What is Animal Ministry? What is an Animal Chaplain?

a specialized ministry of www.InterfaithOfficiants.com

~ Serving people and the animals they love. ~

What is Animal Ministry?

Animal Ministry has been around since the very first time a human being felt connected to an animal. In each of the world's great faiths, there are important historical figures who were known for interpreting sacred scriptures to teach people to protect and honor animals. We are taught in every faith that we, as humans, are stewards of the wonders of Creation. It is a serious responsibility, and with it, can come great joy and self-discovery.

Interfaith Animal Chaplains is a specialized ministry of Interfaith Officiants.com, listing dozens of independent Animal Chaplains around the world. The listing is a community service, and each Chaplain works independently within his/her own congregation, ministry, or organization. Independent Animal Chaplains provide an array of services to the community. We provide pet loss grief support and perform memorial services, pray for animals who are sick or injured, as well as many other services. We can come to a clinic to comfort the bereaved, hold hands (and hearts) during surgery or euthanasia, or perform a memorial service at the client's home, track or barn, or in a park. Our philosophy is gentle and respectful. Most of us have had pets of our own, and have sincere compassion for the difficult times pet owners sometimes face.

In addition to grief and loss services, independent Animal Chaplains can deliver guest sermons on the bond between animals and humans, and offer spiritual education and guidance regarding our responsibilities as human beings toward the other creatures of the Earth. Some Animal Chaplains visit nursing homes and hospitals with therapeutic animal assistants, while others may lead religious services where well-behaved pets are welcome. Still others run animal shelters, animal rescue organizations, or other non-profit organizations which benefit the animal kingdom. For a sermon explaining the role of the Animal Chaplain, please click here.

Become An Animal Chaplain or Animal Ministry Leader

Within each spiritual community or congregation, leaders can be trained in the field of Animal Ministry to offer Chaplain services and lead animal ministry groups. Interfaith Animal Chaplains now offers a course in beginning Animal Ministry. Upon graduation, if you are already an ordained member of the clergy, you will be given the title of "Animal Chaplain". If you are not, you will become an "Animal Ministry Leader". Same class, different Diploma, depending on your role in your spiritual community. For ideas on how you can start an Animal Ministry within your congregation, please click here.

How It All Began - The History of Interfaith Animal Clergy

In 2003, Chaplain Nancy started serving families and individuals in interfaith animal ministry informally through her work as a preschool teacher, religious school teacher, and Director of Religious Education, in a variety of interfaith religious settings. In her work with children and families, she found that a great deal of grief occurred surrounding the loss of a beloved pet, and most people did not have clergy members available to them who were responsive to the depth of their pain. Nancy offered the children she worked with opportunities to bless their pets, talk about their grief when pets died, and discuss whether or not animals go to Heaven.

After being called to lead pet memorial services for friends she knew, she decided to search the Internet to see if other chaplains were doing similar work. Nancy was quite surprised to find pet chaplaincy was not new - there were Animal Chaplains in a number of cities around the world. One Animal Chaplain, Rev. David James in New York, had been performing pet memorial services weekly for more than 15 years! The pet cemetery near his home, Hartsdale pet cemetery in upstate New York, had been holding pet funerals since 1896!

There were other chaplains for pet owners as well, yet few of them knew there were others with the same calling. One internationally known theologian, Rev. Andrew Linzey of the Centre for Animal Ethics at Oxford University in England, had published nearly thirty books on the subject of Animal Ministry, and was already known as the "Founding Chaplain of Animal Ministry". Ministry leaders around the world had been quietly following his leadership for years.

Nancy's research also revealed that a few Veterinary clinics offered on-site Chaplain services, spiritually assisting families during euthanasia and loss of the family pet. Millie's Ministries in Virginia, Lort Smith clinic in Melbourne, Australia, and Veterinarian-Chaplain Dr. Betty Jo Black of Soulstream Ministries, offered one-stop emotional and spiritual support, in addition to veterinary medical care.

Meanwhile, California Rev. Sandraw Shaw, formerly of "Chaplain of the Pets", as well as an unknown number of other clergy members in the United States, were performing services for pet owners in a variety of settings. By 2003, Rev. Shaw had an extensive network of animal ministry contacts and lectured frequently in veterinary professional circles, as well as working full-time in her personal Christian-based animal ministry. She had written a manual, produced animal ministry videos, and had assisted dozens of Animal Chaplains in starting their ministries by that time.

Nancy became Sandra's student and colleague in 2004. Between Sandra's formal "Chaplain of the Pets" ordainment program, and Nancy's interfaith mentoring of new Chaplains, members of the clergy and congregation leaders from a variety of faiths have been instructed how to add animal ministry to their repertoire of services offered. Rev. Shaw has since retired, yet her legacy of love remains, as evidenced by the many animal memorial and pet ministry websites praising her efforts and leadership.

Today, the Interfaith Association of Animal Chaplains boasts nearly 100 clergy members who provide comfort, guidance, support, and compassion to millions of people who love animals, all over the world.

Interfaith Animal Clergy Training

Since Rev. Shaw retired, numerous members of the clergy and other religious community leaders have asked Nancy how to become trained to do Interfaith Animal Chaplain work. Until 2007, Chaplain Nancy individually mentored each person who asked, and instructed them on how to set up their own independent animal ministries. Due to the overwhelming response the Interfaith Animal Chaplain website created, she now offers an Animal Clergy Training course (ACT) that is easily accessible to the public via the Internet. Books for the course can be easily purchased online, volunteering is done in one's own community, and all other requirements can be fulfilled by correspondence and telephone. If you are interested in becoming an Animal Chaplain, or Animal Ministry Leader, please click here for an application, course requirements and other details.

Although Animal Chaplains.com and the Interfaith Association of Animal Clergy are not affiliated with Chaplain of the Pets animal ministry or the Oxford Center for Animal Ethics, Rev. Andrew Linzey's theological work, and Rev. Sandra Shaw's practical ministry teachings, will always be an inspiration to all members of the clergy who do this work.

If you like what we do and you wish to support our efforts, please consider making a contribution to our site on this page here. We thank-you, and the animals thank-you!

Services Commonly Provided by Interfaith Animal Chaplains:

Private

Memorial Services for families and friends at your home/barn/track/clinic.

Spiritual/Grief Counseling

Emotional support during Euthanasia or Surgery at a veterinary clinic

Public

Pet Loss Grief Support Groups in pet stores, churches and veterinarian's clinics

Classes on Spirituality and Animals

Speeches, sermons or presentations to professional veterinary and religious organizations, by arrangement

In the spirit of love,

Chaplain Nancy Cronk

Listed on www.InterfaithOfficiants.com