Intertwined Roots: Grounding and Connection in the Work of Chaplaincy

In 2020, we found ourselves in a perfect storm of a global pandemic, political and ideological polarity, social media tumult, glaring injustices, and widespread fear, all of which led to an increase in isolation and loneliness, which negatively impact our well-being and ability to thrive. The US surgeon general reports: “Loneliness and social isolation continue to grow in the United States (and globally) and there is research connecting these realities to premature death as well as an increase in anxiety and depression. . . . Recent surveys have found that approximately half of US adults report experiencing loneliness.”¹ But, he continues, “We have the power to respond. By taking small steps every day to strengthen our relationships, and by supporting community efforts to rebuild social connection, we can rise to meet this moment together.”²

Our connectedness to one another lengthens our lives and increases their quality. Relationships are key to human flourishing, and these connections are dependent on solid structure, function, and quality. There are many ways to build, strengthen, and further the connections people have with one another. Faith-based organizations and leaders, such as chaplains, play a key role in this.

In this article on rootedness and intertwined wellness, we begin by reflecting on changing religious affiliation, particularly in the United States. As we observe the current landscape before us—rife with anxiety and loneliness—this data can both be concerning and provide a greater understanding of the opportunities for and the work of chaplaincy and the chaplain. Chaplaincy is expansive in its presence, role, influence, and potential. Foundational to the effectiveness of chaplaincy is depth of self-awareness, identity and faith formation, rootedness in Christ, and relationship to community and context. God always intended for humanity’s peace to be intertwined. We are better together by God’s design, as we grow more fully into who God created us to be. As Christian chaplains ground themselves in relationship with God and connect with fellow chaplains and others, they are strengthened in both their personhood and in their call. This groundedness is particularly important in the uncertain future of religious association.

The Changing Landscape of Religious Affiliation

Along with feelings of loneliness and social isolation, shifts in religious affiliation were already growing before the pandemic. When the world shut down in March 2020, these numbers grew exponentially. Shortly before, Barna reported, “People [are] trying to figure out what faith means in the 21st century and the role of Christianity in their lives. Large majorities of Americans still say that prayer is something that they do on a weekly basis.”³ Even as people may leave church affiliation, they may continue to center faith traditions and practices. Spirituality can feel less restrictive than religion: “7 in 10 US adults describe themselves as spiritual in some way, including 22% who are spiritual but not religious.”⁴ There is a longing for integrated and holistic wellness.

Chaplains know how to navigate spiritual spaces, responding to spiritual needs and model a new way of being. At the intersection of social isolation and religious disaffiliation, chaplains are positioned in a way that other religious leaders may not be. Chaplains are present with people mostly outside of ecclesiastical settings and holding space between tradition and history, with contemporary realities and unknown, and between homogeneity and pluralism.

The Expansiveness of Chaplaincy

The diversity of chaplaincy contexts is growing each day. Wherever humans are, there are opportunities for chaplains to be present. Chaplains first interfaced with people in military and healthcare settings; these contexts set the standards for chaplaincy. But chaplaincy evolves, and so do the standards, expectations, and environments. There is a growing effort to expand chaplaincy’s reach while finding common ground and shared foundations among chaplaincy contexts.⁵ Whether in veterinary services, stores, transportation, schools, government, emergency services, prisons, military, healthcare, sports, or social movements, chaplains have opportunities to be present, available, engage, and offer contextualized spiritual care. Chaplains integrate their intuition and learned skill sets to speak and care in ways that are needed and understood—embracing adaptive leadership while staying rooted in their particular identity, faith, and call.

As religious affiliation decreases and social isolation deepens, chaplains can help to connect with those who feel disconnected, making themselves available and embodying God’s presence wherever they are invited to do so. There are no bounds to where chaplains might come alongside people in their day-to-day lives and crises. As we live in between the old world dying and the new world trying to be born, people are looking and longing for continuity, stability, certainty, and security. As chaplains practice groundedness, especially in this in-between time, in their personhood, faith, vocation, and community, they can help those around them to experience this as well.

