The Chaplain-Led Climate Sanctuary—A Mixed-Methods Study into the Work That Reconnects

How can chaplaincy respond to the existential concerns of people who face climate change in their daily life as activists? We address this question by researching a chaplain-led intervention in the Netherlands called the “Climate Sanctuary”, based on The Work That Reconnects. The study comprised a mixed-methods pre- and post-survey. Seventy-three participants took part in the study. Before the intervention, participants indicated that they were mostly concerned about the effects of, and the lack of urgency in taking measures against, climate change. This was accompanied by emotions of anger/outrage, powerlessness, despair, grief and anxiety. After the intervention, participants mentioned that the Climate Sanctuary provided them with sources of strength. Moreover, they were better able to deal with their emotions: there was a statistically significant decrease in anger/outrage (Z = −2.012, p = 0.044), powerlessness (Z = −2.247, p = 0.025) and insecurity (Z = −2.044, p = 0.041). Thirdly, they found peers and, fourthly, time for reflection. The results show that chaplains can play a role regarding climate change in providing a sanctuary for people in which they are acknowledged in their suffering and can explore and deepen their relationship with a climate-changed world, build community and experience renewed hope as the ability to go on.