Reflections on Chaplaincy

Chaplaincy really is part of the backbone of God’s front-line work, as I am told, and as I am coming to believe. This is where God’s work is really done: in the midst of people – people that know God, people that want to know God, people that only have the vaguest impression of who God might be. It is working amongst the young, the old, the troubled and the uplifted; it is being a part of the lives of a community in a way that the priesthood can’t be. Here, in the chaplaincy, there are no denominations, no complex theological or political imperatives, no ecclesial issues to cope with: there is only God, His Word and the journey that both you and your community are on.

In the priesthood, you are stationed in a church, and your drive is to get more people into that church.

In chaplaincy, your call is to bring God out to the community as it stands: to model His love, to do His work and to spread His work where the people are at. This make you a critical part of any community-based ministry team, as you are working hand in glove with the local churches without being bound by any of them.

As I move more firmly into this position, I am struck by just how deeply embedded in the community it is: I cannot go to our local supermarket, chemist or fish and chip shop without meeting up with at least a half dozen children from the community (and their parents); and I am struck by our interconnectedness, and the fact that Holy Spirit is a part of us all, a guide to us all and the foundation of our community – regardless of our “declared faith”.

What an incredible privilege this job truly is.