In the far distance, gunfire and mortar crackles in the聽latest round of violence and death. Across the harsh聽and dusty landscape that makes up this little corner of聽Helmand province in Afghanistan, the only unarmed聽man in the patrol breaks formation for just a second,聽gestures to the commandos on the horizon and says:聽鈥淲elcome to my parish 鈥� these are my parishioners鈥�.鈥�1
British army chaplains 鈥� often called 鈥榩adre鈥� by their聽military colleagues 鈥� face extraordinary challenges when聽offering a pastoral ministry to soldiers. The stark reality of聽chaplaincy with the infantry in a combat zone is captured聽in the above newspaper report.
Chaplains are a source of care and reassurance to all around聽them, often at times of extreme hazard and stress. They聽frequently embrace the role 鈥� in all but name and often at聽point of crisis 鈥� of counsellor. Whether flying by helicopter聽to an exposed patrol base harassed by the Taliban so as to聽be alongside the comrades of a gravely injured soldier, or聽lending an ear to a battalion commander for whom聽leadership can be a lonely and weighty responsibility, or聽taking a soldier to one side to break the news of the death聽of a relative back home, or listening to the Regimental聽Sergeant Major whose marriage is faltering and who cannot聽reveal his turmoil and vulnerability, the chaplain deployed
in an operational theatre knows that each and every day聽can present unforeseen challenges.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams,聽in a 2003 pastoral letter to British military chaplains serving聽in the Gulf, noted: 鈥楩ew join the armed forces without having聽thought deeply about the personal cost of service or the聽possibility of being put in harm鈥檚 way, and the Church has聽never shrunk from sending its clergy to serve as chaplains聽wherever military people find themselves. You stand in a聽long and honourable tradition of Christians bearing witness聽to the love of Christ in hard and dangerous places.鈥�2听The 151 full-time chaplains (there are part-time Territorial聽Army chaplains too) of The Royal Army Chaplains鈥櫬燚epartment are ordained Christian ministers drawn from
several denominations who provide care for all faith groups聽in their charge. Most of them are men.
The chaplain鈥檚 role
The chaplain鈥檚 role 鈥� pastoral, spiritual and moral, and聽unique in a military environment because the post-holder聽is accessible to and alongside all soldiers, regardless of rank聽or status 鈥� is described by chaplains as one of a 鈥榤inistry of聽presence鈥�: of being where soldiers are so as to listen to them.聽They must show active concern for the personal needs of all聽troops assigned to them, regardless of religious background,聽and for those who profess no religious faith at all.聽Soldiers and officers share feelings with and unburden聽concerns to the padre, knowing they can reveal聽vulnerability, anxiety and anger without risk of blight聽on reputation or career, and that what they say will聽remain confidential.
A significant element of the chaplain鈥檚 job is a counselling聽role, although hardly stereotypical. One-to-one contact with聽soldiers is a routine part of the chaplain鈥檚 day. To the extent聽that the Rogerian person-centred principles of trust, empathy, being heard, understood and not being judged聽are experienced in that encounter by the perhaps troubled聽soldier, there is a relational aspect to the interaction and a聽strong link with therapy, its purpose and its practice.聽Crucial to a full appreciation of the effectiveness of an army聽chaplain as a provider of 鈥� among other key aspects to聽pastoral ministry 鈥� psychological support to those in their聽charge is an understanding of the uniqueness of their status聽and role. The chaplain is a commissioned officer in the聽army but actively sets aside his or her rank when interacting聽with personnel of any rank, be they private soldier or聽commanding officer.
This is recognised by personnel of all ranks, as is the fact聽that the padre 鈥� in not carrying a weapon and in being a聽religious and not a fighting man 鈥� is someone who is聽among and alongside but not necessarily entirely of them.聽This distinction, with the potential for personal challenge,聽accords the chaplain an ability and, indeed, obligation to act聽both as moral compass and prophetic voice. Situated within聽but also subtly alongside a military unit and its chain of聽command, the chaplain is regarded as accessible,聽understanding, empathic and caring and, importantly, as聽exemplifying 鈥榞oodness鈥�. The chaplain is highly valued as聽someone to whom a soldier 鈥� regardless of rank 鈥� can talk聽confidentially, openly and, often, with an emotion that is聽concealed from his or her peers.
