Chaplaincy: A Ministry of Waiting on Tables?

Kate Bradford

Chaplaincy, as a 21^st century ministry within public institutions is a modern phenomenon, however it’s not an entirely new thing. Chaplaincy shares continuity with a rich 2000 year old tradition of Christian ministry to the sick and infirm, poor and dispossessed. There is no exact counterpart in the 1^st century church, yet several portions of scripture describe scenarios and ministries providing insights and principles that help build up a theological framework around late-modern chaplaincy.   

One such passage is Acts 6 providing an account of a crisis within the Early Church. The church had grown rapidly and was facing problems of internal conflict when the Grecian Jewish members of the community complained that the Aramaic members of the community were overlooking the Grecian widows in the food distribution.

The twelve Apostles who had witnessed Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection were concerned that  they were being torn between teaching the fledging church, prayer and food distribution, or as they say ‘waiting on tables’. There were two sorts of ministry on view: teaching and instructing the community and attending to more specific and individual needs. In order not to neglect either ministry the apostles appointed seven members who were known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom to attend to these individual needs within the community. The seven are Greek, the most notable being Stephen who is described as being full of faith and the Holy Spirit. The apostles set these people apart for this serving ministry and prayed for them.

The most notable difference between chaplaincy and this account is that the Greek widows were members of the Christian community and within the church. In contrast, chaplaincy in public institutions is to all people, yet there are principles and similarities that remain constant in both circumstances. The Grecian widows were a needy disenfranchised ethnic minority who had suffered from discrimination and multiple losses: spouse, independence, financial security, and ‘place’. The apostles saw the needs of these people and determined that special provisions needed to be made to care for this group. This ministry was separate from the teaching ministry, but not in place of teaching but alongside a teaching ministry. In other places a similar alongside ministry is described as hospitality – nonreciprocal love for the foreigner or stranger.

People within public institutions are very often similarly disenfranchised by illness, age, incarceration, displacement or deployment. The effect of this disenfranchisement requires a different type of care, more focused on individual situations. Chaplaincy is radical Christian hospitality that has much in common with the ministry of the seven set aside by the apostles in Acts.

·         Chaplaincy is a gospel ministry that is separate from and additional to teaching ministries

·         Chaplaincy is an outward focused ministry of a church community

·         Chaplains or those engaged in hospitality are Christian ministers on special assignments

·         Chaplaincy is a ministry undergirded by prayer

·         Chaplains must be able to handle the Word of God competently and appropriately in a ministry that is neither teaching nor preaching

·         Caring for people with particular needs is costly and time consuming

Chaplaincy is a ministry of the whole Christian community; chaplains are people of the word and prayer who are set aside in order to care for individuals who are suffering loss. Chaplains understand the subtle nuances of the shape of a distinctive Biblical ministry to vulnerable people in the public sphere in order to share hope with those suffering loss and disenfranchisement.

If the set-apart seven of Acts 6 were happy to be waiters-on-tables then we who come much later share a privilege to be invited to follow in their steps.