Guide to ministry |
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CHAPLAINS
Some Church of Scotland ministers have an important
role serving as chaplains in non-parish settings. Chaplains
provide spiritual comfort and support to men and women
in challenging and demanding situations, including the
armed forces, prisons and hospitals. The chaplain has
to be a listener, an advisor, a counsellor, an administrator,
a befriender, a leader, an enabler; an organiser of
acts of worship and work within a lively and largely
youthful community of all faiths and none. Such work
demands a high degree of commitment, ability and sheer
hard work.
Links with industry are important for the Church
It is important that the Church maintains and develops
its presence in many key areas of Scottish life to ensure
that, as far as possible, the means of grace (opportunities
to experience God's love and care) are provided in institutions
such as healthcare, universities
and prisons and also in commerce
and industry. There is also a team of chaplains
to the Armed Forces.
Healthcare
Spiritual care and support are provided to patients, relatives
and staff in hospitals and other healthcare settings by
chaplains. Good relationships between the Church and National
Health Service Boards and the development of training
for chaplains have been increasingly important in recent
times as the demand for chaplaincy grows. Chaplains are
available to offer support to relatives of patients, usually
in crisis or terminal situations. They act as a resource
in ethical, religious, pastoral and ecclesiastical matters.
For more information, visit www.nes.scot.nhs.uk/spiritualcare/
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Universities
Students require sensitivity
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The university chaplain is expected
to be involved in care for the whole community including
students, teachers, administrators, and ancillary
staff and offer an availability which is known and
recognised and a willingness to be involved in a
wider variety of situations whether religious or
not. |
Student groups require chaplains to be infinitely resourceful
and extremely sensitive. Many of the people with whom
they are in contact have little or no contact with the
institutional Church. Chaplains are often used in times
of crisis when students are ill or in financial or emotional
difficulty. Download our full guide to university chaplaincy
here in Word [.doc], rich text [.rtf] and text only [.txt]
formats.
Download the full guide to university
chaplaincy:
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Prison
The Scottish Prison Service (SPS), in co-operation with
the churches in Scotland, appoints ministers, priests
and others to be chaplains in prisons, providing pastoral
care for the whole of the prison population and enabling
them to practise their religion. Most chaplains come from
parishes close to the prison and are regarded as a strong
link between the communities outside and the community
inside. Download our full guide to prison chaplaincy here
in Word [.doc], rich text [.rtf] and text only [.txt]
formats.
Download the full guide to prison
chaplaincy:
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Industry
The Church supports the work of Scottish Churches Industrial
Mission in workplace chaplaincies, where a small team
of chaplains seek to make places of work centres of fulfilment
and justice, as well as making profits and producing goods
and services.
| Historically these chaplains
have been ordained clergy of the main churches,
but in recent years there has been the welcome advent
of 'lay' chaplains. |
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Download our full guide to industrial chaplaincy and full
contact details here in Word [.doc], rich text [.rtf]
and text only [.txt] formats.
Download the full guide to industrial
chaplaincy:
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Armed Forces chaplains
All chaplains in the Armed Forces are fully ordained into
the church of their denomination before they can be commissioned
into the Chaplain's Department. Chaplains wear the uniform
of the Armed Forces to which they are attached, but do
not carry arms. They are non-combatant but accompany their
units in war and on operations around the world providing
the service of the Church in difficult situations.
For more information about chaplaincy in the forces
visit our Committee on Chaplains to HM Forces pages
here.
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Contact details
For more information about chaplains, email the chaplaincies
administrator, John Thomson at
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In this section |
Introduction
Welcome to the ministry pages
from the Church Ministries
in the Church
A guide to the range of ministries
roles including ministers, deacons, readers and elders
Chaplains
Our representatives in faith
to industry, hospitals, prisons, universities and the
Armed Forces
First steps
to ministries
The 'call' to the ministries
of the Church, recruitment, training, support and development
Deaf ministry
Supporting initiatives and providing
resource for deaf people in the Church
New
charge developments
Building communities of faith
specific to the needs of the local area
Area
team ministry
Parishes sharing aspects of
ministry in a positive, mission-based way
Priority
areas
Commitment to the economically
poorest parishes of Scotland
The
Ministries Council
The administration of the planning,
deployment, support and development of the Church's
ministries
How to
contact your local minister
Use
our online map to contact a minister near you |
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