Managing Therapeutic, Spiritual and Faith-Based Pastoral Programmes in an International Multi-Faith Higher Education Community

Abstract

The last 20 years or so have seen two seismic shifts in the nature of chaplaincy in secular western universities. The first is that in the case of traditional forms of church-financed chaplaincy — historically the dominant player on the higher education (hereafter HE) campus — Christian ministry is no longer exclusively concerned with the support of practising religious adherents (and with an often muted apologetic or even proselytising agenda), but has instead emphatically embraced the need to engage with the spiritual and therapeutic needs of the wider community. The second shift is that chaplaincy has developed to reflect the multicultural and multi-faith aspirations and expectations of today’s post 9/11 global HE institutions and can include the presence of, collaboration with and sometimes oversight of non-Christian chaplains and faith advisers.