Charismata resourced witness: Towards a theological model of Pentecostal prison chaplaincy

This autoethnographic reflective paper utilizes four stages of
the pastoral cycle to first describe the tensions experienced
by one prison chaplain between their lived Pentecostal
spirituality and their pastoral practice in a prison. Following
on, it is posited that the lack of attention to Pentecostal
distinctives in current models of chaplaincy potentially
contributes to this experience. After this, the distinctive
Pentecostal doctrines of Spirit-baptism and the charismata
are drawn upon to facilitate a theological reflection, which
then resources a way of practicing chaplaincy that is
authentic to Pentecostalism and the secular prison context.
From this emerges a model of pastoral ministry whereby
the chaplain and prisoner bear witness to the work of
Christ, as resourced by the charismata, without necessarily
acknowledging the name of Jesus. To conclude, it is
posited that such a model has the potential to overcome
the bifurcation between Pentecostal spirituality and prison
pastoral practic