This issue of HSCC addresses three long-standing domains of chaplaincy, namely the military, health care, and workplace chaplaincy. The military articles cover NATO interoperability, female chaplaincy in Ukraine, and the morally injurious event of rescuing asylum seekers at sea. The health care chaplaincy research within this issue considers four methods of spiritual interaction, as well as diabetes and interprofessional sclerosis homecare. Lastly consideration is given towards a typology of workplace chaplaincy.
Although chaplaincy has been widely examined in clinical settings, less focus has been given to workplace chaplaincy models and how they are defined and structured in different organizational contexts. This study seeks to determine how workplace chaplaincy models are described in the scholarly and professional literature and to propose a preliminary typology grounded on the descriptions identified in the literature. The scoping review was conducted based on the methodological framework published by Arksey and O’Malley and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Data were collected by systematically searching for publications in Web of Science and Scopus databases, while the selection of sources and data description were independently performed by two researchers, using pre-prepared and reconciled data collection forms. The proposed typological scheme may be valuable as a guide for researchers and practitioners who seek to better understand the diversity of the conception of workplace chaplaincy organization and role as well as to identify areas requiring more consistent empirical and context-sensitive research.
This study explores the integration of chaplaincy in an interprofessional homecare team for people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) from the chaplain’s view. For chaplaincy, the interprofessional outpatient approach provides insights into novel situations and role aspects that are to be systematically reflected upon. Using autoethnography, the chaplain presents five key scenes from his first six months of service. For analysis, Turner’s “liminality” concept is used. Findings reveal that, in addition to patients and families, team members and the chaplain themselves can be exposed to liminal situations and are subject to related needs, such as having an experienced mentor or forming a fellowship. From this, recommendations are made for the integration of chaplaincy into interprofessional care for people affected with neurodegenerative diseases: In addition to specialized expertise, it requires a flexible understanding of spiritual care, resources for home visits, and supervision.
Studies in military chaplaincy currently focus on Ukraine, as this is the most experienced Western army. But the work of female chaplains in this war is underestimated. This study examines their role perceptions, distinguishing between official and voluntary chaplains, adopting a complementarian and egalitarian perspective on female chaplains. The conclusion is that female chaplains do the same work as their male counterparts, playing an important role in the Ukrainian army for both male and female soldiers.
By exploring various models and approaches to generic chaplaincy in a healthcare setting, this paper seeks to outline the delicate balance between presence and outcome. This paper presents its own model, Four Methods of Spiritual Interaction, which seeks to maintain this balance, respecting the need to diversify in a secular environment whilst also utilizing specific gifts and training. The purpose of the model is to encourage chaplains to think about how they might engage spiritually with their service users, on a practical level, rather than having a sole focus on being present. The four methods are based on four needs, two with a focus on presence and two with a focus on outcome. When focusing on outcomes this model uses transcendence as a term that attempts to cover the breadth of what a chaplain hopes to achieve. With transcendence as a goal chaplaincy can gain a stronger identity whilst also boosting spiritual practices when they are lacking.
Military chaplains (MCs) play a vital role in sustaining the spiritual, moral, and existential well-being of armed forces personnel, yet their structures and practices differ widely across NATO nations. Through a comparative case study of Sweden and Belgium, this paper examines the challenges and opportunities of MC interoperability, showing how state-church and pluralist models reflect distinct historical, cultural, and organizational frameworks. Using NATO’s four interoperability dimensions – technical, procedural, operational, and human – the study identifies key barriers, including divergent legal systems, doctrinal variations, operational differences, and linguistic-cultural complexities. The findings underscore the multitude of challenges associated with achieving interoperability in a NATO context. They also reveal that cross-national cooperation remains constrained by deeply embedded societal, cultural, and military organizational disparities. The practical implications of the study suggest that interoperability efforts may be most feasible among countries with strong cultural and historical overlap, where shared traditions and mutual recognition provide a foundation for practical collaboration. Much more research is needed, as MC interoperability is a highly complex subject in which the pathways for cooperation remain highly uncertain.
