Creating a multi-faith environment within a medical center produces a place to foster interfaith encounters between chaplains, patients, families, and staff during an era when religious pluralism is increasing in cities like Chicago. To equip Christian chaplains to provide effective pastoral care to people who practice major world religions besides Christianity, this thesis develops interfaith competencies for chaplains to master. The interfaith competencies address multi-faith literacy, interfaith values, and interfaith skills. These competencies will be presented to the Advisory Group on Ministry (AGM) for feedback and affirmation to include in future chaplaincy training, and continuing education opportunities. The thesis examines ten Christian theological approaches to religious pluralism and the healing at the pool of Bethesda account in the gospel of John. The interfaith competencies can be incorporated into the calls of chaplains to multi-faith medical centers. The measurement of the AGM will be their written feedback, reactions and conversations about their affirmation of the developed competencies.
