How Does Spiritual Care Work in the US

Abstract

Prof. Dr. D. Grafton
Hartford Seminary
The United States is a religiously plural country. While Christianity is the predominant religion,
the law provides for religious freedom to any religious community. This “religious
secularism” provides space for many different kinds of voluntary religious organizations to
shape themselves and carry out their own religious practices and traditions as they see fit,
as long as they are not contrary to civil laws. These communities decide on how to train
their own religious leaders. However, in many cases, these religious leaders must serve in
public spaces where they must respond to citizens who are not members of their own religious
communities. This article will introduce the concept of public Spiritual Care in the
United States, where religious leaders who serve in hospitals, public universities, prisons,
or in the military, are required to support the spiritual well-being of all members under
their care – not only members of their own religious traditions.