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However we choose to define spirituality there are two important points for those
involved in pastoral ministry. Firstly spirituality can and indeed does do without

religion within post-modern culture as it is concerned with my search for meaning and
self-fulfilment (CES 2003:16-17). As spiritual consumers we can pick and choose

from a diverse spiritual menu in to find the ‘ready-made wisdom’ and ‘short-cuts to
insight’ that more fully enable us to achieve self-realization (2003:24). Conversely

religion cannot do without spirituality as it remains intrinsic to an authentic search for
transcendence. The second point therefore is that spirituality is always significant
regardless of an overtly religious or radically secular context. A concern for spiritual

health, as we shall demonstrate, has become significant even within our secular
society. In accepting that such a spiritual need exists, it becomes easier to validate a

specific ministry directed toward addressing it.

It is worth highlighting that since 9-11 religion has emerged as an enigmatic cultural

presence (CES 2005:28), posing a significant challenge to both the police service
and indeed the Church through its ‘changing contexts of presence’, within a

fragmented, multi-cultural, and multi-faith society (Interfaith Consultative Group 2008:
8-9). Increasingly there is a need for improved religious literacy among organisations

that provide public services, and within the policing context this is true at both the
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neighbourhood and national levels . The presence of religiously literate faith
ministers within the service may therefore be an advantage as we shall explore when
reviewing ministry arrangements within the police service.

iv) The secular hermeneutic for spirituality
A significant feature of contemporary society is that secular motifs for spirituality have

emerged to fill the void previously inhabited by religion. These motifs are derived
from an anthropological view of culture that posits spirituality in terms of

‘psychological, historical, sociological, philosophical, linguistic, (and) environmental’
expressions (McCarthy 2000:197). Methodologies of social care have become a

credible alternative to religious pastoral support and as such they offer a new

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The National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA) highlights faith communities as key neighbourhood resources
and demonstrates the importance of working with them on local issues and also more serious concerns such as
religious extremism (www.npia.police.uk).