Educating chaplains for a changing society: discourses of worldview in professionalism

Abstract

Chaplaincy’s professionalism is closely connected to worldview. However, in Western contexts, this relationship is changing in response to increasing secularization, pluralization, and professionalization. Still, little is known about how chaplaincy educational programs address these changes and prepare future chaplains to integrate worldview with professionalism. Therefore, this study examines the main discourses regarding the role of worldview for chaplaincy’s professionalism within chaplaincy educational programs in the Netherlands. Through a critical discourse analysis of program documents and interviews with representatives from these programs, we identify five key discourses: worldview care, interfaith care, tradition-specific care, neutral care, and societal engagement. These discourses reflect various, sometimes conflicting, perspectives on the role of worldview in chaplaincy professionalism. While all educational programs share the worldview care discourse, some emphasize interfaith and neutral approaches to accommodate pluralistic and secular contexts, while others maintain a strong connection to specific worldview traditions. The societal engagement discourse highlights an expanding role for chaplaincy in addressing broader societal issues. These coexisting discourses underscore the ongoing negotiation of the role of worldview in chaplaincy professionalism and suggest a need for dialogue both within and between educational programs.