The Church of England has launched a new vision, Vocation, Transformation & Hope, for engagement with Further Education (FE). This is great news. I was an FE Chaplain from 2010-13, though I remained in the sector until 2015 advising colleges in the north of England about faith provision.
Since then I have trained for ordination and am now coming to the end of my curacy in Leeds.
But hearing the news this morning (1 May) has unsettled me a little as, and I'm honestly not exaggerating for effect here, last night (30 April) I was clearing through paperwork - imagining that I might be organised and tidied up before moving to my new post - and I found a reflection on FE written by me for my discernment process.
Having not seen it for at least SEVEN years, I'm amazed I found it as the national church has launched a new vision for FE. It still feels current.
Reflection on Further Education
I had the privilege of being a Further Education College Chaplain for three years. Over time I came to identify four main aspects of my work: policy development; encouraging and facilitating a faith presence; offering pedagogical (teaching in class) input; and pastoral work. These four Ps became my framework of understanding. It was relatively straightforward explaining these motifs to managers and tutors. More Christian models were less accessible to staff. For example, Priest, Pastor and Prophet were three hats Chaplains were encouraged to wear, but how do you legitimise your presence by reference to these terms?
Not that I wasn't these things. The pastoring aspect of Chaplaincy is a common thread in all sectors and styles of chaplaincy. We exist to be the hands of Christ. The third mark of mission speaks of 'responding to human need by loving service.' FE pastoral work meets the joys and griefs of life - student deaths were a common occurrence. But counselling and listening to staff met a desperate human hunger - to be seen as a person, not a cog in a machine. These conversations often unveiled unacknowledged injustices across the college, which had to be addressed. In so doing, becoming a prophetic voice, I found myself seeking to transform the culture of the college, challenging bullying and seeking peace, all of which falls under the fourth mark of mission. I had to challenge homophobic bullying as a natural part of this mission.
The priestly nature of chaplaincy was a mystery to me for some time. I was complaining about being described as 'The College Nice Guy' to a colleague, who insistently retorted, "do you know how few nice guys there are in college?" Encouraging though this was, I was still left unhappy that my 'being there' could be considered 'chaplaincy.' It was this guilt that caused me to pour too much effort into policy development, acting as a de facto Equality Manager. It gave me credibility, but was, essentially, a sell out to the culture of productivity. Until I read something in Being a Priest Today (Cocksworth & Brown, 2006):
"When people brush up against the holy they are never quite the same afterwards...they have met someone who stands for another world, a different set of values that are strangely compelling...In this person something of the divine could be sensed, and it felt good to be in touch with such deep reserves of affirmation and love."
The first mark of mission is about proclaiming the good news, which on one level was strictly prohibited to me. I was expressly forbidden from proselytising (seeking to convert). But Chaplains are physical signs of God's grace. We are flesh and blood examples of Christian love and service, and even when we were simply available, present, our nature and character had an impact, a felt impact, on the college.
But when speaking of 'The College' to Christian leaders I was often met with overwhelming ignorance about the size and scope of the sector. Despite the presence of nearly 400 colleges in the UK, three million people learning in them, with nearly double the number of 16-18 year olds choosing college of maintained schools, FE barely registers on the radar of churches. Some Boards of Education don't even reference it.
And not only FE, but chaplaincy too. Chaplains are parodied as 'vicars that can't cut it,' or a soft option for the bruised and battered. Whereas FE Chaplaincy required emotional resilience, creativity, a passion for young people, and flexibility.
Unfortunately, I was released from the College's employ after a three year pilot. This was a rare institution appointment (I wasn't employed by the church to be chaplain), but couldn't withstand the current economic climate. This precarious presence in FE is not uncommon. Individual chaplains come and go, usually because the individual in post was a local enthusiast or a short term paid post. The church should reconsider its chaplaincy priorities, helping church congregations understand more about FE, its impact on the local economy and community potential, while also seeking to release more individuals into this exciting, effervescent and youthful work. And, after all, we are scratching our heads about missional work with young people/adults - a more intentional focus on FE might surprising results.
Posts