Rootedness

What Lies Beneath: Rooted in Space and Place

Rootedness is an inherent human need and desire. It is the capacity to feel connected to self, others, and divinity, and therefore being able to engage in meaning-making holistically. The rootedness, or lack thereof, that chaplains engage with, when ministering to others, is not a simple understanding of self based on demographic determinations. Instead, it is a view of what connects the self to temporality while at the same time transcending limits of the same. Rootedness is a more instinctual, culturally informed sense of self-identification. Thus, someone may not intellectually “know” what roots them, but they feel the reality—and, at times, the disruption of that reality.

Groundedness begets continuity, stability, certainty, and security—realities sensed in the depths of who we are as individuals and in community. Sensing and experiencing groundedness is a response to being rooted in the “earth” of life. Anyone who has participated in a yoga class has experienced being guided to “feel your feet grounded on the floor.” This is a directive that speaks to the physical and psychological self. The words guide us toward a somatic reality with a holistic impact. Feet feel the coolness of the floor. Breath travels through the entirety of the body, bringing renewal to cells. Yet, like in the yoga class space, the connection goes beyond. What lies beneath the floor  is rooting. This rooting connects the strength of our physical, psychological, spiritual, and emotional self to the capacity to live, breathe, and move in this world with a center of knowing. We believe this connection and connectivity is vital, even if we sometimes only realize the reality of this vitality when it seems to have been severed. This roller coaster of connection and disconnection, rooting and disruption of the same, is often not noticed on the micro level. Life moves too fast. Yet, when it grows to a macro level, due to circumstance, it can no longer be ignored. Chaplains are trained to attune to the absence or presence of this rootedness. In the place of absence, chaplains remind us that the roots are still present under the surface.

Rootedness is an aspect of the missiological framework of chaplaincy. The accompaniment and embodied presence offered in spiritual care provision attend to the distress of disruption and uprootedness—or, at other times, celebrates the recovery of rootedness. The acute mission is naming the reality that something of the roots remains. This is for the care receiver to reclaim, and the chaplain is the witness who testifies: “The roots are alive. Buried deep in the soil. No matter how arid and atrophied, your rooted self is here, in this place and moment, because the first-fruit vine shares its nourishment with all the roots in the orchard.”

Where Did My Roots Go?

The care provider must engage the self-experience of the care receiver with curiosity, considering what roots need to be watered in this present moment. Human beings filter through experience to find meaning. The experience of the person is the hermeneutical lens. Assessment and reassessment of the self-identified roots—explicit and implicit—flow in a cycle. The assessment cycle leads to facilitating an intervention model and forms hoped-for outcomes. Individual and communal self and sense of self are at the forefront. Yet these are self-narratives that exist in an intertwined maze: “The individual identity of each one of us is constituted by intrapsychic, interpersonal, and transpersonal processes; the boundaries of the individual extend beyond those of the corporeal self. . . human beings grow within a culture of embeddedness where others provide reciprocity, gratification and impetus for continued growth.”⁶ Chaplains listen, adapt, and practice based on their capacity to see and hear the care receivers’ self-soothing and self-psychology—from individual and communal roots—while responding in kind. We hold that space, nurture that space, and act from that space of constant renewal.⁷

Connection Through Rootedness

A definition of grace borrowed from renowned theatre director Peter Brook is “two people actually present to each other.”⁸ He was not a chaplain or a theologian but an artist whose work of telling authentic stories of humanity nurtured a capacity to see and be present to the rooting of the others and showed the power of being present to the living human documents one encounters in life.⁹

As has been stated, there is a global awareness of increasing disconnection. Voices cry for connection in a new kind of wilderness—a chaotic reclamation of rootedness. The goal in the work of chaplains is not to tame the wild but to name the wild. And this naming is the beginning of the path of reclaiming rootedness.

