We are a confidential, listening ear offering pastoral support to farmers, farming families and agricultural communities.
Rural chaplains are people with a heart for bringing the love of Christ to those scattered across rural and remote areas.
There are a number of initiatives in organised rural chaplaincy in various places around the world. The spirit and ethos of chaplaincy has long been part of ministry.
- Being present.
- Building relationships.
- Meeting Christ in others.
- Embodying the essence of human life in terms of the triad of relationships: God, people, and land.
This triad pervades the text of Judeo-Christian scriptures and is found at the heart of all indigenous cultures. People living with the land often retain it even in very westernised cultures. Life with the land – the seasons and the variables of weather, markets, and regulations – is always a life of faith.
When Jesus described his ministry in Luke 4:18-19, he did so in the words of Isaiah:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.’
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
“The good person brings good things out of the good stored up in their hearts.” Luke 6: 45
Around the World
Rural Chaplaincy UK
The Arthur Rank Centre was established in 1972 as a chaplaincy centre for the English National Agricultural Centre with support from the Rank Foundation, the National Churches and the Royal Agricultural Society of England. Over the years it has responded to changing times. It describes itself as
an ecumenical national charity, which resources, trains, and advocates for rural Christians, rural churches and the communities they serve. Our vision is of confident rural Christians, encouraged to engage in effective mission and ministry.
Check out this link for Rural Chaplaincy groups around the UK (and let us know if there are others).
Rural Chaplaincy Aotearoa New Zealand
An initiative in the Deep South of Aotearoa New Zealand, driven initially by Called South, the Anglican Diocese of Dunedin, the vision is of an ecumenical ministry. Beginning in Southland with Lead Chaplain the Ven Barb Walker, it is also in Central Otago, with Lead Chaplain Revd Stephen Gully, and developing in North Otago.
There are also examples of responses in times of crisis in other parts of the country, which are good model for building stronger connections among rural people and offering support, spiritual as well as practical.
More stories on this page
Rural and Remote Chaplains – Salvation Army Australia
Chaplaincy in the Bush
Jeff Waller introduced himself during an IRCA Oceania ZOOM in November 2024 and spoke about his work with the
Salvation Army in Australia. He was looking forward to the conference in Fiji and “having the cup filled all the more with the challenges and joys of ministry”.
He spent the first 22 years of his ministry as a congregational leader with his wife and now each of them is in different roles. Jeff heads up chaplaincy for South Australia and Northern Territory, plus part of Western Australia. Jeff is currently looking after 12 chaplains across South Australia and the Northern Territory as well as two new ones in Western Australia. Each of them works in different forms of Chaplaincy. Two Chaplains are based in Katherine NT as Rural and Remote Flying Chaplains and the others work in areas such as alcohol and other drug rehabilitation, family violence, and homelessness. He is still an active chaplain himself, having been so for the last five years in the Northern Territory with their Salvo Store network. He says this is a slightly different form of chaplaincy in many ways it’s similar to being a congregational leader.
Jeff has a real passion for Rural and Remote Ministries and is pioneering something new in the Salvation Army. They have 230 chaplains across Australia in various forms and are hoping to employ a First Nations chaplain. Jeff is working with the Theological College in Darwin with the hope that in the next six months they will have someone on the job. He has the budget and just has to find the right person. The chaplain will most likely be located in remote Northern Territory where the Salvation Army has a few very busy centres that would dearly love to have the support of an indigenous chaplain.
This 2020 article speaks of rural chaplaincy as “being a presence with purpose” and describes a variety of ways the Australian Salvation Army supports chaplaincy work.
Rural Chaplaincy is also part of the work of the New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory of the Salvation Army. This story was posted in 2016.
Rural Chaplaincy USA
Rural Chaplains Association
For more information, check the link.
RCA Administrator: Judy Matheny