Chaplains work tirelessly and selflessly to be available to聽anyone seeking care, reassurance and understanding.聽Soldiers want to be heard and often it is only the chaplain聽to whom they can turn. In the absence of a counsellor, the聽soldier will seek out the chaplain to fulfill that need and,聽given the choice, will often choose the chaplain anyway.聽A 2010 Church of Scotland report notes the 鈥榰niquely聽challenging vocation鈥� of the military chaplaincy, whereby聽chaplains 鈥榲isit the sick, absolve the penitent and offer聽counsel to the anxious, the bewildered and the bereaved鈥�.3听
Not surprisingly, there are considerable personal challenges聽inherent in the role of army chaplain, particularly when聽deployed to operational theatres such as Iraq and聽Afghanistan and, in previous decades, Northern Ireland聽and the Falkland Islands.
Pastoral ministry
For my MA research I used the Interpretative聽Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) qualitative model to聽explore the lived experience of five army chaplains. My聽interest was not in the purely functional aspect of their聽role but in the less easily defined pastoral nature of their聽ministry and, specifically, that element whereby they聽become or come to be regarded as a provider 鈥� explicit or聽implicit 鈥� of psychological support to those with whom,聽and whom, they serve.
The research revealed four main elements to these padres鈥櫬爀xperience of their role: 鈥榦ffering a presence鈥� (embodying聽Christ and goodness), 鈥榝eeling useful and necessary鈥櫬�(worth and purpose), 鈥榞iving of oneself鈥� (selflessness),聽and 鈥榤anaging vulnerability鈥� (functioning optimally).聽In 鈥榦ffering a presence鈥� 鈥� that is, embracing all that聽constitutes an unselfish and considerate interaction with聽others that is recognised within the Church as a 鈥榤inistry聽of presence鈥� 鈥� the chaplain experiences a faith-driven聽sense of duty, obligation and care for all in his charge,聽underpinned by a profound Christian love and respect. This聽manifests itself in being alongside and empathising with聽them, in sharing all their hardships, in listening to them and聽hearing them, in permitting them to feel vulnerable when聽necessary, in holding them, loving them and affirming聽them as individuals, in supporting them and caring for聽them, in letting them know that they are understood, and in聽sharing the same bomb- and bullet-strewn highway. If the聽job is to be done well, then it has to be done wholeheartedly聽and with commitment and conviction.
In 鈥榝eeling useful and necessary鈥� there is a sense that, by聽offering so much of themselves so willingly and in being聽constantly present among those in their charge, chaplains聽value 鈥� and to a considerable extent need 鈥� validation of聽their role, and are motivated by feelings of worth, focus聽and purpose. In the unique hardship and danger of their聽chaplaincy role, knowing that others need them, accord聽them esteem and value what they are doing helps affirm聽them in their ministry.
Such feelings can be engendered by the value placed on聽their presence as a listening ear, a source of comfort, a moral聽component, a prophetic voice, and a source of professional聽expertise in the grim business of sudden death and聽bereavement. However, such feelings can sometimes聽be frustrated by a misunderstanding among military聽colleagues as to the pastoral role of a chaplain. Some padres聽find themselves regarded simply as 鈥榳elfare workers鈥� and聽are boxed off in that specific area of activity. There can be聽concern too when chaplains find themselves regarded,聽perhaps cynically (some might argue necessarily), as a 鈥榝orce聽multiplier鈥� whose role is to help a soldier regain or maintain聽emotional equilibrium in order to be able to continue to聽fight the enemy.
Commentators have noted that diplomacy and care are聽sometimes needed to serve both God and country, and that聽a collision between the two is at times inevitable. Chaplains聽deployed to a combat zone must have a well-developed view聽of the religious, moral and ethical issues that arise from the聽potential conflict between serving both God and the military.
