Becoming a chaplain
Disaster Relief chaplains are trained to provide spiritual guidance to people whose lives have been disrupted by disaster. Their service on disaster relief teams is crucial to sharing hope with survivors.
We regularly provide training for chaplains. Check out our list of upcoming training events to find the courses you need.
Chaplaincy training requirements
Complete the initial basic DR training, "Involving Southern Baptists in Disaster Relief" (about 2.5 hours).
Complete the training "Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Chaplaincy" (about 14 hours).
Complete one unit of training in any of the Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) courses (about 16 hours).
Complete "Operational Stress First Aid" (either the short version embedded in the SBDR Chaplaincy course or the full 12-hour course).
Be mentored in one Disaster Relief deployment.
Volunteer locally as a chaplain (nursing home, hospital, first responders' group, etc.).
Endorsement
After completing local training, chaplains may be endorsed by the Southern Baptist Convention through the North American Mission Board. Endorsement is a credential that allows chaplains to serve at a professional level; it also offers chaplains many benefits, including professional development opportunities, support and employment referral. Read more about becoming endorsed by the NAMB Chaplain Commission.