College Chaplain and Christian Life Coordinator

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Job Posting Title

College Chaplain and Christian Life Coordinator

Job Description Summary

Administrative Exempt

Job Description

Wellesley College is an exceptionally diverse place. The presence of chaplains, rooted in a variety of religious and spiritual traditions, supports this diverse population of students in navigating the joys and challenges of being part of an inclusive campus community. The College Chaplain and Christian Life Coordinator serves the spiritual and pastoral needs of all Wellesley students, while serving the Christian identified students in particular.

The College Chaplain leads Protestant worship and coordinates weekly Roman Catholic Mass in collaboration with the Archdiocese and other Catholic resources in the Boston area. They provide outreach and support for the more than twenty-five Christian denominations and nine registered Christian student groups represented in our student body. This work is accomplished in collaboration with members of the ORSL team, through partnership with Student Life Division staff, faculty, students, and the broader Wellesley community.

The College Chaplain and Christian Life Coordinator supports the ORSL mission by bringing breadth and depth to the search for meaning, belonging and purpose for all students, and also strengthens and sustains the campus Christian community through services, retreats, religious education, pastoral care, and the promotion of interfaith understanding. They provide ecumenical support, mentorship and advising across Christian traditions, denominations, expressions, and doctrines.

The College Chaplain and Christian Life Coordinator will play a key role in promoting and participating in the multifaith model of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life. Working closely with chaplains and advisors from a variety of traditions, they will provide strategic vision and leadership to spiritual programming for students of diverse religious traditions and non-religious spiritual expressions. This position will help plan and lead multifaith college traditions such as Flower Sunday and Baccalaureate. The College Chaplain will attend and participate in the coordination of Orientation events, Soulful Sunday, Friends and Family Weekend, Christmas Vespers, Reunion, Holy Week and others as needed.

Primary Position Responsibilities:

Pastoral Care and Crisis Response: Provide pastoral care and personal guidance to students, and serves as a regular pastoral presence for the Wellesley community. Serve as a responder to crisis situations on campus.

Religious Services : Oversee and promote participation in weekly Protestant worship and Catholic mass, cultivate student leadership of services, provide reflection and educational content, coordinate and lead major festival celebrations, and host retreats.

Programming: In addition to Christian Life programming, sponsor programs that include interfaith and intercultural engagement with clear learning objectives and goals that support the overall mission of the Division of Student Life. Assess programs in order to measure impact on the Wellesley student experience. Thoughtfully complete mid and end of year written assessments in a timely manner.

Retreats: In partnership with the Dean of ORSL, take a leadership role in developing content, coordinating, leading, and attending the WC Connect retreat. This work includes collaborating with key campus partners in the recruiting of students and developing retreat content.

Interfaith: Collaborate with other chaplains and campus staff on interfaith programs and services, serve as the Christian representative in interfaith dialogue, be present to other religious campus communities, offer prayers/words of wisdom at college events, advocate for the interests of multifaith groups as needed. All interfaith programs should have clear objectives to strengthen students’ religious and spiritual identities in a global, pluralistic world.

Religious Literacy: Promote appreciation and understanding of Christianity across the college community by hosting talks, guest lectures, and discussions. Work with Student Life partners to promote religious literacy and appreciation of religious diversity. Facilitate at least one program per semester in which students have the opportunity to collaborate with another college chaplain, student religious organization or college department.

Community-Building: Contribute to a vibrant and inclusive campus community, host outreach and community-building programs, advise Christian student groups in their programming, student leadership development, provide mentoring, attend meetings and events as needed.

Administration: Oversee communications and represent the ORSL department on college committees as assigned. Manage the Christian Life Community budget and other administrative responsibilities expected of all ORSL team members. Attend and participate in regular department and division meetings. Oversee Christian student orgs in collaboration with Office of Student Involvement.

Community Relations : Build connections with local Christian resources, and advise college leadership in matters concerning the Christian community.

Supervisor Responsibilities: The College Chaplain assists the Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life in the supervision of other religious student group advisors. Supervise the Newman student org, among other E-boards, and oversee their SOFC funds. Hire, train, and supervise student workers.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Supervise student workers and student organizations.

Performance Profile:

Ability to relate to and mentor students

Ability to program effectively and reliably

Ability to collaborate within the ORSL department and across campus

Ability to prioritize and multitask while providing a high level of service

Ability to work on location on campus

Ability to work weekends and evenings if need arises

Education Required:

Master of Divinity, Masters of Theological Studies, or other relevant master’s degree or equivalent qualification in religious and spiritual life.

Education Preferred:

Ordination in a recognized Christian denomination and completion of a Unit of Clinical Pastoral Education are strongly preferred.

Experience Required:

A minimum of two to five years of related experience including, but not limited to, work in higher education in positions related to religious and spiritual life and student affairs.

Experience with college age programming along with pastoral care, mentoring, and advising.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer’s sponsorship now or in the future

Skills and Abilities Required

This position requires training and education in pastoral care; exposure and understanding of the diversity of beliefs and practices within Christianity as well as cultural competency to work in a diverse community; experience of and commitment to working in a multifaith context with young adults in teaching, mentorship, and leadership roles; exceptional communication skills, including the ability to establish and maintain relationships; and a successful record of planning and