Being a Chaplain
SPCK Library of Ministry
by Miranda Threlfall-Holmes & Mark Newitt
Paperback
Price: £10.99
Publisher:SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge)
Published:June 2011
ISBN:978-0-281-06385-7
GoodBookStall Review:
Chaplaincy is a growing area of ministry within the Church and this book provides ample resource material for anyone considering a chaplaincy role, whether ordained or lay.
The majority of the book consists of stories from chaplains working in a diverse range of settings primarily from the Armed Forces, Education, Health Care and the Prison Service. Other settings are included however, specifically Luton airport, Manchester United FC and a Community Arts project in the North East of England. The final section of the book offers some theological reflections on the nature of chaplaincy as a whole, which is a genuine challenge in the light of the diversity represented in the preceding accounts.
Some common themes emerge – the tension of working in secular institutions, resource pressures, the difficulty of identifying the ‘value add’ that chaplaincy brings, the sense that chaplains are sometimes overlooked or marginalized within the life of the mainstream church…
What is clear throughout the book is that chaplaincy is a vibrant and deeply rewarding ministry, served by some very dedicated chaplains often working in conditions that are profoundly challenging to people of faith. So this is a hopeful and encouraging book, and surely must be required reading for every candidate for ministry. Let’s hope it can also help the church to acknowledge the work of chaplains with more enthusiasm than sometimes appears the case.
Reviewer: David Ford (03/01/12)
Chaplaincy is a growing area of ministry within the Church and this book provides ample resource material for anyone considering a chaplaincy role, whether ordained or lay.
The majority of the book consists of stories from chaplains working in a diverse range of settings primarily from the Armed Forces, Education, Health Care and the Prison Service. Other settings are included however, specifically Luton airport, Manchester United FC and a Community Arts project in the North East of England. The final section of the book offers some theological reflections on the nature of chaplaincy as a whole, which is a genuine challenge in the light of the diversity represented in the preceding accounts.
Some common themes emerge – the tension of working in secular institutions, resource pressures, the difficulty of identifying the ‘value add’ that chaplaincy brings, the sense that chaplains are sometimes overlooked or marginalized within the life of the mainstream church…
What is clear throughout the book is that chaplaincy is a vibrant and deeply rewarding ministry, served by some very dedicated chaplains often working in conditions that are profoundly challenging to people of faith. So this is a hopeful and encouraging book, and surely must be required reading for every candidate for ministry. Let’s hope it can also help the church to acknowledge the work of chaplains with more enthusiasm than sometimes appears the case.
Reviewer: David Ford (03/01/12)
