Chaplains Investigate Their Practice: The Dutch Case Studies Project (Transforming Chaplaincy)

Chaplains Investigate Their Practice presents a collaborative study that analyzes more than a hundred instances of care by chaplains in various fields of chaplaincy in the Netherlands. The research provides an answer to the question: What do chaplains do—why, and with what results? Part 1 describes the method of the project. Part 2 consists of nine exemplary case studies illustrative of the project but also suited to educational purposes. Part 3 explores themes that emerged in the case studies regarding rituals, aesthetic means, goal orientation, chaplain roles, and community. Part 4 presents the results of the study by identifying a basic repertoire of chaplaincy care; the values, and the body of knowledge that guide the care; and effects of the care on clients’ feelings, behavior, and worldview. A secondary study examines the influence that participating in the study has had on the practices of these chaplain-researchers. The detailed study provides chaplains, students, and other professionals with a clear picture of what chaplains do and their contributions to the well-being of clients. It provides teachers and researchers with rich materials and methodological perspectives for their work.

Martin Walton is professor emeritus of spiritual care and chaplaincy studies at the Protestant Theological University, The Netherlands.

Jacques Körver is (retired) associate professor of practical theology and chaplaincy studies at the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology and former director of the University Center for Chaplaincy Studies (UCGV), Netherlands.




Niels den Toom is assistant professor in spiritual care and chaplaincy studies at Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands, and chaplain in a nursing facility in Breda, Netherlands. His PhD thesis was published as The Chaplain Researcher (2022).