The fresh significance of chaplaincy for the mission and ministry of the church of England: Three case studies in community contexts

This thesis investigates the recent growth of chaplaincy roles in community contexts. A gap in knowledge existed regarding how and why these roles were emerging at this time. The purpose of the research was to generate new insight into the significance of the growth in and practice of chaplaincy in community contexts for the mission and ministry of the church in England and thus to contribute to knowledge, policy and the development of best practice. The research adopted a case study approach. It was designed as a qualitative comparative case study of the emergence of chaplaincy roles in three contrasting geographical contexts of ministry. Data were collected by interviews, observation and documentary analysis providing rich descriptions and multiple perspectives on what was happening. A cross-case analysis identified three main themes from the data. These themes were used as the basis for proposing the significance of the phenomenon. The findings demonstrate that chaplaincy roles are emerging as a missional response to the challenge of engaging with the whole of society presented to the church by a changing culture. It also demonstrates the current lack of conceptual clarity about what chaplaincy is and the consequent lack of chaplaincy representation within the missiological and ministerial discourses of the institutional church. The study concludes that chaplaincy is of central significance to the mission and ministry of the church given that chaplains are located in the social structures of society alongside people whom the churches find it increasingly difficult to encounter. It offers the proposition for others to test, that if chaplaincy is to have a voice in church discourses and if sustainable best practice is to be developed, the identity and integrity of chaplaincy as a genre of ministry need to be described. The new knowledge generated by the research provides a basis for such a description, for the development of the researcher’s practice and for making a contribution to church policy and practice