A brief history reveals this with Saint Martin of Tours as the patron saint of the French kings of the Middle Ages. The French carried his cloak into battle as a banner. His cloak was called a cappelli and was kept by individuals called cappellani or chaplain. Chaplains are commissioned officers who serve in the United States Armed Forces. Chaplains of all denominations serve in such settings as health care, criminal and juvenile justice institutions, armed forces, business, and industry.
Chaplains are generic.
They minister to everyone, not just their own denomination or faith. Southern Baptists have chaplains in several different settings in Oklahoma such as Oklahoma County Jail, truckstops, Department of Human Services, medical services, state and federal prisons and resort chaplaincy projects. There are 215 Southern Baptist chaplains serving in Oklahoma with 147 endorsed by the North American Mission Board. Of these 21 are women. There were 2,184 professions of faith reported by these chaplains for the year 2000.