Legislative Chaplain Training

Called to serve
where the decisions
get made.

Legislative chaplaincy is one of the most overlooked callings in America — and one of the most needed. Capitol Culture trains and equips legislative chaplains to serve the men and women who lead our statehouses. If God is stirring something in you, this is where it begins.

Apply to Train See What It Takes
What a legislative chaplain does

Ministry to the people who lead.

A legislative chaplain is a steady, faithful presence inside the statehouse — praying with legislators and staff, offering pastoral care in a high-pressure world, and being someone the people who lead can actually call. It is not lobbying. It is not politics. It is presence, prayer, and care, offered to every leader regardless of party.

Non-partisan, non-lobbying
A chaplain serves every leader in the building — left, right, and center. We serve leaders, not agendas.
Independent by design
No government salary, office, or appointment. A chaplain's credibility comes from owing nothing to the institution they serve.
Present by commitment
Showing up consistently, session after session, until presence becomes trust and trust becomes ministry.
Why independence matters
Legislative chaplaincy is a tradition nearly as old as the country — affirmed by the Supreme Court in Marsh v. Chambers (1983). But it only works when the chaplain belongs to no one inside the building. A Capitol Culture–trained chaplain serves independently, on purpose — and that's exactly what lets a leader of any party trust that the chaplain is there for them, and no one else.
S · E · R · V · E
The formation model

How a Capitol Culture chaplain serves.

Legislative chaplaincy isn't a title or a platform — it's a posture. Every chaplain we train is formed around five commitments that turn presence into trust, and trust into genuine care for the people who lead.

S
Show up
Presence comes before program. A chaplain is reliably, physically there — in the chambers, the hallways, the hard days. Consistency is the first ministry, and it earns the right to every other.
E
Earn trust
Trust is built slowly and lost in a moment. Confidentiality, non-partisanship, and unwavering integrity are what make a chaplain safe to confide in — a steady presence with no agenda but the person in front of them.
R
Recognize the whole person
A legislator is more than a vote, a party, or a title. A chaplain sees the whole person — their family, their fatigue, their fears, and their faith — and honors the human being behind the office.
V
Value their world
Ministry in a statehouse means stepping into the realities of legislative life — the pace, the pressure, the public scrutiny. A chaplain meets leaders in their context, on their terms.
E
Encourage and refer
A chaplain offers genuine encouragement — and knows the limits of the role. When a leader needs deeper help, a good chaplain connects them to it rather than carrying what isn't theirs to carry.
The training

Formed for the work.

This is professional-grade formation, built exclusively for legislative chaplains — the first program of its kind in America. Here's how you'll be trained:

01
Masterclass Video Library
Learn directly from experienced legislative chaplains and civic leaders — filmed, on-demand, and built to be studied at your own pace.
02
Modules & Certification
A structured curriculum with clear modules, checkpoints, and a formal certification that marks you as a trained Capitol Culture chaplain.
03
Live Sessions & Guest Faculty
Real-time training and Q&A with chaplains who've done the work — the wisdom that only comes from years inside the building.
04
Mentorship & Ongoing Support
Direct mentorship from Andrew and the wider Capitol Culture chaplain network — you're never sent out alone.
The path

From calling to commissioned.

Becoming a Capitol Culture chaplain is a considered process — because the role is a serious one. Here's how it works:

1
Apply
Tell us about your calling, your background, and the statehouse you feel drawn to serve. The application is the first step of discernment — for you and for us.
2
Personal review with Andrew
Every candidate is personally reviewed and approved by Capitol Culture's Executive Director. This isn't a mass program — it's a hand-selected cohort of people genuinely called to this work.
3
Train & certify
Work through the masterclass curriculum, live sessions, and mentorship — and earn your certification as a trained Capitol Culture chaplain.
4
Serve your statehouse
Step into your capitol as an independent legislative chaplain — trained in the Capitol Culture model, connected to the network, and serving a statehouse that needs you.
Founding Cohort · 2026
Start now

You don't have to wait to answer the call.

The full platform arrives in 2027 — but a calling doesn't run on our timeline. If you're called now, you can train with Andrew directly, starting today: one-on-one mentorship, real content, and a guided path into your own statehouse.

Explore the Founding Cohort
Beyond one chaplain

Bring Capitol Culture to your state.

Some are called to serve one capitol. Others are called to build something lasting in their state. Beginning in 2027, Capitol Culture is launching state affiliates — independent organizations, each with its own board and 501(c)(3), trained and equipped by Capitol Culture to raise up chaplains for their own statehouse.

Launch Your State Talk with Andrew

Every affiliate begins with a conversation and the personal approval of Capitol Culture's Executive Director.

Who you'll learn from

Anchored by people who've done it.

This training is built on real experience — chaplains and leaders who have actually served where it counts.

Andrew Carlson, M.Div.
Executive Director · Capitol Culture
Chaplain to the Oklahoma State Legislature, leading Bible studies for both chambers and building the training that equips chaplains nationwide.
Dr. Joel W. Harder
Founder & Board Member
Founder of Capitol Culture and author of When Leaders Matter (2020), bringing years of experience in faith and legislative leadership.

Is God calling you to this?

The 2026 founding cohort is carefully selected. If you feel drawn to serve the leaders of your state's capitol, take the first step — apply, and let's discern it together.

Apply to Train
"And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here I am! Send me.'"
Isaiah 6:8 · ESV