New Book Release

Essential Chaplain Skill Sets

Essential Chaplain Skill Sets is an easy-to-read book that is full of practical tools and resources that chaplains of all ministry settings and experience levels can quickly utilize and master. This is an updated, revised, and expanded version which combined the three e-book volumes of the Chaplain Skill Set Series. The four main sections of the Essential Chaplain Skill Sets are: 1) The Fundamentals: The Why, What, Who, and How of Chaplaincy, 2) Understanding Spirituality and World Faith Expressions, 3) Understanding Spiritual Needs Assessments, and 4) Bringing the Pieces Together. The fourth section is very practical. It  includes eight real-life ‘verbatims’ of chaplain encounters. A list of additional questions have been included at the end of each verbatim that allow readers (individual or in groups) to evaluate how they may have conducted the encounter differently or not.

There are plenty of books on professional chaplaincy, but most are written for those firmly established in the profession. Keith Evans has written a helpful primer for those considering or just commencing this marvelous and complex work. Readers will find this book to be clear and practical. – Brent Peery, DMin, Director of Chaplaincy Services Memorial Hermann, Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas

As Chaplain Evans began to discern and move toward his own calling and journey into professional chaplaincy, he discovered that there not many resources available that simply explained the basics for effective spiritual care in public ministry settings. This was the crux for this text.

As a ten-year veteran of law enforcement chaplaincy…I found the chapters on understanding spirituality and world faith expressions very insightful and beneficial. I also appreciate that Dr. Evans presents a variety of very useful models and assessment tools to discover the spiritual and/or religious needs of those we have the opportunity to interact with in our roles as chaplains. I highly recommend this book for all chaplains, and I intend to make it required reading for the association of local law enforcement chaplains I lead.

—Chaplain Clifton Cummings, Senior Chaplain with the International Conference of Police Chaplains, President of Fort Bend County First Responder Chaplains Association Sugar Land, Texas

In a post-modern and pluralistic society that is ever more distant and resistant to organized religions, every chaplain needs to develop excellent skill sets to effectively work and minister to diverse individuals. This book explores secular and religious worldviews and their unique expressions, as well as how to practically put all this together for effective spiritual care in the public sector.

Spirituality is vastly important to the resiliency and maintenance of emotional well-being and wholeness for individuals, while organized religion is being more and more opposed. If this is true, then what or who is the best possible facilitator to assist those in need? From my perspective, the chaplain is the most reasonable bridge builder and available public clergy when much of the population does not belong to or attend a church on a regular basis. For the multitude of people with spiritual needs who are also on quests for their own deeper meaning and purpose in life, the well-equipped and skilled chaplain may well prove to be their best spiritual mentor. (Evans, p. 5)

Evans desires that the main take-away for any reader of this book is that they complete it possessing more self-confidence to administer high-quality spiritual care to all the hurting individuals they  encounter. This text is everything that Evans would have liked to have known, to have better prepared him prior to going through intensive chaplain encounters and professional chaplaincy training.

Where was this book when I was a clinical pastoral education student? This volume so ably introduces key components of public ministry and then puts those elements together in a way that gives potential pastoral caregivers an overview of the noble task of chaplaincy. The well-developed themes of chaplaincy fundamentals, religious faith expression, and spiritual appraisal would have been beneficial to me on my CPE journey some time ago, and it serves today as an effective reminder to me of the nobility of my calling. The contributor’s writing style suits an audience of like-minded individuals exploring a pastoral calling, and it will appeal to other professions in their understanding of pastoral care. As one who aspires to become a pastoral educator, I would recommend this volume to all my students. —Chaplain Peter L. Ward, DMin; ACPE Supervisory Student; Clinical Chaplain Banner Heath System, Phoenix, Arizona

Chaplaincy is an active force in the realm of ministry to a world that is hurting and needing a moment of empathy and an encouraging word of hope. This book describes the importance of having well-meaning, devoted, yet well-equipped chaplains to help people on their spiritual journeys.

After spending the last forty years in chaplaincy service, I have come to understand the value and importance of finely tuned knowledge, skills, and abilities within the profession of chaplaincy. Having experientially practiced military chaplaincy, law enforcement chaplaincy, and health care chaplaincy, I can unequivocally support and expound upon the importance of fully developed skill sets for chaplains. Keith Evans has done a masterful job in the publishing of this most important and foundational book, Essential Chaplain Skill Sets, as he expounds on the specific skills in the performance of caring for other in times of need and distress.

—Chaplain Michael W. Langston, DMin CPT, CHC, Navy (Ret.); Professor of Chaplaincy Columbia International University Columbia, South Carolina; Author, A Journey of Hope

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Author Bio

Chaplain Keith Evans is a board certified professional clinical chaplain. He was a practicing chiropractor prior to his ministry calling in 2001. Evans is a graduate of Parker College of Chiropractic, Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, and Temple Baptist Seminary of Piedmont International Univeristy. Evans has served in law enforcement and trauma healthcare chaplaincy. Evans is currently a senior manager of Spiritual Care Services for Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale, Arizona. He’s also an adjunct faculty member for Grand Canyon University College of Theology.