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Why do you think the ministry of corrections chaplains is misunderstood by the church?
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7 Replies
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Some churches want to preach at people rather than listen and come alongside someone. You need to build a relationship with an incarcerated person before they will trust you and what you say about Christ. Sometimes we just need to be a presence of peace.
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Perhaps overly simplifying the need to share the gospel as just a short, brief prayer as the only answer to all a person’s problems. It is uncomfortable and hard to walk alongside a person through valleys of grief, doubt, anger, trauma and fear. It takes a lot of creativity from the Holy Spirit, because the population is so very diverse. For me personally, chaplaincy had been akin to being a foreign missionary in multiple cultures/belief systems/generations/locations in a rapid fire manner.
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The church doesn’t understand all of the variables in being a corrections chaplain: (a) like what types of punishments society expects; (b) the idealogies of institutions — the logic of punishment practices; and (c) the variety of other religions practiced by inmates in the prison. The truly haven’t been educated how the role of the chaplain has changed so dramatically over the decades/centuries of our country’s history.
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Churches tend to focus on their specific beliefs and teachings vs. the big picture. Chaplains are expected to be knowledgeable about various religions and minister to the individual. Many churches also feel they can change the criminal and don’t always comprehend what led to the crime whether it be socio-economic circumstances, addiction, etc. They also don’t understand we can only change ourselves, including criminals. “Finding Jesus” doesn’t solve the problem because they often leave Him behind when they are released. When the church gets involved with released inmates, they might begin to understand the complexity of the criminal.
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First of all since chaplain deals with people of different religious orientations, the church may not likely understand this kind of ministry given to the legalistic approach of the church to issues. Sometimes, the church may feel that there is no reference to chaplaincy in the Bible, as such the misunderstanding