The Role of the Supporting Church or Churches
- Community Chaplains will serve their wider community and not specifically or exclusively their parish or congregation.
- They will represent the Christian faith as a volunteer Community Chaplain rather than representing any denomination or church.
- Community Chaplains will be supported by the pastoral care of their own church and its minister(s), including DBS referencing, with an arranged network for pastoral consultation, debriefing, and prayer support. Community Chaplains are encouraged to develop a network of chaplain helpers from their own or other local churches.
- Community Chaplains are also expected to engage voluntary support from the wider community for non-pastoral social action, for example: the clearance and improvement of a garden for an elderly person in need of that help, or support for a housing estate wishing to provide an area for young people’s play.
- Community Chaplains offer their service to all within their local community but may undertake a particular direction of support according to their local demographic environment, opportunity and calling. For example, towards the elderly, in support of a community hub, at a local supermarket, with community policing, or with sport provision.
- Community Chaplains are not required to make the same relational links in each area of operation, and there is scope for more than one Chaplain to share or develop different relationships within the same local area. In this case, they must liaise in order to avoid duplication or confusion.
- Once a Community Chaplain is known within their community they may choose to respond to contacts as a Community Chaplain at any time rather than be limited by set on-call times. Such response outside of any self-set duty hours is within the individual Chaplain’s control.