What is the soul of Further Education Chaplaincy?

Abstract This thesis investigates Chaplaincies in Further Education (FE) colleges in England. These colleges are places of learning, usually for those who are post 16, offering a wide range of subjects, in particular, those pertaining to vocational trades. Chaplaincy across this sector is not universally offered, neither is it clearly defined. This research looks for the theological depth of the Chaplaincies in their presence and activity, as perceived by the Chaplains. It asks the fundamental question, what is the soul of FE Chaplaincy? In order to advance this question, an exploration is made of four further questions: what is distinctive in the essential nature of Further Education Chaplaincy? What is its guiding centre? How does it connect appreciatively to the people it serves? What of Further Education Chaplaincy is enduring? Through a survey of colleges to show the spread of Chaplaincy in the sector the thesis finds that in contemporary FE colleges in England, Chaplaincies are common, but not universal. It identifies a lack of literature about FE Chaplaincy specifically, and thus explores governmental policies and church sponsored reports, general Chaplaincy literature and scholarly works which are resonant with the type of theological expressions Chaplaincy presents. Qualitative research using case studies centring on interviews with Chaplains in their places of work provides a substantial body of data to investigate. This leads to an analysis of the work of David F. Ford on theological moods, which inspires the identification of a tentative theological voice and uses it to examine the cases in greater depth. The tentative voice that emerges here is that which is either uncertain, and offered as a possibility, or sure, but offered with the recognition it may be rejected. The thesis demonstrates how reading for this kind of thinking is illuminating and enriches the answers to the research questions. This ‘tentative’ voice is shown to be both a way the Chaplains express theology and central to the way they understand their roles. The finding from the case studies is that the Chaplain's role is best described as a tentatively expressed kind of apprenticeship. Stanley Hauerwas becomes a key conversation partner as someone who has explored how Christian ethical learning is shaped along apprenticeship lines. However, Hauerwas' approach is engaged with critically as the context of FE Chaplaincy is radically different from that of the Church or the congregation, but this research finds that a similar model is in operation in the way that the Chaplains tentatively support the development of heart, spirit and mind in the students they work with. Personal pastoral encounters are at the centre of this work, but the creation of community and the Chaplain’s prophetic participation in the life the college are also found to be important factors in the structure of the Chaplaincy apprenticeship model. The thesis concludes with questions for the church, the colleges, theologians and the Chaplains themselves, as to how tentativity, and the apprenticeship which flows from it, might be able to describe and enhance the spheres in which they operate and the ministry they offer in those places.