• Permanent part time (3 days per week) or full time for the right candidate
• Location: Alice Springs, Aherlkeme Development Centre
• Pastoral care for Mission Australia clients and community
• Possibility to combine with Central Australia chaplain role (one day per week)

Life at Mission Australia

When you join the team at Mission Australia, you become part of a community who are determined to end homelessness and ensure people in need can thrive. United by our Christian purpose and values, we stand together with anyone who needs us, for as long as they need us. Find out more about us and our purpose.

Your Opportunity

Based in Alice Springs, the Community Chaplain will play a vital role in providing a listening ear, a practical hand and a source of compassion & empathy for local community members’ irrespective of faith, belief and values. You will work to develop strong and supportive working relationships with clients and internal stakeholders and will provide a service to them that integrates with and supports wider work of the Mission Australia’s community.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide pastoral care, information and support to community members empowering them to explore future goals, grow and confront personal challenges (and negative patterns of behaviour when necessary)
• Support Mission Australia, community services and churches and community members to create a community of cooperation and mutual respect, promoting an understanding of diversity and the range of cultures and their related traditions
• Be available to listen to community members who have a need to talk about their own lives and their search for meaning
• Actively participate in all meetings and planning sessions conducted by the Community Chaplain Program (CCP) Team Leader and with Mission Australia staff & management as required
• Participate in local church and community events, activities and celebrations and contribute to church communications
• Be available to support and connect community members to local churches who express a desire to explore their spirituality and providing a point of reference / sounding board about spirituality, values and ethical matters
• Collaborate with the Central Australia Chaplain based in Alice Springs in developing relationships across Christian and faith communities.

Requirements for Success

• A Degree/Diploma in Chaplaincy/CPE/Ministry or a minimum of five years’ experience in a similar role in a Christian Church or Community Sector
• Experience working with and for communities in a self-reflective and creative way that facilitates community self-determination in partnership with local churches
• Experience in community consultation, facilitation and partnership development
• Influential communication skills - verbal, listening, written and digital
• Ongoing commitment to personal spiritual growth and active member of a local church
• Demonstrated ability to develop stakeholder’s relationships that assist to achieve program outcomes
• Current driver's licence
• Evidence of full Covid 19 vaccination 

Before starting work with us, you will need to undertake a national police history check, qualifications and referee checks, and have a clearance to work with children/vulnerable people. 

Culture & Benefits   

A career with Mission Australia will offer you rewarding experiences to make a difference to the lives of Australians in need. We have an innovative and supportive culture guided by our values of compassion, integrity, respect, perseverance and celebration. 

To ensure our employees feel valued, empowered and celebrated we provide a range of employee benefits including: 

• NFP salary packaging benefits reducing taxable income (details via AccessPay) 
• Generous discounts with hotels, travel insurance and major retailers 
• Free, confidential counselling services via our EAP 
• Discounted health care with Medibank Private 

Diversity & Inclusion 

Mission Australia is an inclusive employer. We celebrate our diversity and strive to reflect contemporary Australian society and all the communities in which we work, in order to better serve our clients. We welcome and encourage applications from Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse people, People with Disability, Sexually and Gender Diverse people, people with lived experience of adversity and from people of all ages. 

As such, if you require any adjustments to submit your application, we invite you to get in touch via email [email protected] using the subject line: Community Chaplain - Alice Springs enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Next Steps 

To be considered for this opportunity, please click “Apply Now”. As a committed Circle Back Initiative employer, we will respond to your application. 

For more information, feel free to view the Position Description: Community Chaplain PD.pdf

For further information about working with us visit Working for Mission Australia. 

Applications are shortlisted as they are received. Please apply as soon as possible to be considered. Thank you.