What better place to minister to people than where they spend the bulk of their day? The workplace is a fertile mission field full of lost and hurting people who need to hear about Jesus.

There is a growing need for industrial and workplace chaplains as corporations continue to see the relevance of such services and the impact they have on the atmosphere of their companies and morale of their employees. Some corporations allow chaplains to conduct services for employees who must work on Sundays. Other corporations are enlisting the help of chaplains to ease workplace stress and build camaraderie.

Many industrial and workplace chaplains minister through Bible studies, one-on-one prayer meetings, counseling and by making themselves available as good listeners and counselors to those in need.

The chaplain is not a mediator between management and employees. Instead, chaplains are pastors to many people who have little or no contact with a church. Another crucial role the chaplain plays is connecting people with local churches where they can connect with other believers and be discipled.

Specialized Areas

Chaplains serve at airports, racetracks, rescue missions, rodeos, motorcycle rallies, schools and truck stops. In keeping with ministry being done the way Jesus did it, these chaplains will go most anywhere so others will know Christ.

A chaplain’s motto could be summed up with 1 Corinthians 9:19. “…I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible” (NIV).

Indeed. Motorcycle chaplains usually wear leather, ride fully equipped cruising motorcycles and mingle with some of the nation’s hard-core motorcycle communities. These chaplains love the Lord and have a passion to reach other bikers for Christ. The same is true for rodeo chaplains—they’re genuine cowboys complete with horses, hats and chaps. Trucker chaplains drive tractor-trailers. Each week they travel from truck stop to truck stop in search of truckers who are in need of spiritual help. On many days trucker chaplains conduct worship services in their trailers, which have been converted into sanctuaries complete with pews, communion shelves and hymnals. Racetrack chaplains minister to the men and women who live and work in the shadows of the glitz and glamour of the racetracks. In particular, chaplains concentrate on those who work in the stable areas, bringing the news that they as individuals are important to God.

Chaplains who serve in these and other specialized areas have invested much time in building strong relationships with those they are trying to reach with the gospel. It’s usually not enough to just want to minister to these people; chaplains must become one of them. Wherever and for whatever reason people gather, chaplains will be there.