The language of “reclaiming” is important because this claims that the roots always remain. For Christian chaplains, the language of rootedness resonates with agrarian metaphors in Scripture. John 15’s image of the vines, the branches, and the fruit is a particularly bountiful example. The imagination can propel one to see the connective sinews, touch the textures, and even taste the fruit. We remember that healing is available because our rooting doesn’t depend solely on our capacity. We are rooted in mystery and flourishing as a modality of faith. Jesus’ words invite us into the reality that we are meant to be rooted and to nurture this rootedness for ourselves and others. Care relationships allow us to acknowledge this root lineage and our access to these resources—and to see that we thus have enough strength to recognize uprootedness and reclaim our roots.

I (Jaclyn) have experienced reclamation in a moment of reengaging rooting. At the height of the pandemic, coping mechanisms were in short supply in health care. The devastation was multilayered, and every day, the rootedness of people’s “why I do this” grew more inaccessible in every way. People were dying, and the medical community had no remedy. We could only manage symptoms and hope for the tide to turn. One day, as I walked down a hospital hallway, a physician passed me in the opposite direction and said, “Chap, want to help me turn a COVID room into a barber shop?” A patient, who was fighting to stay off a ventilator, had been mourning the lack of a haircut after forty days in the hospital. Even after almost ten years of chaplain service, COVID gave me many unexpected firsts. On this day, I would be a barber shop assistant. I helped fashion and drape a smock. I took photos and videos to share with the patient’s family and friends. What could be more normal, ordinary, and rooted than getting a buzzcut from your doctor while the chaplain takes pictures and the nurse dances to music playing from her phone? PPE and all, we laughed and danced. Oxygen-assisted laughter and joy emanated from the patient. The photos show smiles brought back out after a long hiatus. But, if you look closely, they also show a hint of feet standing more flatfooted on the ground, a whisper of some dehydrated and withered roots drinking in some needed nourishment. You see human beings coming back to life. I still look at those pictures sometimes because they remind me that we are created knowing how to reach for our roots. What brings us back to our rooting is the reminder that we can feel the presence of rooting in each other.

Collaboration and Chaplaincy

Our Wellness Is Intertwined

My (Mary) childhood was spent in San Francisco and Sonoma County, where redwood trees surrounded us. Redwood trees are among the tallest trees in the world, with extensive and shallow rooted systems. Their ability to be the tallest trees is rooted in their interconnectedness with one another. The roots grow horizontally exponentially more than they do in vertically. Their strength comes from their shared roots, depending on each other for nutrients. They grow not in isolation but in community. Like the redwood tree, chaplains grow in the presence of and with others, finding stability together. This illustrates how our survival and thriving are dependent on our connection to and relationships with one another.

This intertwined shalom is part of God’s design. In Jeremiah 29, God reminded his people that even in exile,  “if they sought the peace of their neighbors and the land, God would bring peace to them, would shalom them. By God’s design, the peace of Israel and the peace of Babylon are intertwined and interdependent.”¹⁰ And that “our hope is found when we seek God’s peace and human flourishing together.” I became a chaplain 25 years ago, and, in that time, I have worked on a variety of interreligious and interdisciplinary teams. It may appear that we colleagues have little in common—in our perspectives, disciplines, training and experiences—but we share a common humanity and wellness that is interdependent. In critical incidents, there is a connection of wellness between those accompanied, those who offer spiritual care to, and those who are partnered with.

I (Mary) remember once when two police officers were critically injured. At the hospital, many groups of people needed chaplain care—the police officers, their loved ones, the department employees. One of the officers had extreme brain swelling and would not make it. I stayed at the hospital for hours caring for the family, officers, and department personnel, and I called for backup and coordinated a team of chaplains from multiple law enforcement agencies. As the days went on, we moved from doing triage care to preparing a memorial service, which  I coordinated and presided over. Over 2,000 people attended. We chaplains provided an aftercare plan for those impacted, including ourselves. We debriefed afterwards, asking how we were managing our compassion fatigue. Even though we were impacted differently, we each carried pain and exhaustion. We’d trained together for situations like this, reflected on our own experiences and feelings, deepened our self-awareness, and committed to practices and rhythms that could carry us through these kinds of experiences. We leaned on all of these resources. Together we mediated our compassion fatigue and trauma. Breathing exercises and breath prayers were lifelines when I didn’t have time to take a break; between debriefs and offering care, I would center myself, place my hand on my heart and remember that Christ was with me; the care I offer is deeply connected with my own wellness. Throughout this crisis we practiced self-care and looked after one another, stepping in as needed to provide relief for each other. Chaplains hold space for and live in the in-between of pain and peace. “We who follow Jesus are working in wounds, working with wounds, and working through wounds.”¹¹ And we do so together.

