CDIs must attend church and hold a position in it?

[jimmydeanno]

So in essence, the Chaplain Corps doesn't want a person that can instruct Character development, they want "Chaplains' Assistants."  Which , like I said before, puts a huge difference between the qualifications actually needed and those imposed.

Just because a program falls under the Chaplain Corps purview, doesn't mean 'they' need to impose religious requirements for those participating in those programs.  One can naturally understand having the standards they do for a person to be considered a Chaplain.  But, imposing nearly all the same requirements for an instructor for a program that is not religious in nature (nor intended to be), to me, only emphasizes the disconnect of the programs intent.

Instead, we impose the requirements we do for what is supposed to be the INSTRUCTOR (CDI), but because the number of people who fit that description are few and far between in our organization, it becomes OK to have practically anyone teach at the Commander's discretion.  So the standards/requirements are so high, that our own organization had to find a work around which contains no requirements at all.

[davidsinn]

3.  Form 34's must be turned in by every unit, even if there isn't a Chaplain of CDI.  It is the responsibility of the unit commander to turn them in even if all that is filled in are zeros.

Where does it say that? 265-1 states that Chaplains and CDIs are required to send that report. No where does it state that a commander needs to send it.

Plus there is the fact that sending a blank report is dumb and a waste of time that could be spent working on a core program.

Words

What he said^

[DogCollar]

Well, I can only speak for myself.  I had an MLO at my unit...and he, most definately, was NOT my assistant.  He met all the requirements set down by the Chaplains Corps...and he did a great job.  Could others, from different backgrounds to as good a job?  Most likely.  If you don't like the requirements, then advocate Character Development to fall under Cadet Programs.

[Hawk200]

Where does it say that? 265-1 states that Chaplains and CDIs are required to send that report. No where does it state that a commander needs to send it.

Pretty much any report falls to the commander if the positions are unfilled. Reports have to go in, even if vacant. A report full of zeros shows that it was done, and not forgotten.

[NC Hokie]

The CDI system is broken.

I'm not sure that I'd go quite that far, but I am really interested in knowing what the exact intent of the requirements are.  My understanding has always been that the CDI position was intended for the laity, but some of these requirements seem to be unnecessarily arbitrary or designed to effectively limit the position to unaffiliated clergy members.

Consider the requirement for 60 hours of college study.  How does an incomplete degree make one a better CDI?  If you're going to have such a requirement, doesn't it make sense to go a step further and require a complete degree (associates degrees start at around 75 hours) or coursework that would help prepare one for the position?  Is incomplete coursework towards a business administration degree really going to make someone a better CDI?

Another issue is the requirement that the CDI have two years of leadership in their church.  Why isn't the pastoral recommendation sufficient; have that many applicants (or pastors) lied about this?  Also, what constitutes leadership?  Some churches call every nursery worker and van driver a leader, while others reserve that title for paid pastoral staff.  Finally, what if a CDI moves to another state; is he or she now disqualified from the position until they've been a leader in their new church for the required two years?

[Eclipse]

3.  Form 34's must be turned in by every unit, even if there isn't a Chaplain of CDI.  It is the responsibility of the unit commander to turn them in even if all that is filled in are zeros.

Cite, please.

The Form 34 is a report for the respective Chaplain or CDI to submit in order to maintain their status as a CAP Chaplain and report their activities to the Wing level.  In a lot of cases, those activities are external support to the military unrelated to the unit.

No Chaplain, no report.

[DogCollar]

The CDI system is broken.

I'm not sure that I'd go quite that far, but I am really interested in knowing what the exact intent of the requirements are.  My understanding has always been that the CDI position was intended for the laity, but some of these requirements seem to be unnecessarily arbitrary or designed to effectively limit the position to unaffiliated clergy members.

Consider the requirement for 60 hours of college study.  How does an incomplete degree make one a better CDI?  If you're going to have such a requirement, doesn't it make sense to go a step further and require a complete degree (associates degrees start at around 75 hours) or coursework that would help prepare one for the position?  Is incomplete coursework towards a business administration degree really going to make someone a better CDI?

Another issue is the requirement that the CDI have two years of leadership in their church.  Why isn't the pastoral recommendation sufficient; have that many applicants (or pastors) lied about this?  Also, what constitutes leadership?  Some churches call every nursery worker and van driver a leader, while others reserve that title for paid pastoral staff.  Finally, what if a CDI moves to another state; is he or she now disqualified from the position until they've been a leader in their new church for the required two years?

I wish I knew the answers to these questions...but, I don't.  I would suggest writing to NHQ Chaplain Corps.  I think you deserve answers.

[Lt Oliv]

The CDI system is broken.

I'm not sure that I'd go quite that far, but I am really interested in knowing what the exact intent of the requirements are.  My understanding has always been that the CDI position was intended for the laity, but some of these requirements seem to be unnecessarily arbitrary or designed to effectively limit the position to unaffiliated clergy members.

Consider the requirement for 60 hours of college study.  How does an incomplete degree make one a better CDI?  If you're going to have such a requirement, doesn't it make sense to go a step further and require a complete degree (associates degrees start at around 75 hours) or coursework that would help prepare one for the position?  Is incomplete coursework towards a business administration degree really going to make someone a better CDI?

No, Associates degrees start at an average of 60 credits, or roughly half (2 years) of a Bachelors Degree (4 years) which typically start at 120 credits.

However, you're right to a point. How would a Bachelors degree in Physics make me a better CDI? What if I have a Doctorate in English Literature? Does that make me an ever better CDI than the guy with the Bachelors in Physics?

There is a college requirement without rhyme or reason. If we are going to institute a college requirement across the board for all officers, or all those on the cadet program specialty track, all right, but why is a CDI singled out?

Furthermore, is CAP equipped to evaluate academic credentials? Are we weighing accrediting agency into the mix? Is a Bachelors degree accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council more or less qualifying than an Associates from a Regionally Accredited institution?

The system is broken because we put a requirement there that makes no sense, that we have no way of properly evaluating and seems to serve no purpose.

Another issue is the requirement that the CDI have two years of leadership in their church.  Why isn't the pastoral recommendation sufficient; have that many applicants (or pastors) lied about this?  Also, what constitutes leadership?  Some churches call every nursery worker and van driver a leader, while others reserve that title for paid pastoral staff.  Finally, what if a CDI moves to another state; is he or she now disqualified from the position until they've been a leader in their new church for the required two years?

I think a better question is why does the CDI need to have a letter by a religious functionary? If the individual is not a chaplain, why do we require that they have a "leadership" role in a place of worship? Not to mention, shouldn't we specify what that role is just a little bit more clearly? You might be a Deacon or an Elder or whatever your religious group has, but you typically work with senior citizens as part of your regular duties. Does working with senior citizens for 2 or more years make you a more qualified CDI than a school teacher who doesn't affiliate with a religious group?

The system is broken because it can serve to exclude capable individuals from being CDIs for simply not taking on leadership roles in faith communities while including individuals who possess skills and academic credentials that should not be requirements.