"Are They Refugees?" Why Church of England Male Clergy Enter Healthcare Chaplaincy

Abstract

This article reports on the results from a recent research project that sought to identify the most influential factors in why Church of England clergy enter employment in healthcare chaplaincy. Areas of enquiry included positive or negative experiences of and attitudes towards parish and sector ministry; personal circumstances; attitudes towards ministry and the Church/healthcare provider; preferences for work/personal boundaries and the sense of being valued or rejected by the Church. This article looks at male chaplains' experience of the Church and healthcare chaplaincy. It concludes that though many clergy may have had a good experience of ministry prior to entering chaplaincy, their experience of the institutional Church was notably negative. It also identifies that liberal, catholic clergy, clergy in same-sex relationships, clergy with partners in ministry and clergy comfortable working on the edge of secular institutions are particularly attracted to or in high numbers in this type of ministry.