Chaplaincy: Contemporary and
Global Perspectives

Author Grace Thomas and Kim Wasey (eds)
Publisher SCM £35
Format pbk
ISBN 9780334066217

This is a collection of essays written by a range of practitioners, most (but not all) from the UK. The editors have actively sought ways to establish and celebrate an inclusive and progressive ethos, something which is often seen within the world of chaplaincy ministry itself. One of the contributors refers to an earlier writer, Ewan Kelly, for whom ‘the intentional use of self is a core skill of chaplaincy, rooted in and developed from self-awareness’: this maxim is amply reflected across the range of personal stories and insights presented in the volume. Contributors reflect on their work (and, inevitably, themselves) within specialised contexts such as the police, prisons, industrial and retail settings along with aspects of health and social care provision. Educational chaplaincy seems slightly marginal to the main material, although the essay by Ian Delinger on higher education chaplaincy makes sense as a concise and comprehensive ‘how to’ guide. Nik Hookey’s detailed account of NHS chaplaincy is invaluable to those in parish ministry wanting to get to grips (or up to date) with what is often seen as a mysterious parallel universe. Insights derived from any particular setting are often transferable to many of the others and, as editor Grace Thomas concludes in her essay-contribution, ‘chaplaincy is a discipline that holds together a multitude of different models and approaches to practice. This book is a clear example of the many ways in which chaplaincy is lived out and the diversity of contexts it inhabits’. Groups of essays on broad topics focus on ‘Multifaith and Secular Dimensions’; ‘Chaplaincy and Christian Mission’; and ‘Research and Reflective Practice’, and these will amply satisfy readers’ appetites for fresh thinking and wise reflections. Throughout the volume, full regard is given to the fact that today’s chaplains are adapting (or have adapted) to contexts and clienteles which are increasingly less ‘Christian’ and where the idea of ‘mission’ is in need of continual redefinition. Each essay is accompanied by a detailed bibliography, and Thomas and Wasey have certainly succeeded in providing a landmark resource which will be of lasting value to those engaged with the emergent discipline of chaplaincy studies.

Reviewed by STEPHEN LAIRD

Chaplaincy