Teddy James

AFA Journal staff writer

May 2012 – It was an ordinary traffic stop. The driver was swerving from lane to lane, not able to hold a consistent speed. An officer threw on his blue lights and waited for the driver to pull over. As soon as the driver’s window opened, the scent of alcohol was overwhelming. The officer arrested the driver, a 22-year-old male, for drunk driving and thought that would be the end of it.

A week later, the same officer was called to a house. When he got there, a woman met him at the door with blood covering her hands. “He shot himself! He shot himself,” she cried in disbelief.

The officer took her out of the house and asked her to stay put. Being first on the scene, he had to take care of her and assess the scene. When he walked in, his eyes focused on the person lying on the floor. It was the young man he had arrested a week earlier.

The officer felt responsible for the end of this young life. To cope with the guilt, he drank himself into oblivion one night at home, got into a shouting match with his wife and punched a hole in the wall. He then carried his service weapon into his attic. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do there, but he was willing to do anything to remove the unbearable guilt. Then he sent this simple text to his chaplain: “Pray me out of this.”

Chaplain Zach Jenkins came to his house and talked to him. He arrived at 10 p.m., and they talked until 4:30 a.m. Jenkins knew it was not the officer’s fault that the young man killed himself, but the officer couldn’t see it for himself.

That officer was allowed to take a leave of absence until cleared by a psychiatrist/counselor. During his leave, Jenkins counseled and ministered to him. Through ministry and prayer he accepted the healing power of the Gospel. Now, his relationship with Christ and with his wife has never been stronger. He travels to churches sharing his testimony and the power of Christ. But without being able to speak with his chaplain, he knows nothing could have stopped him from pulling his own trigger.

Arrested by need
That story is an all-too-common occurrence for Zach Jenkins. He is part of a select group of missionaries known as chaplains. Jenkins’s particular mission field is the Desoto County Sheriff’s Department in north Mississippi.

His original plan for life did not include being a cop. He said, “After I received my master of arts in Christian Education from Mid-America Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee, I wanted to plant a church in the northeast or northwest part of the country.”

But an event with a close family member would change his perspective on everything. “I have several police officers in my family,” Jenkins said. “One was making destructive choices in his life. Being a pastor, my heart broke for him, and we had several conversations to get to the heart of his problems. We discovered that he had not fully healed from having a friend and fellow officer killed in the line of duty. Once he dealt with that, his life and marriage got back on track, but God showed me that there is a huge need for ministry among cops and victims of crime.”

After helping his family member, Jenkins went to his local sheriff’s office with an idea. He wanted to be a chaplain, but he also wanted to serve in the trenches with those to whom he would be ministering. He spent the next several weeks training for the academy, was accepted and passed with flying colors.

It wasn’t until he officially started fulfilling his responsibilities that he learned just how much is expected of chaplains. He said, “If someone commits suicide at home, I go there to minister to the family and let the officers do their jobs. They have to process the scene, and no civilian should have to see that, so I take family members off to the side and just talk. They cry on my shoulders until other friends or more family can come be by their sides.

“If there is a fatal crash, I go with the coroner to deliver the death certificate. Again, I go to help the family and minister to them.”

But Jenkins’s responsibilities go beyond helping civilians. He said, “I also deal with defusing and debriefing officers who are involved in a rough situation. We basically get them to open up and talk about what happened, whether they had to draw their weapon, fire their weapon or if they saw someone’s life taken. We have a lot of that happen. It is a form of counseling to get them past the stage of shock.”

Brothers in arms, partners in ministry
Churches across the country have commissioned missionaries to the farthest corners of the planet. They have pictures of missionary families posted on bulletin boards across the campus, and regularly scheduled PowerPoint presentations update the congregation about the family’s prayer concerns.

But there is a mission field in every U.S. county and city that is too easily overlooked. Every 59 hours a law enforcement officer dies in service to his community. Two police officers are shot every day in the line of duty. More than 189 police officers are assaulted in some form every day.

Sadly, violence in the life of a police officer doesn’t stop when he gets home. In 2008, 403 officers took their own lives, 312 in 2009. There is a 300% increase in the chance of a heart attack in 19-year veterans when compared to the civilian population. In every instance, every day, police officers need help dealing with the reality of their lives. They need someone to walk with them, talk with them and carry the burden with them.

Sadly, many forget about these heroes.

“There is a desperate need for volunteer chaplains,” Jenkins said. “A few are sworn officers who carry a weapon and are chaplains, but most are pastors who volunteer. They assist their local department on calls the officers feel warrant a chaplain. They are pastors who come to the police department when they can to spend time with cops. Several departments have more than one chaplain so the pastors can spread their time out, focusing on both their congregations in the pews and the squad cars.”

While the need is great for chaplains, the standard to become one is high. Jenkins said, “A pastor who wants to become a chaplain must have a calling by God and go through the proper training. There are several different organizations. One of the more popular, and the one I use, is the International Conference of Police Chaplains (www.icpc4cops.org). The ICPC has regional trainings, as well as an annual training, where chaplains from all over the world come to one place.

“Through them, I have been blessed to meet chaplains from Washington, New Jersey, Montana, England and Jamaica.”

Serving the servants
In the same way that police officers rely on the support of their partners, officers and chaplains need the prayerful support of congregations across the country. Chaplains are pastors who minister to a congregation full of people dealing with some of the toughest situations life has to offer. Jenkins said, “Keep in the mind that the only thing chaplains deal with are the things that mess cops up, that cause officers to be cold and shut off. So, if they are only dealing with that type of stuff, then obviously a chaplain is carrying around a lot of baggage. And because of confidentiality issues, and simply wanting to protect the people who trust him and his own integrity, a chaplain can’t go to another cop to vent.”

There are many ways a local church can partner with chaplains. Jenkins said, “Take these guys out for lunch. Let them talk and be there for them. If a chaplain is part of your congregation but not on staff, realize that he is as much a pastor as anyone else. The church needs to take care of that chaplain the same way they take care of their pastor, recognizing him during pastor appreciation month, sending him and his family to a ministerial retreat or buying him and his wife a gift card to a fancy restaurant they would not normally be able to afford.”

In reality, most chaplains will not receive that type of support and encouragement. But Jenkins pointed out that there are rewards that come only from God. He said, “God has never felt more real to me. I know it sounds cliché, but He has shown me that in the midst of chaos and tragedy, death and sorrow, bullets and blood, God is still good and God is still in control.”  

Four ways you can fulfill the Romans 13 mandate
RESPECT
Show and teach respect for civil authorities. Recognize Police Officer Memorial Day. (See below.)
APPRECIATE
Even when you are pulled over in traffic, remember officers are working to protect your life, so be courteous.
PRAY
Adopt-a-cop. Pray for his safety, protection and wisdom. Invite him and his family to church or for a meal in your home.
HONOR
Contribute to your community’s Chaplain Benevolence Fund; host an officer dinner.
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Police Officer Memorial
Since 1961, May 15 has been designated Police Officer Memorial Day. It is a day set aside to remember and honor fallen police officers. Since that time, events surrounding the memorial date have blossomed to take up the entire week surrounding May 15, which will be May 13-19 this year. One way to recognize the special day is the blue ribbon. It is symbolic of showing support for police officers. Seeing one tied around a tree or mailbox reminds officers they are appreciated and supported. It also lets them know they do not have to suffer alone when a fellow officer falls. The community mourns with them.