In the continuing work of the Public Safety Chaplain research project, where 185 chaplains completed the ProQOL measurement and 27 chaplains participated in 1-hour follow-up interviews, we analyze the subject of the ministry of presence. The ministry of presence is an often talked-about but sometimes misunderstood aspect of the chaplaincy. It is rooted in biblical theology but is practiced by chaplains of many faiths. Still, as powerful as presence is, sometimes it is not enough. In this article, we discuss this and delve into why we can’t just rely on the ministry of presence.

Public safety chaplains are often defined by their availability and their skills. They are present during tragedy, death, chaos, and moral ambiguity of both our first responders and the community they serve. But if presence is all a chaplain offers, they risk becoming a static figure. As one chaplain reflected, “Occasionally you’ll be able to say something wise, but generally it’s best just to shut up and be present.” But even that silence must be rooted in awareness, not avoidance, and instead in the willingness and ability to act.

In the interviews with the chaplains, they repeatedly emphasized that what mattered was not always having the right words but having compassion and being able to carry weight with someone who is going through some level of crisis. One chaplain recalled in the interviews, “Sometimes that impact is not necessarily positive, but it moves people in the right direction.” Holding space is not a passive skill. It demands emotional containment as well as, at times, theological restraint. Sometimes silence, when held intentionally, becomes a container for grief, not an escape from it. In the words of another chaplain, “They’re not going to remember what you said. But they will remember that you were there. And you gave them a glass of water.”

Chaplaincy is a branch of practical theology where faith is often expressed through tangible actions and lived experience. While presence can be a powerful aspect of ministry, a good chaplain knows that ministry often goes beyond presence when people are in crisis. We have found that real compassion involves presence that costs something. The chaplains described moments where they were not just physically present but spiritually and emotionally attuned. One chaplain said, “God was already at work before I ever showed up on scene. But then, when I’m there, I get to witness God’s presence.” This posture requires a theological readiness to ask hard questions: Where is God in this? What does this loss mean? The goal is not answers, but walking with someone as they wrestle with their pain. In pastoral theology, this is known as the ministry of accompaniment.

Silence and Sacred Ground

One chaplain noted the profound weight of silence at death scenes, recalling, “You may interact with somebody...and there may be times that you're going like, man, I don't know if my presence made a difference or not. But they never forget that.” Silence, properly held, is not neglect; it is reverence and being attuned to the sacredness of the moment.

Theologically, this echoes Job’s friends before they spoke, and Jesus at Lazarus’ tomb. In practical chaplaincy, it means resisting the urge to offer answers and instead validating the suffering with stillness.

The Wounded Healer: Vulnerability in Ministry

Many chaplains referenced their own brokenness as a source of strength. It is noted by this author that some of the best chaplains I know have experienced trauma and brokenness themselves and have found their strength for ministry because of that, and have found redemption. One shared, “I’ve experienced a lot of difficult times myself...and with all that experience comes the ability to get through it. That’s basically where I’m at”. This reflects Nouwen’s (1979) concept of the “wounded healer”—one who ministers not from above, but from within the pain.

Another chaplain confessed, “Sometimes the only thing keeping me in ministry was my chaplaincy. It’s so rewarding to me”. These reflections reveal that chaplaincy offers not only healing for others but sometimes anchoring for the chaplain themselves.

Running Toward the Pain

Just like the first responders they serve alongside, effective chaplains do not flinch from trauma; they move toward it. One chaplain recounted a heartbreaking intervention with a firefighter in mental health crisis: “We talked for three hours...our mindset was, how can we get him through this night?” Another described standing on the beach at 2 a.m. with a grieving family after a planned drowning, praying and comforting amid shock.

These are not heroic tales. They are confessions of presence. While a first responder may run into a fire, chaplains run into the emotional fire, not to extinguish it, but to keep someone from burning alone. This is an intentional “being with” and entering into the pain that can allow people to see that the God of the universe is with them in the midst of their deepest pain.

Seeing the Sacred in Secular Spaces

Chaplains operate outside the church. They sanctify firehouses, backseats of cruisers, morgues, living rooms, and driveways. One chaplain said, “I get to minister to them where they are. Most of them may never darken the door of my church, and I’m cool with that”. That incarnational approach is foundational to public safety chaplaincy.

It reflects a theology of immanence, that God is not confined to steeples, but shows up in trauma rooms and station kitchens. The chaplain’s task is to point to that presence without requiring a sermon. This is done not only through presence, but also through the intentional and professional acts of caring and support from the chaplain when people feel they are without hope or control of their lives.

A Ministry of Incarnational Depth

Presence is only the beginning. Public safety chaplains must walk further into silence, suffering, and sacred tension. The chaplains interviewed confirm what theology has long shown us: that God often meets us most deeply through another’s steady hand, that needed cup of cold water, patient question, or held silence.

In chaplaincy, ministry is rarely about solving. It is about staying. And in staying, healing becomes possible, not just for the person served, but sometimes for the chaplain too.

Bibliography

Nouwen, Henri J. M. The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society. New York: Doubleday, 1979.