About Guardian Chaplains

Mission Statement

We recruit, train, ordain, commission, and facilitate the service of Christian chaplains who serve law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, combat veterans, and other frontline warriors. 

Guardian Chaplains offer emotional, spiritual, and physical support during challenging times and circumstances. As guardians to society’s guardians, we serve selflessly as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.

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Click Here for the Personal Mission Statement and Pledge signed by each Guardian Chaplain. 

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Click Here for information on our Advisory Council and our founders.

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Statement of Christian Faith

Our history-based Statement of Faith conveys that traditional, historic Christianity is the foundation for our work. While we adhere to Christian beliefs that have stood the test of time, we do not promote a specific Christian faith tradition. 

We affirm the historic tenets of the Apostles' Creed (341-650 AD) and the Nicene Creed (late 6th Century). These creeds are our Statement of Faith.

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Guardian Chaplains come from a diverse collection of Christian denominations and dissimilar worship styles, yet we agree on the importance of having rock-solid Bible-based beliefs and high ethical standards. We believe that Truth is not subject to the whims of society.

   

Importantly, our historic creed-based Statement of Christian Faith is not a burden from the past. It is our anchor. This acknowledged, we do not blindly adhere to tradition, rather, we regard these historic Creeds as representing core Christian beliefs. They are a legacy to help us remain centered, so we can tackle modern challenges. Today, these Creeds remind us of the lifeblood Jesus provides to clarify what is true and relevant. 

As we walk through life with Jesus Christ, and live out our Faith and believing-loyalty to Him and the teachings of the Holy Bible, we are empowered. This foundation equips us to cultivate healthy relationships, communities, and problem-solving strategies. 

This Bible-oriented approach is useful on many levels. It helps us define service; establish respectful, appropriate, and supportive relationships and boundaries; promotes fair-mindedness and justice; ensures a healthy attitude toward agency operating principles and procedures; and, it measures ethical conduct.

 

Notwithstanding, we cannot expect the Bible to clarify every aspect of our work. Still, it does provide the always-relevant biblical principle of sound scholarship that unifies research with observation and practical experience. 

 

Ethical Standards of Conduct and Operation

Holy Bible, Colossians 2:6-8

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.”

 

As Guardian Chaplains, we all sign a pledge.  In it, we commit to replacing our personal biases and worldviews with the orientation of our Creator, as illustrated in the Holy Bible. This is where we learn core truth, virtue, purpose, leadership, and how to serve selflessly. As Christian chaplains, we make all external contexts subservient to our Creator and His Word, the Holy Bible.

 

To help advance our Mission, Guardian Chaplains is more than a resource for training and certification. It is also a community that provides accountability, and it facilitates supportive relationships between Guardian Chaplains. 

The Difference Between Guardian Chaplains and Other Chaplains

 

Guardian Chaplains are at the pinnacle of the chaplaincy world. First, each of our chaplains has committed to follow Jesus Christ as Lord of their life and to serve others in a manner that is consistent with beliefs and principles that align with Bible-based, historic Christianity. 

 

In addition, Guardian Chaplains are committed to lifelong learning and the highest professional standards. While Guardian Chaplains are not required to provide all of the following services, after appropriate training and certification, they are accredited to provide:

 

Seven Levels of Service.

• First, Guardian Chaplains are committed to serving the guardians in our society who are exposed to long-term, repetitive trauma or abuse. This includes law enforcement officers (LEOs), firefighters, rescue and disaster workers, EMS, combat military, and veterans of all of these services who have been exposed to protracted repetitive trauma. 

• Second, Guardian Chaplains serve any individual who has experienced serious psychological trauma whether it be sudden or protracted. This ranges from ministering to those involved in a serious traffic accident to delivering death notifications, as well as to recently rescued survivors of human trafficking or survivors of sexual assault and crimes of violence. 

