Don’t Confuse The “What” With The “How” by Justin Dillard
Chaplaincy in the age of COVID-19
By Justin Dillard
COVID has changed how we do just about everything. What used to be done in person is now being done over Zoom. Connecting with others over coffee or lunch has to be done by take out instead of dine-in. Even the little direct human interaction we can have is done with half of our faces covered and distanced 6 feet apart.
All of these restrictions have complicated how we live and operate. When we can’t do things the way we’ve always done it, it creates a perfect opportunity for us to stop and distinguish between “what” we do and “how” we do it.
What is it that we do?
As chaplains, we are called to go into the world of law enforcement and model love for God and others, to make disciples and teach them to obey. As the universal church, we have the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
Matthew 22:37-40
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 28:19-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
In chaplaincy, we are invited into the secular world of law enforcement to serve through connection with our officers and by being present in their lives, especially in the midst of chaos. Current restrictions may limit volunteers in the building or prevent ride alongs. But our mission or what we do does not change, even if our methods do. How this is accomplished is only limited by the man-made guidelines and restrictions and our spirit-led creativity.
Obey God, Serve Man
Chaplains often face a more complex how than their fellow servants of the cross in vocational church ministry. One of my mentors and Lead Chaplain at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Tim Ralph likes to liken our favor in our agencies to the story of Daniel’s favor in Babylon. The king ordered the chief of his officials to bring in some of the sons of Israel who were:
good looking,
showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom,
endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge,
who had the ability to serve in the king’s court.
For us, the later three of the four will have to do. With our God-given intelligence, wisdom, understanding and discerning knowledge, we have been invited to serve in the king’s court. Like Daniel, we are running God’s playbook in a secular environment. Earn and keep your favor in your agency, but not at the sacrifice of your obedience to God.
For example, Daniel’s buddies refused to bow before a golden image of the king so they were thrown into a furnace. Daniel himself openly “made petition to God” instead of only the king so he was thrown in the lions’ den. Later in the New Testament, Jesus healed on the Sabbath. The apostles in Acts 5 were thrown in jail for preaching the Gospel, they were flogged, released and told to not speak in the name of Jesus again. Then they went right back to doing it anyway. I’m not telling you to break rules but I am telling you to boldly obey God with with reckless abandon knowing there is no earthly consequence that can compare to the repercussions of your disobedience to God. Knowing our how is delicate, for the sake of the mission, it cannot be passive. It still needs to be bold.
Here are a few things to consider when praying through developing the “how” at your agency.
What does God have to give through you that you have nothing to benefit from? Cops are trained skeptics. Your authenticity in serving them and their families without any recognition or personal benefit is counter-cultural and it builds trust that they don’t give out lightly.
Measure success by your obedience instead of outcomes. We are the body of Christ being obedient to Christ as the head as He served, loved, and drew the world to Himself.
What are the ways you have served your agency that regulations are now limiting?
What are the current needs and struggles of your officers in the midst of COVID and in the wake of George Floyd?
How can you accomplish the same mission in a different way?
When executing your “how” many decisions are influenced by what you’ve done in the past. Is God’s voice still speaking fresh and new into your life and ministry?
Now we want to hear from you. Share some of the things you’ve done differently in your agency because of COVID that has kept you on mission?