Course Introduction

Grief and loss are among the most common—and most complex—realities a chaplain will encounter. People may come to you after the death of a loved one, but just as often they arrive carrying invisible losses: broken relationships, miscarriages, regret, financial devastation, shattered expectations, or a future that no longer looks the way they believed it would.

In those moments, your role is not to rush healing, offer explanations, or try to fix what cannot be fixed. Your calling is to bring the presence of God into broken places with compassion, wisdom, and restraint. In Chaplaincy, Grief, Loss, and a Broken Heart, Chaplain Mike Cowen equips you to walk with people through pain in a way that is safe, Spirit-led, and deeply restorative.

What You’ll Learn

In this five-session course, you will discover:

The Lord Is Near – Learn how to define grief and loss beyond death, recognize how grief impacts people differently, and adopt a foundational chaplain posture rooted in Philippians 4:5–7. You will practice the Ministry of Presence, learn what not to say, and understand why locating someone without assumptions is essential to healthy care.

Practical Ministry: The Three C’s (Compassion, Care, Comfort) – Discover a simple, powerful framework for grief ministry that mirrors the heart of Christ. You will learn how to move toward pain without overstepping, provide practical support without placing burdens on the grieving, and minister effectively in both crisis and after-crisis phases.

Long-Term Recovery: Walking Through the Valley and Building a Support Net – Gain clarity on the stages of grief and how to walk with people without rushing or controlling their process. This session equips you to recognize when grief is progressing healthily, when additional support is needed, and how to build a recovery net that includes community, counseling, medical care, and intercession.

Ministry to People Without a Faith Foundation – Learn how to minister effectively to those who are unfamiliar with Scripture, disconnected from faith, or carrying church hurt. You will develop simple, scalable communication skills, use safe bridge questions, and understand how the Ministry of Presence can bring hope without pressure—even becoming a powerful evangelistic moment.

Mental Recovery and Caring for the Chaplain – Use Philippians 4:8 as a framework for mental and emotional recovery in grief. You will learn how to help people shift their focus from loss to God’s peace and future, guide different grief pathways, and protect yourself from secondary trauma, bleed-over, and burnout while building a personal support net for long-term faithfulness in chaplaincy.

Why This Course Matters

Many chaplains feel confident stepping into crisis—but less prepared to walk with people through the long, uneven road of grief and recovery. Without clear tools and healthy boundaries, it is easy to rush the process, misuse Scripture, absorb emotional weight that doesn’t belong to you, or feel unsure how to help when grief doesn’t resolve quickly.

Chaplaincy, Grief, Loss, and a Broken Heart provides a steady, biblical framework that allows you to minister with compassion and confidence—without control, pressure, or burnout. This course equips you to bring God’s comfort into loss while protecting both the grieving person and the chaplain from harm.

Course Features

• 5 video sessions with Chaplain Mike Cowen
• Downloadable course overview with practical application tools
• Certificate of completion
• 1 credit hour toward a Warrior Notes School of Ministry degree
• Taught in the Spirit-filled, practical teaching style you expect from Warrior Notes

If you are called to stand with people in moments of grief, loss, and deep emotional pain, this course will strengthen your ability to serve with clarity, compassion, and endurance.