Program Overview
The Advanced Business Chaplains Certification prepares experienced chaplains to serve in corporate and marketplace settings. It builds on the workplace and corporate ministry covered in our Chaplaincy Certification, going deeper into the needs of employees, leaders, and organizations.
This advanced track is designed for those who have completed chaplaincy training and want to bring care, encouragement, and support into the business world.
For more information about the program and how to enroll, please get in touch.
The Work of a Business Chaplain
Business chaplaincy is not a “religious” endeavor. It is qualified, professional people caring for people in times of need — a confidential resource where employees can seek assistance and support, because life just doesn’t happen 9 to 5.
In the field, business chaplains serve companies by:
- Visiting company work-sites and getting to know employees through brief conversations
- Being available 24/7 to help deal with a critical incident, illness, or accident — or when someone just needs to talk
- Officiating at funerals and memorial services, as well as weddings and happier events
- Meeting at a neutral site away from the workplace when a situation calls for a more private setting
Why Companies Bring In Chaplains
Between 40% and 70% of a company’s costs are direct labor. Given that significant investment in human capital, caring for that asset is vital to a healthy bottom line — and for real results, companies must connect with their people on a human level, not through a technological platform.
A workplace chaplaincy program gives a company:
- Low cost and high benefit
- Loyal, engaged employees
- Lower turnover and better retention
- Fewer workplace conflicts
- Participation in new-employee orientation
- A sense of safety and confidentiality for employees
- Third-party neutrality
“Chaplain, can I see you a minute?”
This is how it often starts. Chaplains across the nation respond to that request every day — in hospitals, nursing homes, jails and prisons, in moments of crisis, and on the job in the workplace. In business chaplaincy you will encounter situations like these, common to almost every company:
- An employee driving a company truck is involved in a fatal accident that was not his fault — and he and the other drivers are in shock
- An employee’s spouse or child is facing physical, emotional or mental struggles
- Employees are at odds with each other
- An employee needs extra time off to handle an emergency
- A manager or owner is so focused on the bottom line that they have become desensitized to their employees’ needs
- Standing with crews at safety meetings, and being there when an accident occurs
When a company faces the sudden death of an employee, no matter the circumstances, every life around it is emotionally and mentally impacted. In one case, the 53-year-old owner of a company suffered a heart attack and died suddenly, leaving a wife, two children, and more than fifty employees who depended on him daily. Through several days of chaplaincy and counseling — including his memorial service and ongoing care for his family and employees — the company was helped back to a more effective and efficient workplace.
Sometimes it is just a matter of presence — being there and supporting hurting people.