The Methodist Church engaging with Business Industry and Commerce






The more I reflect on this issue, the more I realise that dispersion is not isolated to the geographic; there is great diversity of culture and character.

Such reflection leads me to wonder if the notion of dispersion is indeed much wider than the obvious matter of geography and even cultural diversity and whether there is insight to be gained in the context of all and any chaplaincy role.

For instance, in Universities, students will have travelled from all over the world to be in that location; within the High Street workers and customers will have come from many different communities and cultural contexts. Formerly disparate and diverse strangers have as a consequence become centred in one location.

Ministry in that context therefore necessitates a journey into diverse centres and communities and being present in the midst of daily life and sharing the individual journeys that find something of common axis in those places.

(This is the opening paragraph of a longer article which can be accessed by clicking on the link below.
NB this a pdf document which can only be accessd if you have a reader on your computer.)

Full Article in .pdf

Chaplaincy to the Dispersed: a personal; biblical and theological perspective.




Rev Martin K. Batstone, October 2010

The nature of the problem

In most contexts of chaplaincy there is a central focal point, and the recipient audience is essentially in one contained environment (although this may be spread over a large campus or community of shops or businesses.

In some cases there is a liturgical and pastoral base from which to operate and be visible.

This cannot be said of my current responsibilities which have offered me a completely new challenge. Although Chapter 1, the charity that I am employed by, is relatively small (some 300 staff) it is geographically spread.

It is also a diverse organisation in the nature and structure of the work that is undertaken. This has raised the interesting question of the theological and practical identity of chaplaincy in the context of dispersion.

In personal and practical terms: What does it mean to be the Chaplain of the charity called Chapter 1 as a corporate activity and of the likes of River House, an eleven bed hostel in Andover or the Family Contact centre in Preston or the Choice based letting project of Chy Lowen in Cornwall3 which are but three of the projects contained within?