By Aaron Weaver
DECATUR, Ga. — In conjunction with Spiritual Care Week, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship announces the creation of the Christopher O’Rear Chaplain Assistance Fund, a new endowment through the CBF Foundation providing short-term financial assistance to CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors experiencing unexpected financial hardship.
The new endowment builds on more than a decade of care for CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors. The first chaplain’s assistance fund began in 2014 when one CBF-endorsed chaplain contacted then-CBF Endorser Gerry Hutchinson about an urgent financial need. A $500 gift was drawn from endorsement fees to help meet that need, and subsequent gifts were made at the Endorser’s discretion as funds allowed.
In 2024, the CBF Council on Endorsement discussed ways to expand that informal assistance into a sustainable endowment. CBF-endorsed pastoral counselor Chris O’Rear worked with CBF Endorser Renée Owen and fellow council member and CBF-endorsed chaplain Ben Sandford to establish the endowment through the CBF Foundation.
O’Rear said he felt inspired to take action after reflecting on his own journey and the generosity others showed him and his family during times of hardship.
“I am grateful to be endorsed by CBF and honored to have been one of the first people to be endorsed by them,” O’Rear said. “For so many endorsing bodies, ecclesiastical endorsement is simply an administrative task—can you check the boxes to meet our requirements? For us, endorsement is a careful process of getting to know our candidates and finding where we can support and encourage them in their process. There is a special relationship between our endorsed and the Fellowship. Through the Chaplaincy office, CBF seeks to offer a variety of opportunities for connection, education and support. One of the places that we have struggled is how to help our endorsed clergy when they have financial challenges.”
“Throughout my career, there have been times when I have been unemployed or underemployed. At one time during my training in pastoral counseling, I was working three jobs to try to help support my family,” O’Rear continued. “My family lost a house to a mudslide during the Nashville flood of 2010, and we lived with friends and family until we could figure out what the next step was for us. There have just been times in our lives when we have only eaten because of the generosity of others. I feel very strongly that I want to be able to help others who might have similar struggles.
“When the Council on Endorsement was talking about how to increase giving for the assistance fund for Chaplains, I felt inspired, led by God, whatever you want to call it, to do what I can to help make that happen. I am in a better financial position these days than I have ever been. I am still not swimming in money. So, I am grateful when Chaplain Ben Sandford felt led to match my contribution and help us get the fund established. I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to pay forward the generosity of others who helped me and my family during difficult times and I pray that this fund blesses others for generations to come.”
CBF Endorser and Director of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling Renée Owen said the new fund embodies the spirit of care and connection that defines CBF’s approach to endorsement.
“CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors represent the Fellowship in an excellent manner daily, serving in specialized settings to share the love of God and hope of Christ by offering compassionate presence, fostering healing and creating sacred and safe spaces for people who are facing a crisis, experiencing a loss, and expressing grief,” Owen said.
“Our chaplains and pastoral counselors are clinically trained, professional providers of spiritual care who are not immune to crises of their own. The establishment of this fund is a beautiful reminder that CBF cares for them in tangible ways, helping them in their time of need as they care for so many others,” Owen noted. “Endorsement is not only about providing credentialing that chaplains and pastoral counselors need for employment. It’s a commitment to caring for our chaplains and pastoral counselors so that they can fully live out their call to ministry in specialized settings. The O’Rear Fund is a beautiful demonstration of this commitment. I love that this fund is coming to fruition through the vision of two CBF-endorsed Chaplains, Chris O’Rear and Ben Sandford. And I am grateful to Chris for his passion to care for his peers and future generations of CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors.”
Sandford, a U.S. Navy chaplain from Washington, D.C., and member of the CBF Council on Endorsement, said he was moved by O’Rear’s vision.
“When Chris brought this idea to the Council on Endorsement, I was moved by his sincere desire to support any of our chaplains and pastoral counselors who may find themselves with a financial need,” Sandford said. “As we all know, life can be challenging and, during these times, it’s nice to know your community is here for you. The O’Rear Fund is a tangible way we can demonstrate our concern for one another.”
Retired CBF Endorser Gerry Hutchinson, who launched the original chaplain assistance effort more than a decade ago, said he’s thrilled to see how it has grown into an endowed fund.
“Chaplains and counselors helping chaplains and counselors—what a great ministry!” Hutchinson said. “Kudos to pastoral counselor Chris O’Rear and chaplain Ben Sandford for endowing the O’Rear Chaplain Assistance Fund. We’ve come a long way from our modest beginning when we tapped endorsement fees to aid those in need. This new endowment will allow CBF chaplains and counselors to contribute to a fund to help our CBF peers in time of need. I encourage you to participate.”
The O’Rear Chaplain Assistance Endowment Fund provides grants of up to $1,500, depending on fund availability, with requests typically fulfilled within seven business days. The fund enables chaplains and pastoral counselors to continue their vital ministry of care without the burden of financial stress.
To contribute visit the Christopher O’Rear Chaplain Assistance Endowment Fund and select the fund from the drop-down menu under “What would you like your donation to support?”
To learn more about CBF Chaplaincy and Pastoral Counseling, visit cbf.net/chaplaincy.