One such rationale is the idea of foolishness for Christ, in which social expectations are subverted in order to further Christian ideals or proselytism.
[2] Clown ministry can take multiple forms, including taking part in Sunday services, visits to nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons,[3] and appearance in festivals and parades.
[4][5] However, it retains influences from historical European tropes such as the holy Fool, "the country bumpkin, Commedia dell'arte figures, and the court jester".
[1] In the late 1970s, Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania began hosting the National Clown, Mime, Puppet and Dance Ministry workshop.
The 1980s and 90s saw clown ministry groups formed at churches, on college campuses,[9][10] and, in the case of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Pennsylvania, religious communities.