• Third, Guardian Chaplains also provide less critical services to guardians, such as sage counsel, interventions, and advice with personal and agency relationships. And also, initial counseling or assessment and referrals, as well as counsel to help a guardian’s spouse or family member. 

• Fourth, Guardian Chaplains serve their sponsoring agency by sponsoring in-house but arms-length programs such as suicide prevention and peer-to-peer support. In addition, Guardian Chaplains are often utilized by agency leadership for independent, personal counsel.

• Fifth, Guardian Chaplains serve the community at large, particularly during periods of social unrest or when it has been impacted by a traumatic event such as a mass shooting, natural or manmade disaster, terrorist attack, or warfare.  They also serve as peace-makers, to help bring calm to volatile situations, or during periods of social unrest. And, they are available to step into the gap, to provide one-on-one intervention with suicidal individuals or during hostage situations while awaiting the arrival of a specialist.

• Sixth, Guardian Chaplains endeavor to build unity within their agency and community. And, if requested, they are available to their agency and community leaders for prayer, as mentors, or to provide spiritual counsel. 

• Seventh, Guardian Chaplains may be called upon to pray at meetings and public gatherings. They are also available to officiate or serve in ceremonial roles for guardians, such as officiating at their weddings, funerals, baptisms, etc. 

 

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Guardian Chaplains are Distinctly Christian and Trained to be Frontline Chaplains

“What is Truth?” This is the statement made famous by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, after the sham trial of Jesus. But for Guardian Chaplains, this is not just a rhetorical question. For us, it is the central question and the foundation for equipping effective, modern-era chaplains. 

 

While “Fact Check” is an important concept, it is often misused by those who are attempting to impose their biased viewpoint. But for us, this is a process to help us identify the truth; reliable facts on which we can build our understanding and actions. Today, though this term is often misused, the term fact check still represents a necessary process. Though often obscured, truth is essential for informed living. 

 

For a Guardian Chaplain, fact-checking (truth) is additionally vital as it is essential for devising helpful action plans, methods, and service techniques. Consequently, we include the development of discernment; ‘critical thinking skills’, and ‘logic’ in our curriculum. 

 

Why is this central to our mission?  It’s because a chaplain must be able to personally discern “truth” if their actions are to be helpful rather than ineffective, or even damaging. As such, improving the ability to be discerning is a baseline skill in our chaplaincy education. 

 

Guardian Chaplains are called upon to pilot people through times of emotional chaos, as well as to help those who are confused, depressed, frustrated or struggling in their circumstances. It is our duty to help guide these individuals to a productive response. Consequently, every chaplain needs a firm grasp on what is true, how to find truth, and what works; discernment. Since viewpoints may be honestly believed, but still false, the ability to discern the truth in a situation is foundational to fruitful outcome-oriented action.

 

With this in mind, a Christian chaplain’s service to others starts with a believing loyalty to our Creator and His Word, the Holy Bible. This orientation helps the chaplain understand humanity and how to discern truth. 

 

As we strive to help our fellow humans, the next step is to understand the truth of the current circumstance. This is followed by an understanding of the truths needed to help a chaplain respond appropriately. We refer to these as our ‘best practices,’ the tools that equip and direct a course of action that is likely to be productive. This is why we emphasize the issue of truth in everything we advocate.

 

For many people today, their response to a situation is often reactionary or emotional. The truth-seeking process is not their social norm, so the role of a Christian chaplain becomes pivotal.

 

For the Christian Chaplain, truth is also reflected in the Bible’s injunctions ‘to seek wisdom’ and ‘to use discernment.’ Therefore, Christian chaplains seek divine wisdom to navigate their way to a successful outcome. This is why these topics are included in our education program. 

 

Here at Guardian Chaplains, we apply these same techniques to identify the training curriculum we recommend.

 

The Christian chaplain’s attitude reflects humility, service and honor.

 

Chaplains must be ready to serve when needed. Most chaplaincy positions expect a chaplain to be on-call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But even when not required, this must be the orientation of a Christian chaplain. 

