Organized corporate chaplaincy in the United States dates back
to the 1940’s. It was not, however, until the mid 1980’s
to early 1990’s that the industry truly began to take shape.
Prior to this time most workplace chaplains served mainly as sole
proprietors or employees at specific businesses. Liability concerns
on the part of business owners brought an end to the widespread
use of company employee chaplains and ushered in the era of more
highly trained professional chaplains serving as independent contractors.
Corporate Chaplains of America (CCA) was founded in early 1996 by
a successful entrepreneur who answered a calling to offer genuine “Caring
in the Workplace” and at the same time, follow a structured
business plan built upon process management principles.
CCA employs only full time, long term, career chaplains who combine
a workplace background with technical chaplaincy training. Although
most CCA chaplains hold graduate degrees from accredited seminaries,
all are required to continue their education through the Corporate
Chaplains Institute (CCI) curriculum. CCA was the first in the industry
to produce a broad 154-hour video based certification program designed
specifically for full time chaplaincy training.
Corporate Chaplains of America is the first organization in the
industry to:
- Build a process management system to provide seamless
integration of its chaplaincy system into companies large and
small, public and private. CCA serves businesses in practically
every industry classification. Some have as few as 10 employees,
and others have in excess of 10,000.
- Build an exclusively full time workforce of highly
trained professional chaplains.
- Integrate continuing education
training systems designed to keep chaplain skills current.
- Offer long term career pathways for chaplain
and support staff.
- Invest nearly one half million dollars in the
creation and development of The Corporate Chaplains Institute
which is now capable of training
and certifying qualified chaplain candidates with or without
seminary backgrounds (and available only to CCA staff).
The American free enterprise workplace today is both multi-cultural
and extremely diverse spiritually. Although it employs only Christian
chaplains, CCA is a non-denominational organization and pledges
to care for all employees regardless of ethnic or faith background
in
a totally
non-threatening manner. With literally thousands of employees under
chaplaincy care, CCA has never encountered a complaint regarding
a spiritual matter.
For CCA “Caring in the Workplace” is much more than
a slogan; it is a way of life.