Introduction

For chaplaincies to succeed in becoming more religiously literate, this requires some self-understanding about the history of their development, and also the ways chaplaincy can, by default, operate without being religiously literate. Developing religious literacy within the chaplaincy and collaborating with others in an organisation can improve the way a setting – whether educational, healthcare, military or penal – can be responsive to the breadth of religion and belief identities of its constituents.

Chaplaincies across many sectors, typically, are wanted (by the institution and by at least some of its constituents) to be places that are religiously plural and accommodating to all faiths and none. This common assumption goes with the territory of most chaplaincies, which are based within organisations that are usually without a religious foundation. Some chaplaincies within a religious foundation, for example, certain church school chaplaincies, may be a typical – but not universal – exception, since religious pluralism in society has an impact on admissions and appointments in nearly all settings. Despite this, there are many ways in which provision across the different sectors is heavily inflected – perhaps even determined – by the history of Christian provision and the accompanying resources and models for how to organise spiritual services and pastoral care.

An initial pair of obstacles that impede any development of religious literacy in chaplaincies is the need for two key shifts: one in the chaplaincy's self-understanding, and a second in the institution's understanding of its chaplaincy. In many contexts there is a mutual acceptance between chaplaincy and organisation (however reluctant) that the chaplaincy becomes an isolated repository of ‘religion’, rather than serving a purpose to integrate religion and belief identities into the complexities of institutional life.

This chapter outlines how chaplaincies have been established, and then explains their sizes and shapes. It continues by exploring both the needs and the risks chaplaincies face in becoming more religiously literate with and for the organisations where they are based.

The second and main part of this chapter is an exploration of four key challenges that chaplaincies that want to be more religiously literate are likely to face. These are:

• • Uses of religious diversity as a catalyst for faith development, considering how successful or not this is as a method for change.