving, counseling, officiating, or simply being available in times of need.

That’s chaplaincy—an adaptable, Spirit-led path that brings Christ’s comfort into everyday spaces.

What Do Chaplains Do?

Chaplains are often:

• First responders to spiritual and emotional needs
• Quiet listeners and prayer partners behind the scenes
• Officiants at weddings, funerals, and life milestones
• Comforters to the grieving and the broken
• Bridge builders between faith and community services

This isn’t about status or spotlight—it’s about faithful availability, being ready to offer Scripture, prayer, and guidance whenever and wherever God leads.

Flexible Service

Many chaplains:

• Serve part-time or as volunteers while working in other professions
• Minister as volunteers, part-time, or full-time in specialized chaplain parishes
• Continue their education and credentialing through CLI and CLA

All share the same calling: to be present, compassionate, and Christ-centered wherever they are sent.

Ready to Begin?

Whether you feel called to officiate weddings, minister in times of crisis, or serve in a corporate or community chaplaincy role, CLA’s programs provide the training, ordination, and recognition you need to serve with excellence.

Your journey starts with free, accessible training at Christian Leaders Institute—and ends with you commissioned as a recognized CLA chaplain.