The Importance of Education and Training for Chaplains and Disaster Workers

Education and training are crucial for chaplains and disaster relief workers as they help develop the necessary skills and knowledge to provide spiritual and emotional support to people affected by disasters.

According to a report by Cadge et al., federal employers generally agree that new chaplains need more and better training in crisis intervention, moral injury, and the work of pluralistic and increasingly non-religious workplaces. The report suggests that theological schools and clinical training programs integrate these topics into required training.

Chaplains must be trained and prepared to provide spiritual assistance, support, care, and resources during times of critical emergency response. The nature of their work may sometimes lead them into arenas of high risk.

The Chaplain Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) offers training programs that cover emergency and critical incident response, crisis/trauma/natural disaster response, FEMA/CLV-CERT/CPR First Aid/Crisis-Trauma/Mental Health training, community counseling training, Christian clergy training, and more.

In addition to providing spiritual care, chaplains play a vital role in disaster response and recovery. They help coordinate disaster advocacy, disaster chaplaincy, mitigation education, preparedness training of religious leaders, and relief and recovery programs. By doing so, they can prepare themselves and the public at a grassroots level.

The United States Service Command (USSC) strives to bring education and training to our chaplains and all our members so we can serve each other and our communities better.

1: Cadge et al. “What Are Chaplains Learning? Perspectives on the Supply Side A Working Paper.” Chaplaincy Innovation Lab. 2022.

2: “Training.” Chaplain Emergency Management Agency. Accessed on October 28th, 2023.

3: “Spiritual Care and Mental Health for Disaster Response and Recovery.” New York Disaster Interfaith Services. 2018.