We Are Better Together

In relationship with each other, we can become better versions of who God has made us to be. Archbishop Desmond Tutu advocated for shared justice and God’s shalom, even as it was painful and costly. Sharing the African concept of Ubuntu, he explains the “Ubuntu embodies this idea: ‘I need you in order to be fully me, and you need me in order to be fully you.’ In other words, our lives and wellness are interdependent.”¹² Dr. Jude Tiersma Watson says, “We belong to each other and together, we belong to God.” We are all image bearers, God’s beloved ones—yes, even with those we are different from and disagree with. We all share in being God’s beloved children. This enables us to see each other and the strengths and vulnerabilities we carry. God created us for interdependence.

Communities are made up of people from different experiences, cultures, perspectives, strengths, and needs. And, together, we are able to offer more complete and expansive spiritual care.

Years ago, I (Mary) responded as a police chaplain to the suicide of a well-loved high school student. His service drew nearly 1,000 people from the community. Care was needed for teachers, students, friends, and family, and I worked in partnership not only with other chaplains across agencies but also with school staff, parents, and crisis counselors. It was an enormous event for the community, and in order to provide the care needed, we all needed each other.

Partnering Can Lead to Healing and Transformation

Shalom is God’s intention for society, and this is realized through the love of God, mutuality, and interdependence. This kind of collaboration is rooted in God’s commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. Miroslav Volf writes, “Because there is one God, all people are related to that one God on equal terms. The central command of that one God is to love neighbors. . . . We cannot claim any rights for ourselves and our group that we are not willing to give to others.”¹³ Love enables us to see people as God does (as those created in God’s image) and to work with others, even those who are different from us.

How can we strengthen our relationships? Through attentiveness, listening well, embodying humility and curiosity, assuming the best rather than the worst of others, acknowledging we all have something unique to offer, and recognizing that we are better together, trust and partnership can be cultivated. We collaborate well when we know ourselves and seek to learn about others, clearly communicate, and have realistic expectations.

As chaplains partner with other chaplains and disciplines, more holistic care can be offered. Chaplains have a unique role to play in interfaith and interdisciplinary teams, connecting where people and sectors are siloed and serving as bridge builders. Chaplaincy’s commitment to inclusivity and interdependence creates a model contrary to what many of our communities may be experiencing and embracing. Partnerships can reveal our strengths, vulnerabilities, and need for one another and facilitate God’s shalom and thriving.

Conclusion

Chaplaincy is a response. The increase in desired chaplaincy engagement in the current global landscape is a response to the disconnection, isolation, and disruption the world is experiencing. The care relationship model is an organic call-and-response process. The call is meant for both an individual response and a communal, collaborative response. The philosophical approach, theological framework, and practical work of chaplaincy foster a calling to reconnect, reclaim, and recognize our rootedness collaboratively. We can heal because we are interconnected.

Chaplains work in the in-between spaces that arise when rootedness is disrupted. Assessment and care provision flow from the narrative of self-identity as it is presented and processed. Intertwined wellness is a reality based on the cooperative art of a need-provision-response dynamic. Strength is found in relationships that honor humility, curiosity, attunement, and partnership. The statistics create one picture of spiritual, emotional, and relational dysfunction we are all feeling on one level or another. However, that picture still needs to be completed. Underneath the obvious is the hidden reality of rooting and the strength of collaboration. In the limbo of disruption, the work of chaplaincy speaks to the tangible and intangible realities of God’s love, provision, and our capacity to heal in community.