What is a chaplain?
Chaplains serve in many contexts, among them:
- Education (nursery, primary, secondary, FE and HE)
- Healthcare (hospitals, community hospitals, mental health, residential care and GP surgeries)
- Armed forces, police and transport
- Industry, retail, sport, culture and charities
- Communities (city and town centres and villages)
However, all chaplains serve the 95% who do not have regular (monthly) contact with the local church.
Chaplains:
- are distinctively Christian and utterly inclusive, at ease working with people of all faiths and cultures
- bring ‘life in all its fullness’ to communities beyond the church
- offer spiritual and pastoral care for all
- listen and care, pray for and bless the communities they serve
- are existentially literate, at ease with spirituality and with matters of life and death
- share the life of the community as a member of the team rather than as a visitor
Who can be a chaplain?
If you are distinctively Christian and utterly inclusive, at ease working with people of all faiths and cultures, and you believe God is calling you to:
- minister, serve, listen, care and pray beyond the church
- bring ‘life in all its fullness’ to communities beyond the church
- offer spiritual and pastoral care for all
- listen and care, pray for and bless the community
- be existentially literate, at ease with spirituality and with matters of life and death
- share the life of the community; as a member of the team, rather than as a visitor
this may be a ministry for you to explore.
Chaplains can be full-time or part-time, voluntary or paid, lay or ordained, and from all Christian denominations and traditions.
Meet a Chaplain: Gwen Kearley
"Chaplaincy is about showing God’s love. My prayer is that through what I do and say, people at school will see me as an approachable Christian presence and be able to choose to turn to God.
"When I first took up the role, some people found the idea of a chaplain a bit strange. I have built up relationships and I try to have an open door to anybody. I see God at work in the school every day and my role is to help children, parents and teachers see that for themselves.
"We have a prayer space in the school and collective worship has become much more focused on Jesus, Christian values and sharing biblical stories. I also run a ‘Bible Is Fun’ club for children with a connection to the church. I am often humbled by the way in which the children approach some of life’s big questions; you can see that God is at work."
What’s involved in becoming a chaplain?
Discernment
Working out your calling is about listening attentively to God and reflecting with others. If you feel called to this ministry, talk to your church leaders and local chaplains and consider attending an Exploring Chaplaincy course. Not everyone who does the course will decide to go on to become a chaplain.
Training
We want Chaplains to feel equipped for the role by taking an 8 session course, followed by regular training and mentoring.The course gives chaplains confidence to go on to exercise their ministry on behalf of the church.
Becoming a chaplain
Those who:
- have completed the course
- feel called to be a Chaplain
- have been appointed to a specific chaplaincy role
- have completed safeguarding requirements
are then commended by the Bishop for this role and released into their ministry locally.
Being a chaplain
- All chaplains have a role or job description for their ministry. There are as many models of chaplaincy as there are local churches. However, all chaplains ‘live and tell the story of Jesus’ within their communities and serve the 95% who don’t have regular (monthly) contact with the local church.
- It is important for chaplains to continue to reflect and grow in their ministry, so they will be encouraged to meet together and continue learning..
Who to contact
First, have a word with your church leader or a local chaplain about chaplaincy. If you would then like to find out more about exploring chaplaincy, please contact
Richard Kelley, Chaplaincy Development Adviser