Spiritual support is an important aspect of holistic care, yet its role in diabetes self-management remains underexplored. This qualitative study examined how chaplain-led spiritual care supports adults with type 2 diabetes in Indonesia. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 Muslim and Christian participants from two outpatient clinics. Thematic analysis revealed four interconnected themes: “Anchored by Faith,” where spiritual reframing provided emotional strength; “From Isolation to Connection,” with chaplains offering compassionate presence; “Faith into Action,” where beliefs motivated health behaviors; and “Negotiating Boundaries,” reflecting tensions between spiritual and medical advice. A cyclical model illustrated the dynamic role of spiritual care in emotional, behavioral, and relational aspects of chronic illness. Findings suggest that chaplains can meaningfully support diabetes self-management by addressing spiritual needs and fostering patient motivation. Integrating chaplaincy into outpatient chronic care, particularly in religious communities, may enhance engagement and promote more person-centered care.
This issue of Health and Social Care Chaplaincy addresses the rapidly evolving role of technology in health and social care settings, which is changing how, when and where medical care is provided. Traditionally rooted within in-person presence at the bedside, the digitalization of healthcare challenges spiritual care providers to adapt and innovate their professional practices to a model of care based on digital and often remote and ambulatory models of care. This special issue offers a broad overview of current research on digital tools for spiritual care education, examines the acceptability of digital modalities in spiritual care practice, and highlights the experiences of chaplains navigating the front line of the digital health transformation.
Cadge, W. (2023). Spiritual Care: The Everyday Work of Chaplains. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 244 pp. (hbk), ISBN: 9780197647813; 256 pp. (pbk), ISBN: 9780197647820
The rising prevalence of mental health issues places increasing pressure on healthcare systems worldwide. Digital Spiritual Care, particularly telechaplaincy, provides a low-threshold resource for individuals experiencing psychological distress. This study surveyed 970 voluntary telechaplains regarding practices, communication modes, target groups and training – with focus on digital interaction. Encounters were found to frequently involve mental health crises and disorders, underscoring the need for training in depression, suicidality and crisis prevention. Results indicate that the telephone remains the dominant form of communication, while the use of chat and video services is limited despite growing availability, yet a third of the participants also communicate online. This points to untapped potential in expanding digital accessibility, particularly for younger generations accustomed to digital communication. Satisfaction with training in telechaplaincy is high, only low needs for further training in digital interaction are expressed. The findings suggest several implications. Targeted training in mental health awareness, crisis intervention and digital communication is essential to ensure quality and sustainability. Stronger integration of telechaplaincy into healthcare networks could enhance continuity of care and address service gaps, particularly in underserved areas. Investment in digital infrastructure and user-friendly platforms would broaden access across diverse populations. Overall, telechaplaincy emerges as a significant and adaptable element within healthcare, extending support to individuals in acute or ongoing psychological distress and addressing critical gaps in existing provision.
The healthcare industry has seen and will continue to see extensive digitization. Despite benefits, this has disrupted care delivery mechanisms—especially in spiritual and social care chaplaincy, which have fallen behind other healthcare disciplines in technology adoption. Simultaneously, patients and caregivers are increasingly participating in online support spaces, such as large communities on social media platforms (e.g., Reddit, Facebook, etc.) that lack clinical oversight, and present both challenges and opportunities for improving wellbeing and spiritual health. to address the evolving realities of patients’ behaviors and preferences, new models of care delivery are being developed for remote chaplaincy delivered via online community spaces. Through an interview study (N = 22) and a survey (N = 1010) involving professional chaplains and prospective lay users, we explore the potential of online spaces (i.e., social media-like platforms) to support emerging care models. Participants shared opportunities and challenges for creating trustworthy Online Spiritual Care Communities (OSCCs), as well as preferences for the design and moderation of OSCCs. Based on these insights, we propose the “Care Loop” model, which integrates OSCCs as a supportive complement to standard care, including a double referral mechanism that connects the two contexts while maintaining and extending the legitimacy and integrity of professional spiritual care into online spaces.
During COVID-19, religious communities quickly adapted to technology, especially YouTube’s live-streaming feature, to provide religious experiences to their faithful. The rise of live-streaming and online religious representation offers new opportunities for the mass cultural transmission of religious practices. By offering virtual access to religious rituals, prayers, and pilgrimages, these digital platforms provide an inclusive and equitable means for individuals from diverse backgrounds to engage with religious practices. The research employed a netnographic approach, utilizing web scraping of religious live-streams on YouTube, to investigate their growing popularity in India. Significant viewer engagement of these channels demonstrates that religious organizations are increasingly leveraging, for example, YouTube live-streams, to provide spiritual care and religious support to a wide Indian audience.
