Kate Bradford
The terms ‘chaplaincy’, ‘spiritual care’ and ‘pastoral care’ are used synonymously.
Does this matter?
We live in an eclectic world! We are called chaplains, but our ministry is described in terms of functions of pastoral care. Our main diagnostic tools are spiritual assessment models and pastoral encounters and, described in terms of the case studies of the social sciences, are evaluated by using theological reflections.
Our ministry is defined by an assortment of models and paradigms and these provide a general outline for the practice of civil chaplaincies; pastoral and spiritual care as practiced in hospitals, prisons, aged care and mental health facilities. This generic selection also informs Buddhist, Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, secular multi-faith, interfaith and ecumenical chaplaincies, spiritual care and pastoral care departments.
The original Christian heritage of the terms, ‘chaplain’, ‘pastoral’ and ‘spiritual’ have become detached from their biblical and traditional moorings.
Chaplains historically were Christian ministers or priests attached to households rather than parishes. In this they were ministers who ministered away from church, and it was this term that was adopted from the time of the Reformation for ministers who ministered to and within hospitals, prisons, military units, ships and colonies.
Pastoral ‘rule’ or ‘care’ was a term chosen by Gregory the Great in the 6th C to encompass matters concerned with the wise selection of clergy; the life of the minister; advice for caring for people in everyday lives; and warnings about pitfalls in ministry – particularly egoism and personal ambition. Gregory arranged his material around the motifs of the shepherd and the flock – pastors caring for their sheep. At this point the notion of ‘chaplain’ differs from ‘pastor’ in the sense that chaplains minister away from ‘home’ in the world, whereas pastors minister ‘at home’ to those with whom they share a parish relationship and have a designated pastoral responsibility.
Biblically, the term ‘spirit’ refers only to spirit from God or conversely spirits of evil origins. There is no gradation between the two spheres. Where the terms ‘Holy Spirit’, ‘Spirit of God’, or ‘Spirit of Christ’ occur, each use is intimately connected with the persons of the Trinity. God’s Spirit is identified when speaking of creation and re-creation, temporal and eternal or the ‘quick and the dead’. Various scriptural concepts of ‘spiritual care’ uphold all that is created, encompassed by notions of providential care, common grace, and redemption. The bible does not distinguish between physical and metaphysical, matter and energy, particles and waves or concrete and abstract thinking. Even non-material existential thought, is still to do with existence, not-withstanding even the human activity of thinking about God. Existential thinking is of a different order to revelation by God; a gap remains always between the created and the creator. Existential thought is part of the created material world of life lived under the sun which is held in direct contrast to eternal life: the revealed spiritual reality of life lived in the Son.
In a secular context spirituality has broad semantic meaning. The term ‘spiritual’ is used widely in fields of nursing, medicine and social work. In these contexts ‘spiritual needs’ are usually psycho/social/emotional needs that lie outside the therapeutic or social welfare models of patient needs but are intimately related to the health outcomes of the patient/resident/inmate. The domain addressed by the area designated ‘spiritual needs’ has to do with existential thinking and feeling; concerned with deep issues of meaning, purpose and belonging and is often said to transcend the physical environment and tends also to include any or all religious belief.
A representative definition of secular spirituality is:
We shall consider ‘the spiritual’ as pertaining to a person’s inner resources, especially their ultimate concerns, the basic values around which all other values are focused, the central philosophy of life… which guides a person’s conduct, the supernatural and non-material dimensions of human nature. We shall assume therefore that all people are ‘spiritual’ even when they…. Practice no personal pieties.
From a Christian perspective it is clear that there are conflicting meanings and values attached to various meanings and metaphors used in the fields of chaplaincy, pastoral and spiritual care. The meanings and metaphors pose very real difficulties for any Christian wishing to minister within these structures. These problems, however great, are not insurmountable. Christians have always ministered ‘out’ in the world, but it does require careful structuring and formatting of thought and practice, acknowledging the ever present danger of being squeezed into the world’s mould of spirituality.
Christians in these fields need to find their theological voice. Wisdom is needed in negotiating the professional requirement of civil chaplaincy/pastoral and spiritual care in: 1) case study verbatims which analyse ministry offered and which are described in functional, psychological terms; 2) primary focus of reflective listening; 3) the use of ‘spiritual’ assessments in describing a patient’s socio/emotional situation; 4) personal reflections in conversation with psychology and theology.
- Chaplains are ministers who minister away from home to people also away from home. These people are from all Faiths or from no Faith and are away from home due to illness, imprisonment, incapacity, grief or trauma. Christians have always ministered to such people who are alienated and lost.
- Pastoral care is to do with care of the flock; it is helping Christians continue to find their hope in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd but also involves seeking and finding lost sheep.
- Spiritual care is listening to people as they search for deeper meaning, more intimate belonging and higher significance. A Christian chaplain hosts a space opened by the Holy Spirit, where deepest meaning can be found in Christ, the most intimate belonging experience and the highest hope can be claimed by accepting the promise of forgiveness and eternity.
The terms ‘chaplaincy’, ‘spiritual care’ and ‘pastoral care’ are used synonymously – does it matter? Well… yes and no.
The Ultimate questions to ask are: where does God, the Father and Creator, fit within chaplaincy? Where does the Good Shepherd fit within pastoral care? Where does the Holy Spirit fit within Spirituality? These are the things that truly matter.
