Meet Seeon Smith, an ordained pastor with the PAOC. Following his graduation from Vanguard College, Seeon and his wife Debbie planted ‘New Hope Community Church’ in Edmonton. In his heart, he has always had a desire to reach into the community at large to share the love of Jesus with those who have never experienced it. In the past eleven years, God has given him that opportunity. I know you will be blessed by his passion for this unique ministry. Seeon also has a master’s degree in counselling.
AL: Seeon, it is so good to sit down with you this afternoon and chat for a little while about the Kingdom ministry you have given this chapter of your vocational life to. First, tell me what your official title is, and also the name of the ministry you serve.
SEEON: I am the Executive Director of Operations for Marketplace Chaplains. The parent ministry is in Texas. In Canada, we are identified as Marketplace Care Canada.
When I was serving as pastor of the New Hope Christian Assembly in Edmonton (a church we had the privilege of planting), I felt that I wanted to get out into the marketplace to share the gospel with people who would likely never attend a church. So, I started out as a chaplain with Marketplace Chaplains on my days off.
AL: Seeon, you were a pastor and church planter for several years. This had to be quite a change. How does your role as a chaplain in the business world differ from your role as a pastor?
SEEON: When Marketplace Chaplains came to Canada, they interviewed people in the workplace asking them what they thought a ‘workplace’ chaplain would look like. The common picture they had was of someone walking around with a Bible, hitting them over the head with it. Obviously, that is not the image we want to portray and not what we want our chaplains to do. There are some distinctions between us and a prison, military, or hospital chaplain. In those cases, the person is seen as a spiritual leader, a person to go to if they have a need (end of life care, personal support, etc.). When we go into the workplace as chaplains, it is often to relate to people who have no perceived need (although we all do). Our main goal is to establish trust and a relationship with the employees to earn the right to speak truth into their lives.
When I started in ministry, I wanted to rub shoulders with non-believers. Before I planted New Hope, I was assessed for my capability to plant a church. In the assessment, it was revealed that I was best suited to minister to non-traditional people and that they would engage with me easily. I feel very comfortable in that environment and enjoy getting to know the stories behind the lives of the people I meet.
Incidentally, I have never run into someone who is mad at God or at Jesus. I have run into a lot of people who are angry with the church or mad at some Christian who they have interacted with in the past. I have discovered that if I can work beyond that, they are open and receptive to what I have to share. That process takes time.
The ministry for me is simply understanding that I am the hands and feet of Jesus, able to shed light, love, and salt (flavour) to people’s lives using whatever modality is appropriate. For example, when I run into a Christian in the workplace, we talk about spiritual things, when I am talking with truck drivers in the ‘driver’s lounge’ we talk about football, how I enjoyed officiating in the CFL. I use everything, my daughter having cancer, raising teenage boys, being a person of colour – whatever issue I can use to build a bridge that allows me to interact, build trust and hopefully earn the right to speak truth into their lives and present the Gospel.
AL: Marketplace Chaplains in Canada started small, but it hasn’t remained that way. Tell me what the ministry in Canada looks like today. Also, how has the COVID pandemic affected the ministry?
SEEON: When I started eleven years ago as a chaplain with Marketplace Chaplains, most of the companies that we engaged were in British Colombia. As a result of COVID, we have lost a few smaller companies who had to downsize and could no longer engage our services. However, overall, the ministry has grown and COVID has been a blessing to us. Companies that we were speaking to prior to COVID and hoping to engage were suddenly hot with numerous situations where employees needed personal support, particularly in the area of mental health. Those companies have now opened their doors to us. From November 7, 2021, until today (February 15, 2022), I have onboarded two large companies representing a total of 7000 employees. When I started, we had about 15-20 care partners around the country, now we have 55 and I have the capacity for another 90 right away.
We have expanded beyond the British Columbia beginnings and are present in all the provinces now.
AL: What kind of person works with Marketplace Care Canada?
