Again, passing the baton successfully is essential, especially for supervisory ministries. The outgoing Brigade Chaplain has a bigger picture perspective that their replacement needs to equip and encourage the rest of the teams. And in my opinion, they need to pass on more than example files of ministries, programs and reports.
Below is a third of five example continuity files that I provided for my replacements over the years. Again, I don’t offer them as “the” way to do everything. You can choose what you need or want and leave the rest – no questions asked.
In the interest of full disclosure, the attached files were aspects of ministry in my first non-deployable Brigade – a TRADOC Brigade for senior functional Cavalry and Reconnaisance courses. It was a complete paradigm shift for how I had conceived of ministry. The steep learning curve (similar to my time in Resource Management) convicted me to include a detailed analysis of the Brigade and what it was like to serve that unique community, what vision I had for the Brigade and why, which ministries seemed to succeed and which didn’t and why, what I didn’t try and why.
I also included a few basics, such as an in-brief, suggested Lines of Effort (LOEs) to focus and measure ministry, an example CMRP, etc. And there are some unique ministries, such as the Memorialization Packet to dedicate a room for Spiritiual Resilience and the MOIs for Resiliency Offsites, which (in retrospect) would have worked much better in a FORSCOM type of unit with a less rigid schedule than a TRADOC unit.
The “Inspirational Thoughts” was a ministry from a much earlier deployment as a Squadron Chaplain. I made copies in three-ring binders and put one in all common areas, and they provided fodder for discussion as a did battlefield circulation.
Even if you are not a Brigade Chaplain, you might still find a nugget or concept that could help you or another member of your team. You are free to copy, edit and share them as you choose.
May God bless you as you serve Him and His people. Because I am offering this post in some pluralistic settings, please note that some of the contents are explicitly Christian.
316th Chaplain Continuity Letter
Chaplain In-Brief to Newcomers
Brigade Wellness Council template
Resiliency Offsites – May and June
SpiritualResilienceLOEs (fuller)
SpiritualResilienceLOEs (thinner)
Memorialization Packet – CH Emil Kapaun Spiritual Wellness Center
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