There are Retail Chaplains in a large number of UK towns and cities. They are accredited and supported by their local churches and in most places work ecumenically under the umbrella of a local Churches Together Partnership.

Chaplains visit supermarkets, shopping centres, high streets, local shops and retail parks. Links are made locally, often between a chaplain and a local manager or outlet. A few companies have national schemes of linking with chaplains in all their stores.

A chaplain’s role is to care for those at work as they cope with the stresses and challenges of working in a very competitive and often highly pressured sector of the economy. Above all a chaplain gives time to listen. The agenda for conversations is always set by the person a chaplain meets. Sometimes just having a chance to talk about something – in confidence – is what is needed, and what a chaplain can provide.

Conversations can be brief, often snatched in the spaces between other tasks, in the staff canteen, or in the shop itself as opportunity allows. A chaplain always aims to be sensitive to the context in which they work.

Those they meet talk to Chaplains about a great range of topics. Personal experiences such as bereavement, health, families and relationships, but also about work related issues including coping with stress at work, managing change, work-life balance, vocation and fulfilment, career development and redundancy.

Chaplains care for individuals but also for the company – how people work together and relate to each other. The chaplain’s role is sometimes to reflect with managers and others, in a more structured way, about concerns and issues that affect a company, branch or business.

The Retail Chaplains Network maintains a database of chaplains and where they visit.

To find out more about retail chaplaincy or local chaplains near where you work contact the network.

To contact a chaplain for support or advice online, click here for a link to iChaplaincy
or e-mail the iChaplain by clicking here.

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