My research revealed a profound 鈥� and entirely willing 鈥撀爋bligation felt by chaplains for those around them that聽tapped into the very foundation of their calling and from聽which there is no stepping back, regardless of adversity.聽So, third, in 鈥榞iving of oneself鈥�, a chaplain is constantly聽considering how best to be there for everyone else. The聽chaplain rejoices with those around him and revels in their聽buoyancy and, in times of crisis, also holds, revives and聽strengthens them, and absorbs their shock, distress and聽tears. Yet all the while he may be experiencing his own聽fear, discomfort and loneliness, and the sense that he must聽carry on regardless, for the sake of those around him.聽
Strength and personal resilience featured prominently in聽the research findings, but stress, exhaustion and emotional聽toll also emerged as possible outcomes of a pastoral ministry聽in an operational theatre (and sometimes while serving in a聽UK garrison). While a chaplain is generally expected to be聽there for everyone else 鈥� indeed, he may place that obligation聽on himself anyway 鈥� he himself often has no one to whom聽to turn. The evidence from other clinical and caring聽professions 鈥� not least counsellors 鈥� reveals the risk of聽compassion fatigue and burnout from constant exposure聽to stress and the distress of others. Clinical supervision is聽routine and sometimes mandatory in many professions,聽and the potential requirement for formalised peer聽support and supervision among clergy is now a subject聽of active discussion.
The experience, to a greater or lesser extent, of emotional聽and physical fatigue on operational deployment emerged聽from the research as the norm, not the exception. Thus,聽finally, the chaplain has to 鈥榤anage vulnerability鈥� 鈥� his聽own. A sense of self-awareness emerged in the research,聽and an evident acknowledgement of strengths forged聽and weaknesses uncovered on operational deployment.聽Chaplains can be amazed by what they manage to do and聽what they encounter in a combat zone. These padres聽recognised the necessity of considerable personal and聽practical resilience on which to draw in order to cope with聽periods of high tempo activity, stress or danger.
Faith and support
Faith is critical to the chaplain鈥檚 ability to do his job and, with聽it, the priestly disciplines of prayer and renewal of calling.聽However, solitary adherence to faith, while the foundation of聽all they do and are, needs to be augmented by the company聽of others, most notably fellow chaplains or, at the very least,聽fellow Christian soldiers. In other words, the ability to share聽and to offload is essential to their wellbeing; human warmth聽and interaction with peers who understand them in the聽same way that they offer understanding to others are critical聽to their ability to continue in times of adversity.聽
Pre-deployment training, ongoing support from the Army聽Chaplaincy chain of command while in an operational聽theatre and a post-deployment decompression package聽involving, at the very least, a contemplative retreat shared聽with their fellows are all regarded as important. The concept聽and role of a religious director 鈥� which equates directly to a聽clinical supervisor in counselling 鈥� emerged from the聽research as a valuable resource: someone with whom聽the chaplain can share, offload and revive.
The concept of burnout and compassion fatigue among聽army chaplains and, indeed, clergy more generally is not聽new. The Canadian military have been especially proactive聽in researching ways to pre-empt or mitigate the physical聽and emotional toll experienced by a chaplain on聽deployment. Faith and resilience shine through, but faith聽must be buttressed by the support of colleagues around him聽and in the chain of command to enable the chaplain to give聽of himself effectively and continuously to those around聽him, and to selflessly offer the 鈥榤inistry of presence鈥櫬爎equired 鈥� whether they fully understand it or not 鈥� by聽military commanders in the field.
Mervyn Wynne Jones qualified as a聽counsellor in 2011, having previously had聽a peripatetic 25-year career as a civilian聽UK armed forces press officer. Using the聽experience of some 20 years鈥� service in the聽Territorial Army too, he intends to specialise聽in trauma counselling for military veterans and is聽currently establishing a peer mentoring and support聽service called Change Step for veterans accessing the聽services of Wales drug and alcohol charity CAIS. He is聽a trustee of the Churches Counselling Service in Wales聽(CCSW), and a member of the executive committee of聽the 香港六合彩精准资料 Private Practice division. This article is based聽on his MA Clinical Counselling (University of Chester)聽research dissertation titled 鈥楩aith in a foxhole: the army聽chaplain as a provider of psychological support to soldiers鈥�,聽submitted in December 2011.聽
References
1. McIver B. Heaven and Helmand. The Daily Record; 10 July, 2009.
2. Williams R. Archbishop: pastoral letter to Forces chaplains. The聽Archbishop of Canterbury; 23 March, 2003.聽www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/articles.php/1253/archbishop-pastoral-letter-to-forces-chaplains
3. Gibson JM, Murray AVM, Hunter DM. Report of the Committee on聽Chaplains to HM Forces. Proceedings of the General Assembly of聽the Church of Scotland. Edinburgh: Church of Scotland; 2010.聽http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/about_us/general_assembly/general_assembly_2010