Stephen Reid has just successfully completed his Doctor of Ministry thesis on the role of Christian sports chaplains in contemporary Australia. We caught up with Stephen for a chat about his research
Your doctoral thesis was on sports chaplaincy in Australia. What sparked your interest in this area?
As a researcher with the Christian Research Association, I was involved in a pilot study investigating the benefits of sports chaplaincy. The findings of that research convinced me that sports chaplaincy is a unique and effective ministry for churches in Australia. Yet there had been very little research about it. That provided me with a suitable enough excuse to think about further studies.
What was the biggest surprise from your findings?
My research found that chaplains provide a significant ‘prophetic’ benefit to sporting clubs by fostering positive values and a sense of justice and integrity, as well as contributing to club morale and culture. People in the clubs highlighted this aspect of the chaplain’s role more than the chaplains themselves did.
What difference will your research make to chaplaincy in Australia?
At a time when identification with Christianity is at an all-time low, I think there are great ministry opportunities for Christians to ‘be the hands and feet of Jesus’ to people in their local community through sporting clubs. Demand for Christian sports chaplains highlights a contemporary Australian spirituality which shows that people want care and community, but do not necessarily want it connected with doctrines or institutional structures in which they no longer have confidence.
What’s next for you? Do you have more research planned for the future?
I hope to summarise and publish my DMin research for a more general audience. Sports chaplaincy in Australia has huge potential for churches, but I think much more empirical research is required to provide evidence of its effectiveness and benefits for society more broadly.
Reid, Stephen. The effectiveness of sports chaplaincy as Christian ministry in Australia (DMin)
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