🧪 Case Study 1.3: A First Encounter with Chaplain Calling

Case Study Title

“I Didn’t Know What to Say, But I Knew I Should Stay”

Mark had never thought of himself as a chaplain.

He loved the Lord, served faithfully in his local church, and had a heart for people, but he did not picture himself in public ministry outside church walls. He assumed chaplaincy was for people with formal positions in hospitals, prisons, or the military. He respected that work, but it felt far from his own life.

At the time, Mark was working a regular job and helping occasionally with church events. He was the kind of man others trusted—steady, kind, and not easily shaken. He was not flashy. He was not a big speaker. He was simply present. But he did not think much of that. To him, he was just trying to be faithful.

One afternoon, a man from his neighborhood called him in distress. The man’s wife had been taken suddenly to the hospital, and he was overwhelmed. He did not know who else to call. Mark was not a pastor. He was not a counselor. He did not have a polished ministry title. But the man said, “Can you just come be with me?”

Mark hesitated for a moment. He felt unqualified. He wondered what he would say. He worried that he might do the wrong thing. Still, he sensed that this was not a moment to overthink. He told the man he was coming.

When Mark arrived, the atmosphere was tense. Family members were tired, anxious, and unsure what to do next. Some were talking too much. Others had gone quiet. Emotions were close to the surface. Mark could feel the weight in the room almost immediately.

At first, he stood there awkwardly.

He listened. He greeted people gently. He sat with the husband. He did not try to take over. He did not begin preaching. He did not pretend to have answers. He simply stayed present. After a while, the husband looked at him and said, “Can you pray?”

Mark prayed a short, sincere prayer. He asked the Lord for mercy, peace, wisdom for the doctors, and strength for the family. He did not try to sound impressive. He prayed like a man who believed God was present in the room.

Something shifted after that prayer.

The family did not suddenly stop grieving. The crisis did not disappear. But peace entered the moment in a noticeable way. The husband thanked him quietly. A daughter asked if he would stay a little longer. Another family member began opening up about fear and uncertainty. Mark listened more than he spoke. Once or twice, he shared a simple Scripture. Before leaving, he prayed again, this time with even greater calm.

On the drive home, Mark could not stop thinking about what had happened.

He realized that no sermon had been preached. No church service had been held. No official ceremony had taken place. But ministry had happened. Sacred care had been offered. Christ had been represented in a real-life moment of need. And strangely, even though Mark had felt weak and unsure, he also sensed that he had been in the exact place God wanted him to be.

That experience stayed with him.

In the months that followed, similar moments began to happen. A coworker asked for prayer during a marriage crisis. A family friend wanted someone to bless a new home. A local community group asked Mark to open an event in prayer. Someone in his church asked him to visit an older man who had grown isolated and discouraged. Each time, Mark noticed the same pattern: he felt drawn toward the moment, not away from it.

He began to realize something important. His calling was not built around having all the answers. His calling was growing out of availability, steadiness, prayer, trustworthiness, and a willingness to represent Christ in the places where life was unfolding.

Eventually, Mark started to see that he had been thinking too narrowly about ministry. He had assumed that ministry was mostly something done from a pulpit or inside church programming. But now he was seeing that ministry also happens in hospital waiting rooms, homes, community events, conversations during transition, moments of blessing, and times of fear. He began to understand that chaplaincy is often a ministry of presence before it is a ministry of platform.

He also began to understand why preparation mattered.

That hospital moment had been real ministry, but it had also shown him his limitations. He wanted to grow in wisdom. He wanted language for what he was sensing. He wanted biblical and practical training. He wanted to know how to recognize sacred moments, how to pray wisely in public, how to serve with legitimacy, and how to understand the kind of parish or circle of influence God might be giving him. He did not just want to “mean well.” He wanted to be formed for faithful service.

That was the beginning of his chaplain journey.

Mark’s story is important because many future chaplains begin this way. They do not start with a title. They start with a moment. They are drawn into someone’s pain, transition, fear, or need. They discover that they are willing to show up. They begin to see that people trust them in difficult or sacred moments. Over time, what first looked like a simple act of kindness begins to reveal itself as a calling.

