The Role of the Prison Chaplain

My name is Stephen Willis. I serve as a Texas Department of Criminal Justice chaplain and have been serving in this position for going on five years. It has been quite the adjustment from pastoring full time in West Texas, where I served as the Sr. Pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Midland.

I began to sense a call to a different type of ministry, although I still currently pastor a small congregation. I initially thought I was being called to the mission field, and I guess I was in many ways…

The Chaplaincy falls under the Rehabilitation Programs Divisionand performs advanced ministerial clergy work. The work involves overseeing, coordinating, and planning programs and activities. Prison chaplains receive a lot of training, and each unit hosts at least two volunteer trainings a year. Prison chaplains find themselves also conducting religious services and teaching some educational classes themselves. They also provide pastoral care and counseling to offenders and offender families, as well as assisting staff in their spiritual needs. Each unit chaplain works under minimal supervision with extensive latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgement.

As you may guess, because I am in a government position, I have my share of paper work. It would seem there is a form for every procedure and report for every occasion. The prison chaplain is the program coordinator for all faith groups, which means they must know how to compartmentalize. Prison chaplains must recruit, train, and oversee volunteers. They provide ministry from their denominational flavor in accordance to their practices, customs, and doctrines, but they are not allowed to neglect other faith groups.

The prison chaplain participates in outreach activities and must be able to master the art of networking with other prison chaplains and ministries. They also have to meet certain qualifications in order to even be hired on. Previous experience and education is essential. In order for the prison chaplain to get promoted, he must also take Clinical Pastoral Education.

It is the chaplain who oversees the Faith Based Dorm and who schedules different ministries and makes sure they are approved for entrance onto a unit. The Chaplain also has to make sure his computer skills are not rusty because they have to log and document programs that are looked at by parole before an inmate is released. They must also make sure that a wide variety of programs are being provided, not allowing his unit to be his own personal “soap box.”

Additionally, when an offender dies it is the chaplain notifies the next of kin. They are the ones who work with the grieving family. There is ministry provided as well when staff is affected by death as well.

The Chaplain must also wrangle up resources to pay for all that Chaplaincy does, because Chaplaincy operates off a zero budget. That means volunteers have to foot the bill.

This all means the prison chaplain has to have a knowledge of religious beliefs and practices of various faiths, groups, and denominations. He must be resourceful when it comes to obtaining the literature needed for his programs.  He must know policy based on state and federal laws.  He must be flexible when work is asked of him that does not involve religion, such as working with the veterans program or Alcoholics Anonymous.

It is good to be a “people person” because he will be called upon to communicate ideas and instructions clearly and concisely. The chaplain must know how to interpret and apply rules, regulations, policies and procedures and have the skill to prepare and maintain accurate records, files, and reports.

And to top all off there are audits and more audits to make sure that the prison chaplain is doing his job.

For more information about BMA Chaplaincy, click here: https://bmamissions.org/chaplaincy/

*Much of this information is written in the job description of the TDCJ Chaplain.