Paying Peter and Paul: benefits of a hospital-based lay pastoral visitation program.
Lay chaplaincy in hospitals is an idea whose time has come. Its benefits are many. Patients receive more pastoral attention. The professional chaplain receives support and an opportunity to teach his or her craft. The hospital finds the cost-effectiveness of the chaplain greatly increased. The churches may utilize the program as a training ground for their own lay ministry. And the lay chaplains themselves are enabled to participate in a form of Christian service that is as old as the Church itself and deeply rewarding.
D002604:Chaplaincy Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics; D002835:Christianity; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D009518:New York; D010327:Pastoral Care