Wendy Cadge (Brandeis University), Shelly Rambo (Boston University School of Theology), Grace Tien (Brandeis University), Trace Haythorn (ACPE), Michael Skaggs (Chaplaincy Innovation Lab). Funded by the Templeton Religion Trust, 2021-2024. See press release here.
While past scholarship and research has often focused on supply, this Templeton Religion Trust (TRT) project, “Chaplains: Leading amidst Change,” redirects that conversation by
focusing on demand.
With this idea of covenantal pluralism, we emphasize that chaplaincy work is not just rooted in a single religious tradition but operates across a wide range of religious traditions and differences. Read more about covenantal pluralism here.
With demand, we shift the conversation to better understand those who work with chaplains in various contexts, as well as those chaplains serve and how they experience chaplain care.
Covenantal pluralism is an emerging framework around shaping spiritual care to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse religious population.
It seeks to pursue equal opportunities for all to propose their religious beliefs and behavior without imposing them on others, and leverage both shared values and differences for the common good.
We are convinced that educators cannot train chaplains well without information about where and how the work of chaplains is in demand, how they are enacting covenantal pluralism in those settings, and what training best facilitates their key roles.
In some settings this is demand for an actual chaplain. In other settings the demand is for the skills of presence; empathetic listening; improvisation; an awareness of spiritual, religious and broad existential issues of meaning and purpose; knowledge and ability to comfort around death; and the ability to engage deeply across religious difference.
Covenantal Pluralism’s 6 Characteristics
Courtesy – Religious Freedom & Business Foundation
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Infographic: Chaplains – Leading Amidst Change
From Templeton Religion Trust
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GOALS AND OUTPUTS
Project goals include the following:
- A national survey on spiritual care in partnership with Gallup which will help us better understand what groups that have worked with chaplains, where, and what effects this has had in the field.
- In-depth interviews with those who work with and are served by chaplains;
- And a comprehensive mapping of chaplains and professional organizations associated with the field.
Project outputs include the following:
- Three working papers about the supply of chaplains, the demand for chaplains, and a gap analysis identifying the disconnects connected to their work as facilitators of covenantal pluralism
- A series of public-facing and academic articles
- Grace Tien, “Chaplaincy Is Ministry That Meets People Where They Are,” Aspen Institute, November 22, 2021
- Wendy Cadge and Shelly Rambo, “Preparing Chaplains to Serve Today’s Demands,” London School of Economics, December 9, 2021
- Grace Tien, “We Must Diversify Chaplaincy and Religious Leadership,” Aspen Institute, June 1, 2022
- Amy Lawton, “Recipients of Spiritual Care Reflect the Diversity of the Nation. Why Don’t Chaplains?” Aspen Institute, October 11, 2022
- Wendy Cadge and Elan Babchuck, “American Religion Is Not Dead Yet,” The Atlantic, January 16, 2023
- Wendy Cadge, “Chaplaincy Innovation Lab explores demand-focused spiritual care,” Colloquy Online, May 2023.
- Wendy Cadge and Elan Babchuck,” American has a loneliness epidemic: How about religious faith as part of the solution?” Boston Globe, July 30, 2023.
- Wendy Cadge, “How do Americans think about chaplains?” London School of Economics blog, November 27, 2023.
- Michael Skaggs, “Are Chaplains Religious Leaders? Most Americans Say Yes in New Survey,” Interfaith America, January 9, 2024.
- Wendy Cadge and Amy Lawton, “Chaplaincy: A Powerful Resource for People of All Beliefs,” Aspen Institute, February 5, 2024.
- A series of academic articles
- Grace Tien and Wendy Cadge (2022). “From ‘Civilian Clergy to Officer’: Hiring and Training Chaplains for Federal Government Positions.” Sociology of Religion, https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/srac030.
- Amy Lawton and Wendy Cadge, “The content and effects of interactions with chaplains,” Palliative & Supportive Care, May 2023 online ahead of print.
- Amy Lawton, Wendy Cadge, and Jessica Hamar Martinez, “How does the American public interact with chaplains? Evidence from a national survey,” Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, July 2023 online ahead of print.
- Wendy Cadge, Amy Lawton, and Jessica Hamar Martinez, “Interactions with Chaplains: Results from a National Survey,” Journal of Contemporary Religion (forthcoming).
- Wendy Cadge, “What Can Chaplains Teach About Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy?” The Review of Faith and International Affairs, February 21, 2024.
- A report on a national survey conducted by Gallup on when and where individuals have encountered chaplains and how they perceived those interactions — the demand for spiritual care
- A brief educational video on the future of spiritual care, as informed by this work.
- A new strategic vision for the field of spiritual care, focused on those who receive that care
- A group of journalism fellows covering recipients of chaplaincy and spiritual care in national print, audio, and video publications
A Diverse Advisory Committee:
We will also have engaged with a diverse Advisory Committee of 28 key stakeholders in a wide range of chaplaincy and spiritual care across settings (a group only beginning to work together) who have, in turn, engaged their constituents at each stage of the project.
A Network of Practitioners and Scholars:
The network of relationships among chaplains, educators, social scientists and others built through this work will enable the project to conclude with a strategic plan for implementing a demand-based approach to chaplaincy within the field.
In the media:
Alison Bowen, “Hospital chaplains finding ways to help the ‘nones’ — patients who identify as religiously unaffiliated” Chicago Tribune, May 13, 2024.
Kara Bettis Carvalho, “Police Officers Are Burning Out. Can Chaplains Help?” Christianity Today, May 16, 2024.
Magdalena Rojo, “Recovering connection with God and others: how chaplain’s support Denver’s unhoused,” Religion Unplugged, March 5, 2024.
Gina Ryder, “This daredevil has one of the most dangerous jobs. His priest is on standby,” Los Angeles Times, September 19, 2024.
Lydia Saad, “One in Four Americans Have Been Served by Chaplains,” Gallup Blog, December 14, 2022.
Trish Shea, “New vision for chaplaincy,” In Trust, Winter 2024.
Heidi Shin, “Chaplains open doors for international students on campus,” The World, May 10, 2024.
Tracy Simmons, “Interest in chaplaincy grows as the role expands to serve more in society,” Faith and Leadership (Duke Divinity), April 30, 2024.
Kimberly Winston, “A new kind of chaplain is helping people deal with ‘climate grief’,” NPR, September 6, 2024.