Chaplaincy has emerged as a highly significant form of ministry in the twenty-first century, and chaplaincy studies is growing as a field of study that learns from the experience and work of chaplains in their diverse sectors. Chaplains from a range of different faith traditions pioneer ministry within the secular yet religiously plural contexts of contemporary life with often considerable creativity and skill, generating a wealth of insight to be gleaned for understanding the place of faith in the modern world. One of the disciplines that has been most concerned with gleaning those insights and developing the field of chaplaincy studies is practical theology.
The journal Practical Theology (formerly Contact) is a key repository for much of the wisdom gained through such study, and this book draws on the archive of the journal to trace the development of chaplaincy research and provide a resource for those seeking to join the conversation about the nature and significance of chaplaincy as a form of ministry and mission today.
Drawing on different sectors of chaplaincy and different methodological approaches, this book is invaluable for those engaged in chaplaincy work, those seeking to research that work, and for anyone interested in contemporary, pioneering forms of ministry.
About the Author: Stephen B. Roberts is Tutor in Practical Theology and Mission, Cardiff Baptist College, and Honorary Lecturer, Cardiff University, UK. He is an Anglican priest with experience in university chaplaincy, parish ministry, and theological education. A practical theologian, his research focuses on inter-faith relations and the relationship between theology and music.
Sarah Dunlop is Tutor in Practical Theology, Ridley Hall, University of Cambridge, UK. Her research interests include chaplaincy studies, contemporary ecclesiology, innovative missional practice, narrated photography, youth ministry, UK mega churches, public theology, and the study of pedagogies of theological reflection.
