c. 2007 Religion News Service

TAMPA, Fla. _ Every Thursday, Baptist minister Roland Barlowe begins his workday with a “huddle” in the housekeepers breakroom at the downtown Courtyard Marriott. He goes around the room, greeting each of the housekeepers, talking about worries and concerns.

“We find ourselves capable of worry, but I heard recently a great saying that I want to pass on to you,” the gregarious, grinning Barlowe tells the staff. “Control those things of which you have control and let go of everything else.”

Miriam Johnson, the assistant chief housekeeper, pulls Barlowe aside and requests prayers for a sick grandmother and niece. The two hold hands and bow heads as Barlowe says a brief prayer for both women.

Then it’s off to the top floor of the hotel. Barlowe works his way down, floor by floor, popping in and out of rooms to check on the housekeepers.

“Just saying hello and wanted to let you know that I’m here to talk to you if you need me,” he says in a deep Southern accent. “Don’t worry,” he adds with a laugh, “I’m not a (corporate) spy.”

Barlowe is one of more than 1,900 corporate chaplains employed by Marketplace Chaplains USA, a Dallas-based company that dispatches chaplains to more than 1,600 companies across the U.S. Together, they minister to more than half a million employees.

They’re hired to provide spiritual comfort and counseling to American workers. The idea is that happier employees are better employees, and if faith-based counseling helps, bosses are willing to give it a shot.

Workplace chaplains are also available during non-work hours for hospital and jail visits, and to conduct weddings and funerals. They also try to trouble-shoot small problems before they grow into larger personal challenges that could impact work performance.

Office chaplains are just part of a larger faith-at-work movement percolating through corporate America. A 2005 NBC poll found that nearly 60 percent of respondents said religious beliefs played some role in making decisions at work; an even higher number said such beliefs influenced their interactions with co-workers.

Still, there are concerns _ and not just about the appropriateness of bringing God and spirituality into the workplace. Douglas A. Hicks, author of “Religion and the Workplace: Pluralism, Spirituality, Leadership,” says it’s hard to tell whether corporate chaplains actually meet their mission.

“What does effectiveness mean? Does it mean looking at how these chaplains in the workplace affect a business’s bottom line profit? Does it mean caring to the spiritual needs of the workers in the workplace? Or is it both?” said Hicks, who teaches at the University of Richmond in Virginia.

Most corporate chaplains are Christian, but Marketplace and Corporate Chaplains of America, based in Raleigh, N.C., also provide Jewish rabbis and Muslim imams to counsel employees.

Hicks wonders whether the diversity of chaplains reflects a globalized, international corporate landscape. In 2001, one-third of human resources professionals surveyed by the Tanenbaum Center and the Society for Human Resource Management said the number of religions in their companies increased in the past five years.

“It’s true that these companies try to find religious leaders of non-Christian beliefs to also come to the workplace, but still their primary work is for Christian workers,” Hicks said.

His concern is for the non-Christian workers, and whether the counseling is simply a resource or an unspoken requirement.

“You have evangelical Christian pastors being paid by (secular businesses), asking people how they are doing in the workplace,” Hicks said, “and that sends the message to non-Christian workers that they may be treated differently.”

Sometimes employees can be reluctant to participate.

“It takes a warming-up period,” said Dwayne Reece, a vice president at Corporate Chaplains of America, which has 100 chaplains working in 330 companies. “You’ll have employees which quickly take to the program and some employees are very hesitant.”

Reece said chaplains are screened carefully for education and experience, personal presence and any criminal history. Most programs require seven to 10 years of chaplaincy experience.

For Barlowe, the chaplain assigned to the Marriott housekeepers, popping from room to room is more than just a paycheck.

“It allows me to fulfill what I believe Christ has put me here to do, in the workplace,” he said.

Photos of Roland Barlowe at the Courtyard Marriott are available via https://religionnews.com.

KRE/PH END WEISENMILLER