First-ever humanist pastoral carer in the UK Armed Forces

The UK Armed Forces has sworn in its first-ever non-religious pastoral carer. Dr Neil Weddell has been appointed a ‘chaplain’ in the Army and started in the role on 23 June, has already helped many people, and has his attestation (i.e. affirmation of allegiance) on 25 September. Humanists UK – the endorsing authority appointed by the Ministry of Defence for the new roles – has expressed its delight at the news and congratulates Neil on his groundbreaking appointment.

On his appointment, Dr Neil Weddell commented: 

‘I am privileged to be part of the MOD’s drive to widen the diversity of its chaplaincy team so that it better reflects the changing faith and belief needs of its personnel. With over 55,000 service members identifying as non-religious, I am looking forward to supporting their spiritual needs in a manner that authentically and genuinely aligns with their worldview.’

Humanists UK’s Director of Humanist Care Clare Elcombe Webber commented:

‘Neil’s appointment is groundbreaking and we are delighted to see it. Those in the Armed Forces give so much for our safety and security, often in the most challenging of life and death circumstances. It is right that they are able to receive like-minded pastoral care. Neil’s appointment will make this possible for thousands more personnel. We trust it will be followed by similar posts in our other Forces.’

About Dr Neil Weddell

Neil has been a part of the Armed Forces since 2003. He has completed multiple operational tours over his career including Afghanistan, Nigeria and Sierra Leone where he was part of the Ebola task force. As an Army instructor he has enjoyed many diverse roles including civil military advisor, leadership tutor to officers and soldiers, cultural advisor at Defence Academy and second in command of training establishments and military units, finishing his career at the rank of senior Major. During that time he has been Co-Chair of Humanists UK’s section Defence Humanists and its sister network within the Ministry of Defence (MoD), Humanists and Non-Religious in Defence (HAND). In 2023, after the MoD decided it should recruit non-religious pastoral carers, Neil was part of the implementation project team. He is a trained and accredited member of the Non-Religious Pastoral Support Network (NRPSN) and a Humanists UK celebrant.

About non-religious pastoral care

Non-religious pastoral care is like-minded support that encompasses the emotional, moral, ethical, and existential aspects of life. It is grounded in a pragmatic, non-religious outlook and non-religious pastoral carers provide support to people in hospitals, hospices, prisons, universities, and now the Armed Forces. As part of its support of the expanding NRPSN, Humanists UK works to increase provision across all sectors, and in every part of the UK. It doesn’t use the word ‘chaplain’ to describe such practitioners, because many understand this to be a Christian-only term, instead preferring ‘non-religious pastoral carer’, but some practitioners do have ‘chaplain’ in their job titles, reflecting the practice of their employers.

Through its support of the NRPSN, Humanists UK has enabled the training and accreditation of over 170 current pastoral carers, who are present in 10% of prisons and 35% of NHS Trusts in England and Wales. Most are volunteers but more than 20 are staff. In 2018, humanist pastoral carer Lindsay de Wal became the first humanist appointed to lead a chaplaincy and pastoral care team in the NHS. In 2023, James Croft became the first humanist lead at a University. There are also humanist leads in prisons. The UK Government intends to launch a new Chaplaincy Faith and Belief Forum to replace His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS)’s Chaplaincy Council, including humanists. And 2023 new NHS England guidelines mandate equality in non-religious and religious pastoral care for the first time.

The Armed Forces

In 2020, the MoD commissioned an independent review into non-religious pastoral support in the Armed Forces. That reported in 2021 and recommended that such support be introduced. In 2023, a project team was established to implement the recommendations – starting with the three staff posts. That led to an announcement of intention to recruit and now to Neil’s post.

The latest UK Armed Forces demographics show 41% of regular forces and 32% of reserves declaring they have no religion. This has risen rapidly over the last decade, from 15% and 18%, respectively, in 2012. Indeed it is understood to be the case that among new recruits, most now say they have no religion (reflecting trends in wider society, in which around 70% of young people now identify as non-religious).