Public schools are one of the largest gathering places in the United States, shaping the lives of over 50 million students every week. Recent legislation in Texas (SB 763), Florida (HB 931), and Louisiana (SB 152) has created new opportunities for chaplains—volunteer and part-time—to serve legally within public school settings.
Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) is responding by offering Public School Chaplain Training, a free, donor-supported program designed to prepare Christians for this vital and emerging ministry.
This training equips Christian leaders—whether volunteer or part-time—to serve ethically and effectively as chaplains in public schools. With the unique school environment in mind, the training emphasizes:
Rooted in biblical values, Ministry Sciences, and legal clarity, this course prepares chaplains to bring comfort, listening, and presence into America’s classrooms and hallways.
By the end of the Public School Chaplain Training course, you will be able to:
The course is divided into five learning units, each with video lectures, readings, and quizzes:
Unit 1: The Role and Opportunity for Public School Chaplains
Unit 2: Going Deeper into the Role
Unit 3: Specialized Training for Effectiveness
Unit 4: Functioning Well with Others
Unit 5: Human Resource Expectations
Each unit ends with an open-book quiz, and students complete the course within 180 days.
The Christian Leaders Institute (CLI) has become a premier provider of free, donation-supported ministry training, equipping everyday Christians for extraordinary impact. Stories like Lydia Edwards’ remind us why this mission matters.
Lydia lives in Meridian, Mississippi, where she serves as a care coordinator at a crisis pregnancy center. Her life is a testimony of how God calls ordinary people into ministry and then equips them through training opportunities like CLI.
“I started my ministry journey in 2024 with the Center For Pregnancy Choices (CPC) in Meridian. I didn’t arrive there by my own will—I believe it was by the will of God,” Lydia recalls.
Before joining CPC, Lydia worked at an insurance center. The work paid the bills, but her soul was restless.
“That job wasn’t fulfilling, and I felt myself drifting from God. One day, I felt the Lord tell me to quit. I had a one-year-old, and walking away made no sense. But after praying and talking with my husband, I turned in my notice. Soon after, I interviewed at CPC, and when they asked why I wanted to work there, all I could say was, ‘I don’t know that I do—I think God wants me to.’ That answer was enough. God was opening the door.”
At CPC, Lydia began to see why God had led her there. Her childhood had been filled with trauma—abuse, instability, and brokenness. But at 14, she found grace through her adoptive parents, the Smiths, who introduced her to Christ.
Later, she strayed into rebellion, but by her early twenties she returned to the Lord, rededicating her life to Him.
Her testimony, once a source of shame, became a bridge of connection.
“Because of my story and what God has done in my life, I’m relatable to so many clients who walk through our doors. I know what it’s like to be broken—but I also know what it’s like to be saved. Every woman, every family that comes in, I see as an opportunity to bring the hope of Jesus.”
At CPC, Lydia started teaching Parenting with Biblical Principles, a class rooted in Scripture, where each client hears the gospel and has the opportunity to be prayed for. Yet as her ministry expanded, she recognized her need for further training and credibility.
That’s when she discovered Christian Leaders Institute.
“I’m here in this journey with CLI to help minister to each mother, father, and child in a more effective and credible way. I want to see the people we minister multiply into ministers themselves.”
Lydia’s story mirrors the heart of CLI’s mission: equipping volunteer, part-time, and full-time leaders with biblical, affordable training. Just as Lydia found CLI to support her ministry at the pregnancy center, others across the country are finding CLI to prepare them for chaplaincy, pastoral care, and leadership roles.
This is especially true for the growing field of Public School Chaplaincy. In states like Texas, Florida, and Louisiana, laws now allow chaplains to serve in schools with parental consent. Like Lydia at the CPC, public school chaplains step into places of vulnerability—where young people face pressures, questions, and brokenness—and bring the steady presence of Christ through listening, care, and prayer.
Whether in a pregnancy center, a correctional facility, or a public school, CLI provides the same gift: credible, biblically grounded training that equips ordinary believers to step into extraordinary ministry opportunities.
The Public School Chaplain Training course is part of the Public School Chaplain Program (PSCP) at Christian Leaders Institute. Completion of this training contributes toward ordination recognition through the Christian Leaders Alliance, ensuring that chaplains serve with both competence and credibility.
If God is calling you to bring His presence into schools, now is the time to prepare. Christian Leaders Institute makes this training available free of charge, supported by generous donors who believe in equipping volunteer and part-time chaplains for service.
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Fire/EMS Chaplain Training