 

Chaplaincy is not simply a job or a volunteer role. It is a calling. 

 

The Christian chaplain’s orientation is that the Bible is true, consistent, and relevant.

 

Unfortunately, for many, what the Bible actually teaches is glossed over by personal agendas, traditions, and preconceived ideas that obscure Truth. Therefore, honest, practical study of the Scriptures is foundational for Christian chaplains. Without it, we are ill-equipped. 

 

Guardian Chaplains are often called upon to help those who are at crossroads where life meets death, as well as to support those who experience unbearable trauma, confusion, or disabling disappointment. With these traumas in mind, our chaplains must have a healthy relationship with their Creator and a knowledge of Scripture that is linked to practical living. These tools are essential for ministry success. 

 

The word ‘orthodoxy’ is rarely used today, yet it is a bedrock principle for preparing Christian chaplains for service. With it, we are able to fact-check answers to questions that have been asked for millennia. Here at Guardian Chaplains, while we don’t dwell on these foundational issues, we do consider them to be the starting point for evaluating everything. 

 

We believe in the Holy Bible as literally the Word of God. And, that it provides solutions that are vital to life; answers to life that have withstood the rigors of the test of time. 

 

As Christian chaplains, the Bible is the compass we use to navigate through the circumstances of life. Strengthened by God and His Word, the Holy Bible, we can help others emerge victorious from the valleys and precipices of life. This, too, has been time-tested.

 

Thankfully, our Creator gave us the Holy Bible to answer life’s essential questions. He didn’t abandon us to speculation or the limitations of science. Nonetheless, chaplains need both scriptural and secular knowledge, coupled with divine discernment and God’s wisdom, to be ready for both the routine and the extreme. 

 

Oriented to Teamwork. Committed to Service.

 

As a professional association, Guardian Chaplains operates as a band of brothers (and sisters). We work together to recruit new chaplains and facilitate the development of chaplaincy programs within agencies and organizations. We identify educational resources and advocate for continuous professional development. Relationally, we are an online community of peers.

 

Here at Guardian Chaplains, we recognize that we need God’s help and empowerment. And, we also need a team of experienced experts who are dedicated to sound scholarship and the support of our Mission. 

 

The core of our team is our Advisory Council, which is designed to have 21 members who are seasoned professionals and academics from fields related to chaplaincy. The bulwark for this Council is our cadre of Senior Chaplains. Together, they constantly seek out and evaluate new educational resources to improve our chaplaincy training. This structure ensures that our education program is Bible-based, robust, solution-oriented, and intensely practical. 

 

‘Best practices’ for our Christian chaplains are based on the Bible and biblical Truth, but they are also built on solid contemporary research coupled with practical experience. Therefore, here at Guardian Chaplains, our team is on a continuous quest to find new methods and innovative approaches to chaplaincy. 

 

With this process in mind, the educational content recommended by Guardian Chaplains constantly changes. This is because we are continuing to grow in our knowledge, and as we learn from each other's experiences. To remain cutting-edge in the training we advocate, we pledge to continually review and hone our educational content. 

 

Since our first days of searching for sound educational content, we have followed the same process. First, we prayerfully search for both Christian and secular materials produced by credible people, and at the same time, we seek out and evaluate secular research. Second, we consider different approaches and viewpoints and identify the most noteworthy solutions. Then, we overlay these with the real-world life experiences of our team members, and evaluate results to make sure our education is relevant in our changing world. As a final check before we add any educational content to any of our programs, we stand back and filter it yet again through the sieve of biblical truth. 

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Today, this continues to be the process we use to identify the training resources we advocate. So, while our educational content does change, our process remains the same.

 

Guardian Chaplains unite to affirm our Statement of Faith, our Ethical Standards, and our chaplain’s Personal Statement of Faith and Pledge because we are a community of highly committed Christian men and women who want to make a difference in this world. We are an association of Christian chaplains dedicated to helping those who protect others. We are on this mission together. 

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