A Vital Ministry describes the situation of the 'post-millennium' generation of the young as threatening to their human flourishing. Their economic, political and cultural context is potentially oppressive, and the education system in this country no longer seeks to provide 'spiritual capital' to resource the young. The special role of Church of England schools is to provide a holistic education which values the spiritual dimension, genuinely encouraging the personal and spiritual development of young people as 'children of God'. Drawing on the testimony both of school chaplains and school...

Chaplaincy is a rapidly growing ministry, but one that has been the centre of little theological discussion. Focusing on understanding what chaplaincy is and how it is exercised in different contexts, this book intends to support the work of chaplains by providing a theological examination of their ministry. The chapters in this book discuss how the work of chaplains outside the structures of the Church and yet frequently carried out by ministers authorized by the Church relates to some of the key questions of how the Church understands itself in relation to the world (i.e. institutions and...