Episode 10: Does Chaplaincy Make a Difference? Measuring What Matters

How do you show the difference chaplaincy makes when so much of the work is hidden in quiet conversations, long journeys with people in crisis, or simply being there if needed?

In this episode, the team wrestle with impact, evidence and story: who are we measuring chaplaincy for, what really counts as “success”, and how can chaplains themselves help shape the questions?

From bread-making events no one attends, to prison wings where chaplaincy is “present on paper” but barely noticed, the conversation moves between numbers and narratives, research projects and everyday practice. Along the way, the guests invite chaplains and churches to claim their own language of impact and to see reflective practice as part of the calling, not an optional extra.

• “Is it important – and if so, why?”
  The panel begins by acknowledging a real ambivalence about measuring chaplaincy. Much of the work is about human hearts, relationships, spiritual well-being and meaning – things that resist neat metrics – yet institutions tend to value, resource and protect what they can see and count.
• More than numbers: measuring what we value
  The conversation teases apart “measuring” and “assessing”, insisting that impact is not only about statistics. Quantitative data has its place, but stories, case studies and people’s own descriptions of change are essential if we’re to do justice to chaplaincy’s depth and integrity.
• Quality, quantity and the “empty” bread-making event
  Drawing on university chaplaincy research, Sue shares the story of a widely celebrated bread-making workshop that nobody actually attended. The group explores how apparent “failure” can still reveal something important about chaplaincy’s offer of hospitality, creativity and community-building.
• Presence that isn’t noticed – and what that reveals
  Bob recalls a prison officer who insisted chaplains were “never on the wing”, despite records showing daily visits. That disconnect between logs and lived experience prompts a rethink: chaplaincy practice shifts so that presence is felt by staff as well as prisoners, not just registered in a journal.
• Numbers, ratios and the danger of bad measures
  From chaplain–prisoner ratios to inspection surveys, James reflects on the pressure to quantify chaplaincy in prisons. He warns that “a bad measure is worse than no measure at all”, especially when complex, multi-faith, multi-role chaplaincy is reduced to a single number or target.
• Researching outcomes on chaplaincy’s own terms
  Annelieke describes outcome research that starts with chaplains’ and clients’ own language about change – collecting case studies and interviews, then developing tools to track outcomes like spiritual well-being and coping over time, rather than just cost-effectiveness or length of stay.
• Action research, reflection and chaplains as researchers
  Sue and Annelieke share action-research projects where chaplains become co-researchers: naming their purposes, reflecting together on real cases, and using simple tools to articulate where they believe they make a difference. The reflective process itself strengthens chaplaincy visibility and confidence.
• Whose impact? Stakeholders and competing expectations
  The team keep circling back to the question: impact for whom? Chaplains themselves, employing institutions and sending churches may all want different evidence – and changes made to satisfy one stakeholder may not always serve another. Holding those tensions becomes part of chaplaincy’s wisdom.
• Looking ahead: new contexts and emerging measures
  The episode closes by looking towards newer chaplaincy contexts – especially youth custody and community settings – and by imagining future links in the chaplaincy chain around language, outcomes and making chaplaincy more visible without losing its soul.

“I think that in terms of chaplaincy, we do so much that is really worthwhile.”
— James Ridge

“But that presence, that knowing you’re there is really hard to measure.”
— James Ridge

“And I’ve been quoted a number of times as saying a bad measure is worse than no measure at all.”
— James Ridge

“So, yeah, I like to approach the measuring not from this standpoint of it’s always numbers, but also in words.”
— Annelieke Damen

“And then we should always be clear that specific research questions always show us a little bit of chaplaincy and not the whole of chaplaincy.”
— Annelieke Damen

“So we decided to find out more and talk to those involved, which was when we discovered that actually nobody had turned up to that bread making event.”
— Sue Miller

“So the whole process of assessing impact, I think, connects very much to reflection and reflecting on practice and evaluating practice, which I think it should be encouraged among chaplains and it’s something that chaplains actually greatly benefit from.”
— Sue Miller

“He said to me, he says, I’ve never seen a chaplain on this wing and I’ve been on this wing for four months.”
— Bob Wilson

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