■ THE MINISTRY OF CHAPLAINS
Serving Those
Who Protect Us
The Chaplains Commission has a corps of over 400 men and women serving as
law-enforcement chaplains across the states and around the world.
by WAYNE ROBERSON ing. Chaplain Cox is the assistant coordi- the International Conference of Police
■
nator for training and is the chaplaincy Chaplains Regional Conference in July in
The phone rings. As you reach out in the field trainer. The greater Knoxville area Knoxville. Over 1,000 law-enforcement
darkness to pick it up, a glance at the red dig- and surrounding counties have a popula- officers and chaplains were in attendance,
ital display on the clock reads 2:15 a.m. You tion nearing 1 million people. Due in along with FBI, ATF, and Secret Service
know it will be the police dispatcher giving large measure to the dedicated efforts of representatives. It takes a well-organized,
you a quick report—where to go, the general Chaplains Cox and McGinnis, this area hard-working, and dedicated chaplaincy
situation, and hopefully, a few pertinent and has one of the strongest law-enforcement corps to do this, along with the well-
useful details. chaplaincy programs anywhere in the deserved, full support and assistance of
In a matter of seconds, you are wide United States, with more chaplains serv- their law-enforcement agencies and local
awake; you’ve done this many times before. ing than in cities with four and five times government officials.
Your gear is laid out—everything you know the population. Of the 140 chaplains in Knoxville,
you will need and, from experience, things you A measure of their successful chap- Knox County, and the surrounding coun-
just might need. In a matter of minutes you, laincy ministry is the fact that the Knox ties, 38 are Church of God chaplains.
as a law-enforcement chaplain, are on your County Sheriff’s Department and the These chaplains are comprised of pastors
way to an incident where officers from the Knoxville Police Department cohosted and ministers in area Churches of God.
police or sheriff’s department have been called. McGinnis is the senior pastor of
Knoxville’s Parkwest Church of God, while
W
HEN THE DISPATCHER calls, Cox pastors the Powell Church of God.
a law-enforcement chaplain “I have such tremendous respect for
never knows what is coming the men and women of our law-enforce-
next. It could be a routine matter or a ment agencies,” says Chaplain McGinnis.
life-threatening situation. Some scenarios “They dedicate themselves to serve and
are especially critical: fatal accidents, nat- protect the lives and property of everyone
ural and man-made disasters, hostage sit- in our communities. Honor, integrity,
uations, robberies, abductions, homicides, service, courage—these terms have real
suicides, domestic-violence scenes. Every meaning to these individuals. They have
response demands caution, and standard allowed us into their world—to cross that
procedures help reduce unpredictability blue line. It is my privilege to serve them
and potential volatility—especially in and to serve with them.”
domestic-violence and suicide responses. Chaplain Cox, a former police officer
This calls for a trained and skilled chap- himself, outlines the comprehensive
lain who has a heart for serving others. training these chaplains undergo. “After
Church of God Chaplains Gerald screening and approving applicants, they
McGinnis and Jerry Cox serve with the first go through a comprehensive 48-hour
Knox County Sheriff’s Department in training course conducted over an 11-
Tennessee. They understand the necessity week period. Upon graduation, they are
of having a trained chaplaincy for law- commissioned and receive their hard-
enforcement ministry. Chaplain McGin- earned chaplain’s badge. The training
nis, along with his Baptist colleague,
Chaplain
doesn’t stop there; it continues with regu-
Gerald
Chaplain Gale Lyon, share joint responsi-
McGinnis
lar updates and ongoing specific require-
bility for coordinating chaplaincy train- ments to maintain their chaplaincy
12 EVANGEL • AUG 2009
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