ALHAMBRA, Calif. – Garrett Ho doesn’t discuss the conversations he’s had with Alhambra police officers and community leaders over the past 13 years, except to agree they run the gamut from personal matters to professional tension to community sadness.

But what is there to say when the police chaplain finds himself in the midst of such tragedies as the stabbing death of a parks and recreation employee, the shooting death of a school bus driver, or the line-of-duty death of a young police officer?

“As a chaplain, I’m asked to respond to critical events,” Ho told Baptist Press. “There is so much I don’t know as I travel to the scene. But no amount of information can prepare me better than desperate prayers to God for His presence in the moment.

Ho described the chaplain program’s position as a spiritual, ethical, relational and encouragement resource.

“This ministry has significantly grown my dependence on God,” Ho added, trailing off in thought as he pondered some of the events and experiences he’s been part of.

Being a police chaplain in a department in Metro Los Angeles with 85 sworn officers and other staff intertwines with Ho’s ministries as at-large pastor of Mandarin Baptist Church of Los Angeles, with its Sunday morning congregation of about 1,100, as well as associate professor of leadership formation and associate director of the D.Min. program at the 2,200-student Gateway Seminary in Ontario, not far away.

“I like to share with my students how God works in a person’s life,” Ho said, referencing Proverbs 16:9. “’The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.’ I could not imagine how God would weave together my disparate interests and experiences, but God has a purpose that we may joyfully discover.

“I have full confidence in God,” Ho continued. “God has been so gracious to me.” He spoke of his caring Christian extended family, several significant mentor figures, and his hope that others would experience the hand of God as he has.

Credentials

Ho coupled a 2003 undergraduate degree in economics and political science, followed two years later by an MBA in operations and international business. He was working in construction management when his pastor visited him at his job site, inquiring whether Ho was called to ministry.

Ho graduated in 2010 from The Master’s Seminary in California with an M.Div. and in 2012 became an English pastor at Mandarin Baptist. He was named the pastor of church operations in 2020 to help the church in the wake of the pandemic and to continue the strategic planning efforts he began with his D.Min. project at Gateway Seminary. That project describes the importance of systems and infrastructure to support healthy, long-term church growth, and the need to align staffing, facilities and program planning to meet strategic goals.

After Ho graduated in 2020, “Gateway invited me back as a guest speaker, field mentor, member of D.Min. project committees, and then reached out related to my current role. Unbeknownst to me, the seminary had begun sharing my D.Min. project as an example for our doctoral candidates.”

Police work

It was in 2013 that Ho approached the Alhambra Police Department, a year after he was called as Mandarin Baptist’s English pastor of fellowship and equipping.

“The senior pastor approved this ministry outside the church,” Ho said. “He saw it as an opportunity for our church to be present in the community and said I was suitable for it.

“There are three areas that I operate in as a chaplain,” Ho continued. “First, I minister to law enforcement personnel and their families. This includes participation in briefings, ride-alongs and general availability to the officers. … They face unique challenges and stressors in their line of work.”

Ho described the chaplain program’s position as a spiritual, ethical, relational and encouragement resource.

The second aspect of Ho’s work with the police department: relating to the community. “When there is a death in the community, if the family does not have a spiritual figure, I will often receive a phone call. This may be the result of suicide, accidental overdose, sickness, or any number of accidents. When chaplains are called, it means that people need help, often with the grieving process.”

There also is a ceremonial aspect to the job of a police chaplain, such as praying at civic memorial services and at first responders’ retirements and other events.

Ho said he looked into law enforcement chaplaincy after he heard a retreat speaker describe chaplaincy for a professional ball team. 

“He said, ‘Break out of the Christian subculture,’” Ho recalled. “I thought, ‘Here I am, expecting the community to attend church-sponsored programs, rather than sharing the hope we have as life happens. Could I go to the community for this?’”

A friend had just become a police chaplain, and Ho soon joined him. His work has taken him to some tragic scenes, and sometimes conflicts with his home life. The juxtaposition of his police, church, seminary worlds with his home life requires him to routinely compartmentalize his life, he said.

Seminary

“I am a product of Gateway Seminary,” Ho said. When he was offered a professorship there in 2022, he told then-Gateway President Jeff Iorg he would make the seminary his priority. Iorg, who spent years in sports chaplaincy himself, disagreed.

“He asked me to continue in these other ministries,” Ho recalled. “‘We need to be active practitioners so that our teaching remains fresh,’ he told me. We have students who are chaplains in a variety of settings, and my continued involvement helps me apply biblical concepts to those ministry contexts.”

Mandarin Baptist then created a new position for Ho, as at-large pastor with a job description that says, “Serving where needed: preaching, teaching, mentoring and special projects.” The police chief also asked Ho to stay. 

“So every element of my story fits together,” Ho said. “I did not expect God to use everything I have experienced, yet He did. I am so excited for what I have the privilege to do every day, and every day I offer an open hand to God, that He will continue to direct my steps.”