SEEON: We used to recruit primarily among pastors. Their training and experience lent themselves to the type of ministry needed and their schedules would normally allow them a few hours per week to serve. We still recruit in that direction but not exclusively. It is my role to recruit chaplains. The first thing I look for is ‘warm and fuzzy.’ You can be a pastor of a large church, be very well educated, but if you don’t have the ability to walk with ease into a worksite where no one knows you to start conversations to build relationships, you are likely not the candidate we need.
Because of the awareness of mental health issues that predominate today, I like to look for individuals who have some experience in counselling, peer support, coaching or any profession that is of helping nature. I have expanded my scope to include Christian social workers, psychotherapists, college counsellors, etc. We do not hire anyone who is not a professing and practicing Christian.
AL: This transcript will be sent to LifeLine, a publication that goes mainly to those who are retired from active, full-time ministry. Would they be good candidates for this role, and if so, why?
SEEON: Wow! They would be perfect candidates. A young pastor with a family is often trying to juggle numerous responsibilities and so it is sometimes difficult to fit in this extra ministry. Because most of our companies are small, it is not practical for us to hire full-time chaplains to serve just a few hours per week. Someone who is retired or semi-retired, or someone working half-time or quarter-time and wanting to dedicate some time to this type of ministry would be ideal. Those who serve are remunerated according to their experience (they are all considered employees). They are also taken through initial training and paid for that training. They are given a mileage reimbursement and travel time. We recruit both females and males for the role.
AL: What have some of the “high points’ been for you in this ministry?
SEEON: Let me share an example to answer your question. There was a young lady living common-law with a guy who was involved in the drug scene and was very abusive towards her. He was shot one night at a party. I was called to visit him in the hospital because I was the chaplain who visited the workplace where the young lady was employed. When I walked into the hospital room, she was there. She turned when I entered and said, ‘this is my pastor.’ This is someone who had no prior association with the church or anything Christian. She saw me as her pastor. That was very heartwarming for me.
Whenever an employee asks me to pray for them, that is a beautiful highlight. When someone asks for prayer in a crisis, whether for themselves or for a family member, I know that it is an open door for further faith conversations.
Marketplace Care Canada does not ask us to officiate special events such as weddings, but once people get to know you, they will ‘google’ your name and see that you are a credentialled pastor. Many have no other option, and some will call you to serve them in this way. When this happens, the opportunity has now expanded into the world of their family members and acquaintances.
AL: What are some of the struggles or stretch points in the ministry for you?
SEEON: One of the stretch points for me and for all the chaplains is to serve these employees without judgement or censure. They do not know Jesus and so they are not guided by the same principles that guide those who are. It is very easy to inadvertently close a door of potential ministry by leaving the impression that you disapprove of their lifestyle and conduct.
For example, one chaplain was told by an employee that the following day they were going in for ‘gender transition’ surgery. The chaplain offered to pray for the person hoping that the individual would reconsider. The offer to pray conveyed the attitude of disapproval and rejection. The employee was very offended by this and the opportunity for further ministry was curtailed.
AL: Do you have ongoing training to help a chaplain navigate these murky waters?
SEEON: Yes, Marketplace Chaplains are continually working on training programs to help their chaplains deal with hot social issues.
I also personally take a recruit on their first shift and show them how to engage. Of course, it doesn’t always work. We had one recruit who went into the first business and announced, “Well, I am the new preacher man here.” He was wondering why everyone was avoiding him. On further discussion with him, I discovered he was not interested in hearing their stories, he only wanted to preach the Gospel to them. Unfortunately, he closed the door to his own ministry there and closed the business to further engagement by any chaplain.
We are never going to hide or cover up who we are and what we represent but we must use great wisdom. A person’s life story is what made them who they are. It is valuable to them and needs to be protected with dignity.
If you have an interest in this ministry, please contact Al Downey and he will put you in touch with Seeon for more information.
Al is an experienced pastor and counselor who works out of our ABNWT District Resource Centre in Edmonton as the Pastoral Care Coordinator. A pastor to the pastors, Al is a friend, mentor, and confidante to all.