Non-Religious Pastoral Care

A Practical Guide

David Savage

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781351264464
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religious Counseling

This ground-breaking book is a guide to non-religious pastoral care practice in healthcare, prisons, education, and the armed forces in the UK. It brings a new perspective to our understanding of care services traditionally offered by chaplaincy departments. The book charts the progress from a Christian to a multi-faith and on to a fully inclusive care service. Compelling evidence is presented showing strong and broad support for non-religious pastoral care provision.

A practical guide, it outlines the beliefs and values on which this care is founded and its person-centred approach. The role, skills, competencies, and training requirements for non-religious pastoral carers are described. Institutions need to consider their policy responses to the rapid development of non-religious pastoral care provision. A number of policy aspects are explored, including understanding service users' needs, recruitment, and communications.

This book is essential reading for non-religious pastoral carers and those thinking of entering this field. Chaplains and institutional managers responsible for chaplaincy or spiritual care departments will find this book gives them valuable insights into the positive contribution non-religious pastoral carers can make in building stronger, more inclusive pastoral, spiritual, and religious care services.

Chapter 1

Introduction

This book is about care, more specifically about pastoral, spiritual, and religious care. The emphasis is on the care of people in prisons, hospitals, hospices, the military, and educational establishments. In all these places, there are times when people may feel anxious, lost, in pain, or isolated, and may experience a myriad of other feelings and thoughts that accompany all of us on our journey through life. Some may be trying to find meaning, purpose, and identity in difficult circumstances or looking for some source of hope. At such times, it can be helpful to talk to someone who is compassionate, empathic, confidential, and like-minded, perhaps to share or explore those thoughts and feelings, perhaps to pray, perhaps to reflect. Some people gain strength and comfort from appropriate rituals, memorials, and remembrance services.

Whilst help can come from a number of sources, many ‘chaplains’¹ have seen themselves as specialists in providing such care, often describing it as spiritual care or simply ‘chaplaincy’. Whatever the description, most ‘chaplains’ offer such care to everyone in their institution, irrespective of that person’s religion or belief. They do so with commitment and sincerity. However, society is changing, the number of people with non-religious beliefs and values is growing, and that growth is likely to continue. This book presents evidence that many non-religious people want to receive this sort of care, here described as pastoral care, but that they would prefer that care to be provided by a trained pastoral carer rather than a religious ‘chaplain’.

It is a central premise of this book that people with non-religious beliefs should have the same opportunities to access like-minded pastoral care as people with religious beliefs, and that people with non-religious beliefs should have the same opportunities to provide that care. This is a simple statement of choice, opportunity, fairness, and equality. In most areas of care these principles are followed and well established. Sadly, this has not been the case with spiritual care and ‘chaplaincy’. Survey data show that people who identify themselves as non-religious do not access such care to the same extent as those who identify themselves as Christian. Recruitment practices in ‘chaplaincy’ departments have prevented non-religious people from applying for salaried posts to provide that care. But some progress has been made.

Historically, this care service was provided by Anglican Christians, this was then extended to other Christian denominations, and in recent years to other religions with the development of a multi-faith care service. It is now time to take the next step and move from a multi-faith care service to one that embraces non-religious pastoral care. The ability to take this next step is being enhanced by hundreds of very capable and committed people undertaking volunteer and postgraduate training in non-religious pastoral care. Welcoming them will help create a better, stronger, and genuinely inclusive care service.

This book is written from one non-religious perspective, not ‘the’ non-religious perspective. Just as there are many different religious perspectives, so there are many non-religious ones. Inevitably, comparisons are made between these two different perspectives, and of course they overlap. Nevertheless, they are different ways of seeing. It is not that one perspective is right and another is wrong; it is that some things can be seen clearly from one perspective but are difficult to perceive from another. A non-religious person may learn about the ten Sikh gurus but cannot know what it feels like to live as a Sikh. They may take part in mindfulness classes but cannot know if their experience is the same as that of a Buddhist monk practising Dhyana. Similarly, a religious person who has always believed in reincarnation can understand that a non-religious person does not believe in life after death, but they cannot know what it feels like to live life on that basis. A member of a Christian church may understand that a humanist may feel upset that they cannot be represented at Remembrance Day commemorations at the Cenotaph, but they will not experience their sense of rejection and discrimination. Despite these limitations, this non-religious perspective does try to understand and appreciate some religious perspectives. It may help non-religious pastoral carers to better understand the perspectives of many ‘chaplains’, and help ‘chaplains’ to have a better understanding of the perceptions of people with non-religious beliefs.

