In Chaplaincy Ministry and the Mission of the Church, Victoria Slater explores the significance of chaplaincy for the mission and ministry of the contemporary Church. She discusses the reasons for the recent growth in new chaplaincy roles in the contemporary cultural and church context and provides a theological rationale for chaplaincy along with practical suggestions for the development and support of chaplaincy practice. The book provides conceptual clarity about what chaplaincy actually is and will move beyond the common polarisation of chaplaincy and Church to position chaplaincy as a distinctive form of ministry with its own identity and integrity that, together with other forms of ministry, makes a significant contribution to the mission of the Church.
Victoria Slater is a practical and pastoral theologian and Anglican priest, who has spent nearly 20 years working as a Healthcare Chaplain in both Acute and End of Life Care. In 2014 she returned to practice in the NHS providing spiritual and pastoral care within cancer services whilst continuing her interest in research, writing and professional development.
Title: Chaplaincy Ministry and the Mission of the Church
Author: Slater, Victoria
ISBN: 9780334053156
Binding:
Publisher: SCM Press
Publication Date: 2015-08-28
Number of Pages: 192
Weight: 0.3584 kg
Growing numbers of people do not engage with the institutional church, yet the work of the chaplain seems to be increasingly welcome. An ever wider range of initiatives use the term chaplain to describe those who engage with people where they are and on their terms. How can the integrity and identity of chaplains best be secured? How can dioceses and parishes best receive this fresh expression of grace in the everyday structures of society? Victoria Slater in a sensitive and skillfull way helps the church make theological sense of this important missiological development. -- Helen Cameron * Director of Research, Ripon College Cuddesdon *
As a significant counter-balance to other research (that explores chaplaincy in relation to its social or organisational context) this book relocates chaplaincy in relation to the life of the contemporary church. Rooted in empirical research about the developing practice of chaplaincy, the book tackles important questions about how chaplaincy can be defined, and understood as central to mission. This is a much needed theological reflection that interprets chaplaincy as in dialogue with people's everyday experience, living out a distinct, representational genre of ministry that contributes to human flourishing and models the church's missional engagement with contemporary society. -- The Rev Canon Dr Andrew Todd
