Reading: 1-1 Welcome!

"CHATPLAINCY” - A NEW PARADIGM FOR PASTORAL CARE

In the world of business consulting, the past few decades have seen an extensive use of the term "paradigm.” The cool buzzword was to say that this training will give you a new "paradigm” for doing your business work.  The word means "an outstandingly clear example of” a way of doing things.  It arose in the world of linguistics where a paradigm was a table of the various forms of words when addressing different situations. Whether it was to indicate the present, past, or future in the verbs we used, or to indicate if we were addressing a male or a female person, the paradigm was the example of the standard way of forming our words. Anything that was formed differently, was an exception to the rule, or it might be a whole new paradigm which pointed toward a change that the speaker needed to be aware of.

In the world of education, CLI is a new paradigm which, as President Reyenga is fond of saying, makes use of the free model as opposed to the fee model. It is a new "paradigm” which is transforming the delivery of high quality education all over the world. We do this by means of the internet which has made providing this training in the free model a significant game-changer. This is a new paradigm.

So it is with an eager heart that I am preparing this course in chaplaincy for use here at CLI. Why? Because we are looking at chaplaincy in a new way - one which can utilize the internet as never before to bring pastoral care to people who might otherwise suffer alone and in silence. While we are very eager to see our students become chaplains in various places in in various institutions, we also see a deep need for those who can bring the presence of God to people via the internet. To do that we are using a new word "CHATPLAIN.” Yes, chatplain. A chatplain is a person who, by means of the chat function on our website and many, many other websites can bring the sacred presence of God to a hurting and dying world. I can envision many of you developing websites where you offer to listen and encourage people who are having issues in various areas of their lives.

For example, I can envision many of you from twenty or more different countries forming a group to offer your love and encouragement to those who have lost a loved one and in their grief they sit alone in their now empty home and grieve silently. They might do a google search for "help in grief” and discover that there are people who care for grieving people from a spiritual point of view. There are a great many websites that tell the people what they are going through, but only a few who offer to help and even fewer are the sites where people will help from the point of view that Christians alone can offer.

For example, I can envision a person who has gone through our training for chatplains posting a website which will give Christian hope and encouragement to those who are struggling with conflicts at work or in the marketplace.  There are many who are ready to give advice to everybody as though one size fits all in the realm of personal conflict. Many times, people just need to be able to discuss their situation with someone in a confidential place, receive the assurance the God is still in charge, and that somebody really cares. That what a chat site with a chatplain can do for these people. Just to affirm the need for this sort of help, here in the United States at least half of the population has left a job due to conflict with their supervising person, and nearly 9 out of 10 regularly have trouble with their boss. If there were someone they could talk to, it would help these hurting people to know that God cares, that a person cares (one who is not in their workplace and could harm their prospects for resolution of the conflict!!), and that God's word has something to say to those who are in distress over working.

For example, I can envision many of you establishing websites where the people who are dealing with the loss of function in a limb or whose body is breaking down due to a long slow illness can go to for help in managing the trauma in their lives. Many of you have experienced that very thing yourselves. You would speak from a place of empathy and love for a person who is going through these things just like you. You can then bring the presence of God into their lives and, by means of the chat function online, be a chatplain for them in their days of recovery or on the road to acceptance of their loss. I can envision those of you who are veterans of the armed forces of your various countries being able to assist others in their struggles with the loss of a limb or eyesight or other bodily function. You've been there, and as a chatplain you can offer God's love and support to those who need it so much.

For example, I can envision many of you forming online support groups for people who are battling various addictions. You as a chatplain would bring the sacred power of God into the world of the person whose personal power is so compromised that he/she cannot beat their addiction.

For example, I can envision many of you forming support groups for people who have psychological issues that keep them hold up in their homes, not daring to go outside due to a fear that is disabling. You can bring the love and presence of God to these people with a sensitivity born of the Spirit of God in your hearts. Many of these people spend their days clicking around on the internet, longing for someone to offer them a glimmer of hope that will not disappoint them. They have often been disappointed by the hollow offers of help that someone has offered to them; now they will have someone who gives some help in the powerful Name of Jesus - a chatplain who interacts with them and loves them as a person created in the image of God.

These are only a few ideas that come to my mind as I think of the world of opportunity that awaits you as you get done with your training and reach out to the hurting people of the world.  In all the materials that follow, I am going to be using the term "chaplain” since that is the basic word that defines the person who brings the reality of the sacred presence of God into others' lives. Please understand that all of the material will be useful to you as you prepare to be either a chaplain or a chatplain. Our goal in this training is to prepare you to be what God is calling you to be as an ambassador of the Most High God to his hurting, sin-darkened world.

As you make your way through the materials of this course, I want to assure you that all the various areas of chaplaincy that I will be covering are important to you. I have attempted to not duplicate the material from one module to another. So the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Furthermore, I want to state openly that this is merely an introduction to chatplaincy/chaplaincy. In no way should you consider that once having made your way through this material that you are ready to take on the world. You need more courses to be properly equipped for this beautiful expression of the heart of God. Especially important are the courses you will take on how to have encouraging discussions with others, and the courses in Biblical content. It is the Word of God that heals and provides the balm for the wounded soul. Without that, we need not set up shop!

Welcome to the course!