Our chaplain’s office is in the lobby of our nonprofit’s resource center. It’s not that we don’t have room for her or that we refuse to give her an office, but rather it sets her up for visibility. Everyone can walk by, get to know her or ask for a few minutes of her time. Her name is Clarene, and she is a former police division chief who was Hope House’s first board chair.
Once associated with hospitals, the military or religious institutions, chaplains are now finding a place outside of that. They offer spiritual, emotional and ethical guidance to staff navigating complex work. In some nonprofits, as burnout rates climb and missions grow more demanding, the presence of a workplace chaplain is emerging as a quiet but significant shift, one that reflects a broader recognition that those who care for others may also need care themselves.
On an ordinary workday, most conversations in an office revolve around deadlines, schedules and the small routines that keep a business running. Those burdens rarely show up on a calendar, but they follow people through the door each morning. Clarene is here to meet employees where they are and help them process or pray, should they want that.
A chaplains’ work typically begins not with a formal meeting, but with a conversation. For most employees here, we simply ask her if she has time to talk. Clarene explains, “The circumstances that lead people to a chaplain are rarely comfortable. They may involve a personal crisis, a strained relationship, a professional setback, or simply the feeling that things have become overwhelming. Whatever the reason, it gives employees a chance to talk with someone they believe has their best interest at heart.”
Listening is at the center of the chaplain’s role. Rather than offering quick answers or trying to multitask, a chaplain spends time observing, understanding the situation and allowing people to explain what they are experiencing. Many problems become clearer simply through conversation, and employees often appreciate going to a quiet room where they can share openly with absolute certainty that the words spoken out loud will not travel beyond the room. Her background in law enforcement makes confidentiality feel more natural.
From there, the conversation often expands into problem solving. Clarene frequently helps people think through difficult situations and consider healthier ways to respond. Rather than solving problems for someone, she encourages individuals to work through challenges themselves, helping them avoid negative patterns and think critically about how to move forward. She can offer new perspectives, share lessons drawn from personal experience or simply ask questions that could help someone see their situation more clearly.
Chaplaincy is rooted in faith. Conversation eventually leads to prayer. A chaplain can offer spiritual support alongside practical guidance, drawing on their own experience of how faith has shaped their life and decisions.
“My goal is not to intervene in every problem or provide quick solutions. Instead, I accompany employees through challenging seasons until the situation begins to feel more manageable. Through conversation, encouragement and prayer, I want to help employees move toward a place where their circumstances feel more hopeful and their path forward becomes clearer.
I do talk with people who are wrapped around the axel about something professionally or personally, and one of the things I tend to say to them is ‘do you know the facts, and is what you’re feeling and thinking accurate?’ I try to help them deal with crisis, learn to listen. Through my years in law enforcement, I did gain a little knowledge about how people as humans can react to circumstances. I like to encourage them to think about what other options are there. Are there other circumstances going on that we don’t know about and how do we find out? I like to ask good open-ended questions.”
Our nonprofit has benefited tremendously from having Clarene at Hope House. Life happens while office work is carrying on, and for those of us who can take a burden to Clarene, we can walk away from our time with her less distracted, our minds more clear. In many companies, employees take their concerns, personal or professional, to their manager or director and while having that human connection is a good thing, Clarene does not disrupt the workflow or interfere on a director’s already over-stuffed day. She simply cares about us in vulnerable moments and helps us find a slice of peace, perspective or hope.
From an employee’s perspective, it’s a kindness that our leaders have offered to us. It is a bold and thoughtful way of showing employees that leadership cares about the entirety of our well-being, not just the worker bee. They recognize that people sometimes carry personal things with them through the door each morning whether they want to or not and are willing to invest in taking care of that reality. She brings authenticity to our culture and provides an anchor to our core values.