Not every caring Christian is called to chaplaincy in the same way. But many chaplains first sense their calling when they notice that God keeps opening doors for ministry presence. They are the person who gets the call. They are the one asked to pray. They are the one people trust in transition. They are the one who can walk into a hard moment and stay calm. That does not mean they are already fully prepared. It means they should pay attention.

Calling often begins where compassion meets opportunity.

It also begins where faithfulness meets need.

And many chaplains discover that their first encounter with calling was not dramatic at all. It was simply the moment when they stayed.

This course is designed to help students interpret moments like that. It helps give shape to what may have already begun in a person’s life. It teaches that chaplaincy is not only for those with formal institutional roles. It is also for Christians who are being formed into trustworthy ministers of presence, prayer, blessing, public care, and spiritual steadiness in real-life moments. The existing course already frames chaplaincy in this broader way, emphasizing officiating leadership, public trust, spiritual moments, transitions, crisis presence, and chaplain parish discernment. 

Mark’s story raises an important question:

What if the moments that have made you feel both inadequate and deeply alive are not interruptions, but invitations?

What if the times people turned to you for prayer, presence, blessing, or spiritual steadiness were not random?

What if God has already begun showing you something about your calling?

Chaplain calling often starts there.

Not with self-confidence.
Not with a perfect script.
Not with a polished platform.

But with presence.
With willingness.
With compassion.
With a growing desire to represent Christ faithfully in the moments that matter.

That is often where chaplain formation begins.

Reflection Questions

1. What stood out to you most about Mark’s first encounter with chaplain calling?
2. Why do you think the husband called Mark, even though Mark did not see himself as a chaplain?
3. What did Mark do well in that hospital moment?
4. What did Mark avoid doing that helped the situation?
5. Why is presence often more important than having the perfect words?
6. What signs in this story suggest that Mark may have a chaplain calling?
7. How did this experience help Mark understand ministry in a broader way?
8. Why did Mark begin to see the need for training and formation after this experience?
9. Have you ever had a moment where someone turned to you for prayer, calm, or spiritual support in a difficult time?
10. What kinds of moments in your own life may have been early signs of chaplain calling?
11. Why do many callings begin with a simple willingness to show up?
12. What is the difference between being available and being fully prepared?
13. How can a person grow from “I care” to “I am being formed for this”?
14. What might your own first encounter with chaplain calling look like?
15. Do you sense that God may already be opening doors for you to serve as a ministry presence? Explain.

Optional Written Reflection

Write one or two paragraphs answering this prompt:
Describe a moment in your life when someone looked to you for spiritual steadiness, prayer, or presence. What did that moment reveal about your gifts, your limitations, and your possible calling?

References

Scripture References

• The Holy Bible, World English Bible (WEB).
• Isaiah 6:8
• Matthew 5:13–16
• Matthew 9:35–38
• Luke 10:25–37
• John 11:32–44
• Romans 12:9–18
• 2 Corinthians 1:3–7
• Galatians 6:2
• Colossians 4:5–6
• James 1:19
• 1 Peter 4:10–11

Ministry and Chaplaincy References

• Benner, David G. Strategic Pastoral Counseling: A Short-Term Structured Model. Baker Academic.
• Clinebell, Howard. Basic Types of Pastoral Care and Counseling. Abingdon Press.
• Doehring, Carrie. The Practice of Pastoral Care: A Postmodern Approach. Westminster John Knox Press.
• Feddes, David. Christian Leaders Theology. Christian Leaders Institute.
• Fitchett, George. Assessing Spiritual Needs: A Guide for Caregivers. Augsburg Fortress.
• Nouwen, Henri J. M. The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society. Image Books.
• Patton, John. Pastoral Care: An Essential Guide. Abingdon Press.
• Peterson, Eugene H. The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction. Eerdmans.
• Purves, Andrew. Reconstructing Pastoral Theology: A Christological Foundation. Westminster John Knox Press.
• Walcott, Tom, and Henry Reyenga. Chaplain Foundations Course Materials. Christian Leaders Institute.