The scope of this book is limited for a number or reasons. The provision of this sort of non-religious pastoral care is a recent development, so practitioners have limited experience. Geographically, it is largely restricted to the United Kingdom, although it does draw on the wealth of knowledge and experience of non-religious pastoral care practice in places such as the Netherlands and Belgium. There are few academic references, and where references are given they should be reasonably accessible to most readers. Whilst prisons, healthcare, the military, and education are highlighted, most of the ideas discussed are equally relevant to other institutions and to community engagement. As non-religious pastoral care practice continues to develop, new research and new publications will extend these boundaries and fill some gaps.

Those with an interest in providing non-religious pastoral care as volunteers or professionals, those who want to understand what non-religious pastoral carers can offer, and those with responsibility for policy development and implementation should gain some useful insights from this book.

Throughout the book there are real examples. People’s name, and in some cases their sex and circumstances, have been changed to protect their identity, but as far as possible the essence of the encounter has been retained.

The book is in three parts. Part I begins by examining the critically important role religious perspectives have played in the development and practice of ‘chaplaincy’ and spiritual care (chapter 2). A more specific focus follows in chapter 3 on the public’s views of non-religious pastoral care and ‘chaplaincy’. It shows that people of all religions and beliefs support better provision of non-religious pastoral care, and many non-religious people would prefer to receive care from a non-religious pastoral carer rather than a ‘chaplain’. chapter 4 explores the complexities of surveying and understanding people’s religious and non-religious beliefs. It stresses that good pastoral care can be given only if non-religious people are seen positively, as people with non-religious beliefs and values, rather than negatively, as people without religious beliefs. This positive perception informs the rest of the book.

Part II explores the non-religious pastoral care practice. It begins by outlining in chapter 5 some of the beliefs and values on which non-religious care practice is grounded. The humanist approach to life is described. The value of a person-centred approach is highlighted and maintained as a foundation of good pastoral care. Skills, capabilities, and training are explored in some detail in chapter 6. Concepts familiar to ‘chaplains’, for example ‘staying with’ and ‘being alongside’, are seen as central. Some religious people have asked how a non-religious pastoral carer can talk to a dying person if they don’t believe in an everlasting soul. How can they give a dying person hope if they don’t believe in heaven? Aspects of death and loss are discussed from a non-religious perspective in chapter 7. The importance of ritual to non-religious as well as religious people is underlined. Pastoral, spiritual, and religious care practices inevitably raise some ethical issues (chapter 8). What should a non-religious pastoral carer do if they are asked to pray for someone? Is it ethical to require a non-religious person to call themselves a ‘chaplain’? These and other ethical questions are raised.

Part III looks at the role of institutions, particularly the crucial role played by their senior management. All the institutions discussed in this book have made clear that their pastoral, spiritual, and religious care provision should be available to everyone, irrespective of the person’s religion or belief. The days of this being a purely religious care service, provided only by religious people and only for religious people, should be long gone. It is clear that a fully inclusive pastoral, spiritual, and religious care service can develop only if the senior management in institutions take responsibility for that development (chapter 9). It cannot be delegated to ‘chaplains’, ‘chaplaincy’ organisations, or religious bodies. Gaining a better understanding of service users’ needs and priorities should be a cornerstone of policy development (chapter 10). Effectively communicating what care services are provided by an institution is essential if everyone is to properly understand how they may benefit from them. Some forms of expression, such as describing a care service simply as ‘chaplaincy’, can act as barriers to effective communication. Some alternatives approaches are suggested in chapter 11. Restrictions on recruitment have produced a service provider demographic which fails to reflect that of institutions’ communities in terms of religion or belief (chapter 12). The legal framework for recruitment is explained, and some good practices proposed. Finally, the processes for development and implementation of improved pastoral, spiritual, and religious care policies in each of the institutions examined are briefly discussed in chapter 13.

