NPR reports on the ministry of workplace chaplains.
The idea is not really a new one, it’s just gaining a new resonance in corporate life.
SILVERMAN: David Miller, with Princeton University’s Faith and Work Initiative, is writing a book about workplace chaplains. He says embedding missionaries goes back centuries, from English factories during the Industrial Revolution to the U.S. military.
So what’s brought clergy from the battlefield to the board room? A desire to make employees happy.
If a chaplain can help keep anxiety down and workers on task, productivity goes up. Still, there are risks to mixing religion and work.
DAVID MILLER: What signal are you sending to the employees? Is your business a house of worship, or is it a house of work? With chaplains running around, some people might feel a little awkward.
EPHRAIM KARP: Generally, the professional chaplain is not out proselytizing or trying to convince people to have a relationship with God. Chaplains really are less about talking and more about listening.
Posted by Andrew Gerns