Peng-Keller, S. (2024). Healthcare Chaplaincy as Specialised Spiritual Care. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 202 pp. (pbk), ISBN: 9783525600313
Covert, H. G. (2022). Ministry to the Incarcerated. Morgantown, PA: Masthof Press, 185 pp. (pbk). ISBN: 978-1-60126-827-3
This study explores, from a chaplaincy perspective, the intersection of moral injury and military chaplaincy in the context of the politically charged Australian 2001 “Children Overboard Affair” (CHOA) involving HMAS Adelaide. The purpose of this research was three-fold: (i) it investigates how the Australian Government’s “detect and deny” asylum seeker policy may have contributed to a potential moral injury (PMI) among Navy personnel; (ii) it also explores Australia’s legal obligations under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the moral-ethical tensions generated by operational decisions made during the CHOA event, and (iii) it considers the role of chaplains in supporting personnel during and after a morally injurious event. The research initially undertook a systematic literature review to identify publicly available documents and publications relating to CHOA. Qualitative content analysis was subsequently used to examine the included literature and to discern common thematic categories for further exploration. The analysis revealed four major themes: (i) language framing of CHOA, (ii) power dynamics and moral silencing, (iii) spiritual and moral isolation and (iv) failure of institutional accountability. Grounded in moral injury theory, the biopsychosocial–spiritual (BPSS) paradigm, as well as practical biblical theology and the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide (RCDVS), this study highlights the unique position of chaplains in companioning the morally injured. It advocates for a proactive, integrated chaplaincy approach to moral repair in military contexts.
Chaplaincy care is often described as a relational and moral practice, which is based on an attitude of presence. Safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, challenged chaplains in reshaping their work. This article questions what characterized chaplains’ relational practice during the crisis, and what moral orientations helped them in maintaining or rebuilding this. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 health care chaplains during the lock-down of Dutch nursing homes, spring 2020. Thematic analyses revealed six subthemes as part of the overarching theme of ‘engagement with the suffering other’. Participants had to overcome moral challenges which required a reorientation or revaluation of their standards of care. Although the research focused on these particular COVID-19 circumstances, the relational work and accompanying moral perspectives is intrinsically tied to chaplaincy practice. Moreover, the study points to the need for attention to moral dilemmas and meaning-seeking processes of the chaplains themselves in crisis situations.
K. D. Acquaviva (2023) The Handbook of LGBTQIA-Inclusive Hospice and Spiritual Care. New York and Chichester: Columbia University Press, 348 pp. (pbk). ISBN: 9780231206433
Sacha Pearce & Jan Collis (2022) Creating Space: Story, Reflection and Practice in Healthcare Chaplaincy. Durham: Sacristy Press, 182pp. (pbk). ISBN 978-1-78959-213-9
This study explores the role of chaplaincy in an interprofessional home care team supporting patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Germany. Drawing on qualitative interviews with team members, we examine how the chaplain contributed to team development, spiritual care delivery and the cultivation of workplace spirituality and identified four themes: (1) positive perception of chaplaincy in the team; (2) chaplains as impulse givers; (3) chaplaincy works on multiple levels; and (4) challenges and learning need. Findings indicate that the chaplain played a key role in fostering reflection, enhancing team cohesion and supporting both patients and professionals in emotionally demanding situations. Based on thematic analysis, we propose a theoretical competency framework for chaplains in outpatient care settings, addressing both patient-facing and team-oriented dimensions of care. Expected competencies include communication skills, theological literacy and openness to interprofessional collaboration, as well as homecare-specific competence, encompassing adaptability and responsiveness to evolving needs of patients, families and the broader care team; reflective and ethical practice, including contributions to teambased ethical deliberation, value clarification and processing of moral distress; and workplace spirituality and team culture, referring to the chaplain’s role in strengthening interprofessional cohesion, facilitating team rituals and promoting workplace spirituality. This model may inform recruitment, training and professional development of chaplains in emerging fields such as neuropalliative care and offers insights from a Central European context, while highlighting chaplaincy’s evolving role in dynamic, collaborative healthcare environments.
Christopher C. H. Cook, Isabelle Hamley & John Swinton (2023) Struggling with God: Mental Health and Christian Spirituality. London: SPCK, 140 pp. (pbk). ISBN: 9780281086412
