Chaplain Rhonda Vestal
Police chaplain · The ministry of second callings
Rhonda Vestal entered public safety chaplaincy the way many of its most dedicated practitioners do—unexpectedly, late in life, and in direct response to a clear calling. Following a successful 40-year career in the banking industry, Vestal and her husband retired, leaving her searching for a meaningful way to serve her local community. After hearing Senior Chaplain Mindi Russell speak at her church, Vestal attended a chaplaincy orientation and realized immediately where she was meant to be.
Directness, Empathy, and Death Notification
Vestal’s primary calling within chaplaincy is death notification—the knock on the door no one wants to deliver and no one ever forgets receiving. In her interview for the Police Chaplain Project, she shares the foundational principles that guide her service:
Honest Communication: Applying her training to deliver difficult news directly and truthfully, rejecting confusing euphemisms in favor of clear, compassionate honesty.
Unconditional Empathy: Serving every family with identical reverence, respect, and care, regardless of their cultural background, nationality, or religious beliefs.
Mentorship in Action: Reflecting on the encouragement and instruction of Senior Chaplain Mindi Russell, whose guidance helped shape Vestal’s second career into a vital ministry of presence.
A banker by profession and a chaplain by calling, Rhonda Vestal demonstrates that the capacity to bring steadying comfort to people on the worst days of their lives belongs to anyone willing to answer the call to serve.