Foundations of Chaplaincy & Pastoral Care

Course Syllabus

Course Description

This course lays the foundation for serving alongside chaplains in prisons, jails, hospitals, shelters, and other places where people face hard seasons. You will study the biblical basis for pastoral care, trace the history of chaplaincy in general terms, and explore the many settings where chaplains serve: hospitals, prisons, the military, workplaces, and disaster sites. You will learn the ministry of presence, the difference between a professional chaplain and a chaplain assistant or volunteer, and how to serve people of every faith and of no faith with respect, never pressuring anyone in crisis. You will practice pastoral listening and visitation, the careful use of prayer and Scripture, confidentiality and its limits, and the habits that keep a caregiver spiritually healthy. You will finish with a personal philosophy-of-care statement and a documented practice pastoral visit (role-play) with reflection. This certificate prepares chaplain assistants and volunteers; it is not ordination, endorsement, or professional chaplaincy certification, and it is not a counseling or clinical credential. Every activity can be completed on paper.

Faith Integration

Hebrews 13:3 calls believers to remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them. Jesus counted visits to the sick and the imprisoned as visits to Himself: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me (Matthew 25:36). Pastoral care is an ancient ministry of the people of God. In this course we serve as Christ served: humbly, faithfully, and with respect for every person's dignity and conscience. We bring our own faith with us and we do not hide it, but we never use a person's crisis to press our beliefs on her. We know our limits, we work as part of a team under a chaplain's direction, and we refer people to the help they need.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Explain the biblical basis for chaplaincy and pastoral care from Matthew 25:36, Hebrews 13:3, and other passages about shepherding, visiting, and comforting.
2. Describe the history of chaplaincy in general terms and the main settings where chaplains serve: hospitals, prisons, the military, workplaces, and disaster response.
3. Practice the ministry of presence: being with people in hard moments without rushing to fix, explain, or preach.
4. Distinguish the role of a professional chaplain from the role of a chaplain assistant or volunteer, including the further education, clinical training, and faith-group endorsement that professional chaplaincy usually requires.
5. Serve people of all faiths and of no faith with respect: facilitate rather than impose, never pressure someone in crisis, and connect people with their own faith leaders.
6. Use basic pastoral listening and visitation skills, and offer prayer and Scripture with permission and care.
7. Explain confidentiality and its limits, follow the chaplain's and facility's policies, and respond correctly to emergencies inside and outside a facility.
8. Build a plan for the caregiver's own spiritual formation and self-care, and write a personal philosophy of care.

Course Materials

• This student workbook
• A Bible (King James Version)
• A notebook or lined paper and a folder
• Pen or pencil (no devices are required; every activity has a paper version)
• A printed copy of the When to Get Help card and the Visit Record form (provided in Modules 1 and 6)

Weekly Schedule

How You Will Be Graded

To pass this course: earn 70% or higher overall and attend at least 80% of sessions.

Classroom Covenant

• We begin and end each session in prayer. Participation in prayer is always welcome, never required.
• What is shared in class stays in class. We protect one another's stories.
• We speak with respect, listen without interrupting, and disagree with grace.
• We come prepared, do our own work, and ask for help when we need it.
• We follow all facility rules. Safety and security come first.
• We believe the best about one another and about what God can do.

Support & Accommodations

If reading, writing, vision, hearing, or any other need makes a part of this course harder, tell your instructor privately. Materials can be read aloud, enlarged, or completed orally. Missed sessions can be made up using the module pages. If you are transferred or released, your completed work stays on record and you can finish online.

Welcome

Welcome to the first course of the Chaplaincy Assistant & Prison Ministry Certificate. This companion walks beside you with a weekly reading, five devotions for the days between sessions, and a Quick Guide you can keep long after the course ends. As you read, remember who this certificate is for: chaplain assistants and volunteers who serve under a chaplain's direction. It is not professional chaplaincy, and it is not counseling. You are learning to be present, to listen, to respect every person's faith and conscience, and to know when to bring in more help.

How to Use This Companion

• Read the weekly reading after each class session. It takes about 10 minutes.
• Reflect on the questions. These are for you; you do not have to turn them in.
• Meet with God through the five daily devotions between sessions.
• Keep the Quick Guide at the end to carry home after release.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.— Psalm 119:105 (KJV)