Death notifications, shotgun training, police car ride-alongs, bulletproof vests, jail visits. Not exactly topics covered in most seminary classes. Yet for several pastors in Ohio Regular Baptist churches, these are terms they understand well. These pastors share a unique calling: they serve as police chaplains in their local police departments. This ministry has taken them away from the comfort of their churches and into the unpredictable and potentially dangerous world of “the men in blue.”
While most of us meet police officers at the local fair or at our kids’ schools, police chaplains meet police officers on their turf. One of their basic duties as chaplain is to go on ride-alongs, accompanying an officer for a shift. According to Pastor Laird Baldwin of Bible Baptist Fellowship, Brookville, Ohio, his “‘pulpit’ is quite literally the front seat of a police cruiser.” It is here that the chaplain listens, builds relationships, and gives counsel as needed. At times, he also interacts with those arrested. Pastor Baldwin shares one humorous conversation that took place between a felon and him while he was on a ride-along. The subject sat handcuffed in the backseat and was obviously unnerved when he discovered the “cop” in the front seat was the chaplain.
“You’re like a priest, aren’t you?” he wondered.
“Something like that,” Pastor Baldwin answered. “I’m a pastor.”
“Man, that’s scary. I ain’t never been in a police car with a chaplain before!”
The man couldn’t see Pastor Baldwin grinning. “I scare a lot of people like that.”
Pastor Baldwin reports that the subject was cooperative all the way to the county jail.
Usually, however, chaplaincy work is not humorous. Chaplains can be placed in the middle of critical situations, seeking God for wisdom on how to help and support the officer. One morning Pastor Jim Lane of Faith Baptist Church, Perry, was on his way to the church but felt he should first stop at the police department. Shortly after arriving, a call came in that a man was on a bridge, possibly hurt. Pastor Lane rode along with the officer to the scene, where they learned that the man was contemplating suicide. Pastor Lane accompanied the officer onto the bridge and introduced himself as a pastor. He asked the man to take his hand; the man did. Pastor Lane then pulled him off the side of the bridge, where he was surrounded by police and taken to people who could help him.
Pastor Ken Pugh of First Baptist Church, Louisville, shares that he has been with officers as they kick down doors or face a shoot-out. His primary job is to support the officer, and, if needed, step in to help. Pastor Lane adds that chaplains are trained to operate equipment in the vehicle and to use a shotgun in the event of a deadly encounter, but every chaplain has to decide for himself if he is comfortable using lethal force.
Police chaplaincy is not for the weak. Pastor Keith A. Neal of Christian Bible Baptist Church, Youngstown, still remembers being called to the Mahoning County Jail to talk with a 17-year-old boy who was accused of setting fire to a house and killing six family members. “As I looked into the eyes of this young man,” Pastor Neal recalls, “it was as if I could see into his soul. There was nothing there . . . no sorrow, no remorse, no shame, no guilt.” Later the young man shocked Pastor Neal by claiming to be a Christian and reading his Bible often. Pastor Neal frequently reflects on this young man’s hardened heart and lost spiritual condition; it has greatly influenced his preaching to teenagers and young adults, causing him to proclaim the gospel fervently.
Being a chaplain is also not for those looking for quick results. Pastor Lane was officially sworn in as a chaplain in 2004. It took over six years of faithfully riding with officers and building relationships before officers began requesting to talk with him about deeper issues. Pastor Pugh agrees. “When I was first introduced as Rev. Ken Pugh,” he shares, “none of the officers cared. They didn’t trust reverends. It took several years before officers began introducing themselves.”
For each pastor, serving as a chaplain has opened his eyes to the needs outside his church and has broadened his ministry. It is also a ministry each church fully embraces. “Our church sees the chaplain ministry as an extension of our church,” Pastor Baldwin says. According to Pastor Lane, this is vital because the pastor has to commit to being in the department as consistently as possible, and at times chaplaincy calls can come at inconvenient times—like one hour before prayer meeting. He says, “If you are called and don’t go, you have lost it. They will not call you back.” A church needs to understand this dimension.
Although not every pastor is called to serve as a chaplain, ministering to police officers is something every church can do. National Police Week is May 13–19. This is an ideal time to honor police with blue ribbons or even cookies delivered to their stations. Pastor Lane’s church has held a “Blue and White Sunday,” when the church dedicated an entire service to honoring law enforcement. Pastor Baldwin’s church has worked with his local police department on various community projects. Each of these is a great way for a church to reach into its community to minister to a group of men and women who often walk into dangerous places to keep us safe.
Cheryl Brugel lives in Grandville, Mich., with her husband, Steve, and four children. While her most rewarding job is being mom to her children, she does enjoy freelance writing for publications such as Cedarville University’s Inspire and “The Link,” the newsletter of the Ohio Association of Regular Baptist Churches.
