Chaplain Tim Klerekoper
Archbishop and Executive Director, Charteris Foundation
The Most Rev. Dr. Timothy Klerekoper is an international leader in public-safety chaplaincy, an educator in trauma response, and the Archbishop and Primate of the Christian Episcopal Church—a Continuing Anglican jurisdiction spanning parishes across the United States, Canada, and the Cayman Islands. He is also the founding Executive Director of the Charteris Foundation, a nonprofit established in 1992 to support, equip, and deploy chaplains across law enforcement, fire services, and federal public-safety agencies.
Origin of Vocation and Operational Service
Dr. Klerekoper’s lifelong calling to public-safety chaplaincy was forged out of personal tragedy. Attending the funeral of his family's babysitter following her murder, he found himself seated beside the head chaplain of the King County Police Department. From that moment of profound loss grew over three decades of field ministry and crisis response.
His active chaplaincy service includes key operational roles across local, county, regional, and federal agencies:
South King County Fire Department: Served as Head Chaplain, delivering crisis care to firefighters, paramedics, and families during emergency incidents.
Des Moines (WA) Police Department: Served as Chaplain with the rank of Major, offering operational support and pastoral care to sworn and civilian personnel.
King County Sheriff’s Office: Provided critical incident debriefing, grief support, and field chaplaincy to deputies serving across King County.
Federal Protective Service (DHS): Served as Regional Chaplain across Department of Homeland Security Regions 9 and 10, extending crisis support to federal law enforcement officers and security personnel.
Advanced Credentials, Instruction, and National Impact
Dr. Klerekoper holds Master Chaplain and Diplomate certifications from the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC) and is Board Certified by the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress.
As a master educator, he has served on the faculty for major public-safety and crisis-response organizations nationwide, including the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF), FEMA, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), California POST, and the ICPC. His instruction in critical incident stress management, crisis intervention, and chaplain ethics has shaped the training standards for an entire generation of first-responder chaplains.
His academic foundation spans theology, ministry, and clinical care, holding degrees from Whitworth College, Regent College, Faith Evangelical Lutheran Seminary, and Trinity Biblical University.
Contributions to the Police Chaplain Project
Through his participation in ChaplainUSA’s Police Chaplain Project, Dr. Klerekoper brings a deep, articulate theological perspective to the archival collection. His contributions broaden the project's theological reach, offering chaplains, first responders, and agency leaders a framework for understanding moral injury, spiritual endurance, and the sacred nature of presence in times of crisis.