ABSTRACT

The article concerns school chaplains in Czech church schools. Drawing on interviews and non-participant field observations, I examine, through an applied thematic analysis, how the chaplains participate in the negotiation of the church school ethos with other important actors in everyday interactions. This study argues that Czech school chaplains can be regarded as key actors in the process of negotiating and maintaining this ethos. Among various actors – students, founding churches, headteachers and pedagogues – they maintain an exceptional position as Christian spiritual leaders with, at the same time, neutral standing, and who enjoy the privilege of a somewhat vaguely defined role. The chaplaincy here appears as a proto-profession without clear boundaries and built on both authenticity and the chaplains’ personal spirituality.

摘要

这篇文章涉及捷克教会学校的牧师。借助访谈和非参与者实地观察，我通过应用主题分析检查牧师如何在日常互动中与其他重要参与者协商教会学校的精神。本研究认为，捷克学校牧师可以被视为谈判和维持这种精神的过程中的关键参与者。在各种各样的角色中——学生、创办教会、校长和教育家——他们保持着作为基督教精神领袖的特殊地位，同时保持中立的立场，并享有一个有点模糊定义的角色的特权。这里的牧师似乎是一种没有明确界限的原始职业，建立在真实性和牧师的个人灵性之上。