By Patricia Trainor, JD., SPHR
I recently read an article in The Atlantic, Finding Jesus at Work, by Emma Green. Green describes an increase in “chaplaincies” at the office. These workplace chaplains can advise and support employees dealing with difficult issues such as divorce, a severe illness, or social alienation.
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There are even companies that contract out chaplains to employers like Marketplace Ministries and Corporate Chaplains of America. The chaplains are overwhelmingly Protestant, although they provide services for all employees in the workplace, regardless of faith. According to research by David Miller, a Princeton professor who studies faith and work, companies benefit from these chaplaincies in terms of lower turnover, greater focus on work, and reduced stress-related illnesses.
I find this trend disturbing. While a chaplain can support and comfort employees unable to cope with the vagaries of life, there’s a significant potential downside to employing in-house ministers.