Bridgebuilders: Workplace Chaplaincy - A History

‘Workplace chaplaincy’ is the term that covers the church’s outreach to the economy which today takes many forms and is supported by many local ecumenical partnerships. Chaplains can be found in supermarkets, at airports, in industry, among glittering tower blocks in business districts.

Malcolm Torry tells the stories of the movement’s origins, starting with the first record of priests in a place of work - on board naval ships in the reign of Henry VIII. He traces the established church’s often tenuous relationship with the working classes and the profound changes in that relationship that occurred during World War 1 and 2, the subsequent growth of industrial mission, and today’s challenge of an increasingly secularized society.

Published in partnership with the Industrial Mission Association, this is a theological handbook for all involved in contemporary mission among people at work, or in any way concerned about how faith impacts on the economy, workplace ethics, unemployment, recession and other key issues affecting peoples’ lives today.