More and more non-religious pastoral carers are setting out on their journey to provide care. Increasingly, they are being welcomed into institutions as their contributions are being recognised by both service users and management. If this book helps to make their journey a little easier, it will have achieved one of its purposes. Institutions are also setting out on a journey – one that puts service users’ needs and priorities at the heart of policy development; that sees non-religious people in a positive way as people with sincerely held, meaningful beliefs and values; and that wants to help build strong, inclusive teams. If this book helps to make their journey a little easier, it will have achieved another of its purposes. If an outcome is that everyone, irrespective of their religion or belief, can have better access to good quality, like-minded pastoral, spiritual, and religious care, it will have made the journey in writing this book worthwhile.

Note

1    In this book, the term chaplain without quotation marks refers to a Christian person; ‘chaplain’ in quotation marks refers to a religious person who may be Christian or non-Christian.

Part I

The social and institutional environment

Chapter 2

The development of pastoral, spiritual, and religious care practice

The importance of religious perspectives

It may seem a little strange for a book about non-religious pastoral care to discuss the importance of religious perspectives. In most areas of care – including psychotherapy, nursing, rehabilitation, adult social care, and counselling – aspects of religious beliefs may be present, but would not be dominant. When care organisations such as Cruse, Samaritans, and Age UK recruit, they do not emphasise the importance of the religious affiliations of potential applicants. Instead, the emphasis would be on the applicants’ skills, capabilities, and experience in delivering the relevant type of care.

Although many ‘chaplains’ describe their main activity as pastoral care, it is the religious aspect that often seems to be dominant in their practices, culture, and service provision. For many ‘chaplains’ an emphasis on religious aspects is natural, long-established, and essential to their provision of high quality, authentic care. There are many reasons for this emphasis. As integral and constructive members of a care team, it is important for non-religious pastoral carers to understand these reasons and, where appropriate, to appreciate them. It may also be helpful for ‘chaplains’ to understand what ‘chaplaincy’ can look like from a non-religious perspective.

The emphasis on religion is partly historical and traditional. Chaplains, as Christian clerics, have a long history going back to the 8th century. Harting-Correa (1996) refers to the Frankish kings who took the half-cloak of St Martin into battle with them, believing that it would help them to victory. This cloak, together with other venerated saints’ relics, was carried by clerics. These clerics became known as cappellani (chaplains) from cappa, meaning cloak. The belief that saintly relics have some power to change events is no longer very prevalent. Today, Christian chaplains accompanying armed forces into battle do not do so in the belief that ‘God is on their side’ in the conflict; such beliefs are themselves largely relics of history. However, some legacies of the past remain. The earliest appointed chaplains in prisons, hospitals, and universities were all Christian, and members of the Established Church. This remained the case for hundreds of years, with Church bodies controlling the recruitment, training, and practices of chaplains. The institutions in which they provided care played a limited role. Over the centuries, chaplains and Christian churches have gained a massive amount of worthwhile experience in delivering religious care. They have obtained an insight into people’s care needs and have built up a good understanding about the institutions themselves. Non-religious pastoral carers have much to learn from them.

The tradition of an almost wholly Christian chaplaincy service was maintained until very recently. It was not until the 1990s that extending provision was seriously considered. Olumide (1993) wrote about equitable provision of spiritual, religious, and cultural care in the NHS, and a few years later Beckford and Gilliat (1998) carried out a study of relationships between the Church of England and other faiths in the Prison Service Chaplaincy. Their book, Religion in Prison: ‘Equal Rites’ in a Multi-Faith Society, highlighted the struggle for those from non-Christian backgrounds to achieve equal opportunities. It considered the somewhat controversial role Anglican chaplains played as gatekeepers in facilitating non-Christian pastoral, spiritual, and religious care provision. Non-Christian provision had to operate within the Christian traditional and cultural model. For example, the Christian word ‘chaplain’ was used as a descriptor for the appointed Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. Yet, as shown in chapter 3, almost all members of these traditions regard the term chaplain as a Christian description. Although the second largest group after Christians at this time was non-religious people, these studies effectively ignored the pastoral care needs of people with non-religious beliefs and values. The traditional emphasis on religion remained. Since the 1990s, there has been a positive development from a Christian to a multi-faith care approach, and this is to be welcomed. However, the following examination of practice in different institutions shows that this development has been quite limited. The current situation is still strongly influenced by the historical and traditional Christian approach. Whilst it is important to understand this tradition, it would be qu...