Module 1
Called to Care: The Biblical Basis for Chaplaincy
“Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” — Matthew 25:36
Lesson
What You Will Learn
- Explain how Matthew 25:31–40 and Hebrews 13:3 ground the ministry of visiting and caring
- Describe God as Shepherd and the shepherding call given to His people
- Define chaplaincy and pastoral care in simple terms
- State the safety rules every chaplain assistant and volunteer follows
Lesson Notes
Visiting Christ in the Least of These
In Matthew 25, Jesus describes the day when He will separate the nations. To the righteous He says, I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me (25:35–36). They are surprised. When did they do this? He answers, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (25:40).
Chaplaincy and pastoral care rest on this teaching. Sitting with a sick woman, visiting a prisoner, or comforting a stranger is not small work. Jesus counts it as done to Him.
Remember Them That Are in Bonds
Hebrews 13:3 says, Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. The writer asks believers to imagine themselves in the prisoner's place and to feel the suffering of others as if it were their own body.
Many women in this program know what it is to be in bonds. That experience can become a gift. You may understand loneliness, waiting, and fear in a way others do not. God can use what you have lived through to make you a more compassionate helper. Scripture gives other examples of ministry to prisoners: Onesiphorus oft refreshed Paul and was not ashamed of my chain (2 Timothy 1:16), and Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them (Acts 16:25).
The Lord Is My Shepherd
The word pastoral comes from the image of a shepherd. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1). God promises, I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick (Ezekiel 34:16). Jesus said, I am the good shepherd (John 10:11), and He described His mission: to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives... to set at liberty them that are bruised (Luke 4:18).
God calls His people to share this shepherding care: Feed the flock of God which is among you... not by constraint, but willingly (1 Peter 5:2). James adds that pure religion and undefiled includes visiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction (James 1:27).
What Chaplaincy Is, and the Safety Rules
A chaplain is a minister who serves people outside a congregation, in places such as hospitals, prisons, military units, workplaces, and disaster sites. Pastoral care (also called spiritual care) is the support chaplains and their helpers give: presence, listening, prayer, Scripture, worship, and connection to faith communities. A chaplain assistant or chaplaincy volunteer works under a chaplain's direction. This certificate prepares assistants and volunteers; it is not professional chaplaincy, and it is not counseling.
Get help immediately if anyone talks about suicide, self-harm, harming someone else, abuse, or a medical emergency. Inside a facility, go to staff or the chaplain right away. Outside, call 911 for an emergency, or call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the U.S. Stay with the person if it is safe, and never promise to keep it secret. Chaplain assistants are not counselors or clinicians; they refer people to the chaplain, medical staff, and mental health professionals.
Key Terms
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Chaplain | A minister who provides spiritual care outside a congregation, in places such as hospitals, prisons, or the military |
| Pastoral care | Shepherding care for people's spiritual and emotional needs through presence, listening, prayer, and connection |
| Chaplain assistant / volunteer | A trained helper who serves under a chaplain's direction and within set limits |
| Referral | Connecting a person with the chaplain, her own faith leader, medical or mental health staff, or other qualified help |
In-Class Activities
Matthew 25 Map
Read Matthew 25:31–40 aloud as a class. On your paper, list the six needs Jesus names (hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, in prison). Beside each, write one way chaplains and their helpers meet that need today, in any setting.
Our Care Covenant
As a class, write a covenant for practice sessions. Include: what is shared stays here, except when someone may be in danger; no one is required to share her own story; role-plays use invented scenarios; we respect one another's beliefs; anyone may pass; we pray for one another. Copy it into your notebook.
Assignment: My Calling Card and When to Get Help Card
Make two pocket cards (index cards or quarter sheets of paper).
- Calling card: Matthew 25:36 and Hebrews 13:3 written out, plus one sentence in your own words about why visiting the sick and imprisoned matters to God.
- When to Get Help card: the five situations that require immediate help (suicide, self-harm, harm to others, abuse, medical emergency) and who you would go to inside a facility (staff or chaplain) and outside (911 or 988).
Then write a half page: How could my own experience of hard seasons make me a more compassionate helper, and what limits will keep the people I serve safe? You do not need to share personal details.
Graded with the Module Assignment Rubric.
Reflection Journal
Hebrews 13:3 asks us to remember those in bonds as bound with them. Who remembered you, or someone you love, in a hard season? What did they do? What would you want to do the same way for someone else?
Prayer focus: Thank God for the people who visited and remembered you, and ask Him to give you a shepherd's heart for those who are sick, alone, or in bonds.
Weekly Reading & Devotions
Ye Came Unto Me
In Jesus' story of the sheep and the goats, the righteous are surprised. They do not remember serving the King. They only remember a sick neighbor, a hungry stranger, a prisoner who was lonely. Jesus says, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (Matthew 25:40).
That is the heart of chaplaincy and pastoral care. It is not glamorous work. It happens in hospital rooms, housing units, shelters, and disaster sites. It is often quiet and unseen. But Jesus counts it as done to Him.
When Denise was new to her unit, a chaplaincy volunteer stopped by her door every week for a month. (Denise is a composite example.) The volunteer never preached. She asked how Denise was sleeping, remembered her daughter's name, and once asked, Would you like me to pray with you? Denise said later, She made me feel like somebody remembered I was alive. That is Hebrews 13:3 in action.
Many women in this program know what it is to be in bonds. God can turn that experience into compassion. You may understand waiting, loneliness, and fear in ways others cannot. In God's hands, your story can become a bridge to someone else.
Think About It
- Who remembered you in a hard season? ______________________
- Which of the needs in Matthew 25 moves you most? ______________________
- How might God use your experience to help someone else? ______________________
Daily Devotions for Week 1
Ye Visited Me
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.— Matthew 25:36 (KJV)
Jesus stands with the sick and the imprisoned. When we visit them, we meet Him.
Reflect: Who is sick or alone that you could remember this week?
Pray: Lord, open my eyes to see You in the least of these.
Do: Pray by name for one person who is sick or in prison.
As Bound With Them
Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.— Hebrews 13:3 (KJV)
Compassion imagines itself in another's place and feels her pain as its own.
Reflect: Whose suffering do you need to feel more deeply?
Pray: Lord, give me a heart that remembers those in bonds.
Do: Write Hebrews 13:3 on a card and carry it this week.
The Lord Is My Shepherd
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.— Psalm 23:1 (KJV)
Every helper is first a sheep. We give care because the Shepherd cares for us.
Reflect: Where do you need the Shepherd's care today?
Pray: Lord, be my Shepherd today.
Do: Read Psalm 23 slowly, morning and evening.
Bind Up the Broken
I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.— Ezekiel 34:16 (KJV)
God seeks, gathers, binds, and strengthens. Pastoral care joins His work.
Reflect: Which of these four actions of God do you most need?
Pray: Lord, bind up what is broken in me and through me.
Do: Notice one person who seems driven away or left out, and greet her kindly.
Not Ashamed of My Chain
The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain.— 2 Timothy 1:16 (KJV)
Onesiphorus was not embarrassed to be seen with a prisoner. He refreshed Paul again and again.
Reflect: Who could you refresh this week?
Pray: Lord, make me a refreshing presence for others.
Do: Do one small, permitted kindness for someone today.
Module Quiz
- 1.
In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says that what we do for *the least of these*:
- 2.
The word *pastoral* comes from the image of a:
- 3.
If someone you are visiting inside a facility talks about harming herself, you should:
- 4.
This certificate qualifies a graduate to serve as a professional, board-certified chaplain.
- 5.
Write Hebrews 13:3 and explain it in one sentence.