Chaplain

Position Purpose
This role is committed to advancing Baptist Housing's mission — inspired by the servant heart of Jesus, we provide caring communities for seniors to live with dignity, purpose, and belonging.
This role is accountable for providing spiritual care, individually and in groups, to residents, families, and team members, walking alongside them through life's challenges and joys as a member of the interdisciplinary team.
This role contributes to Baptist Housing's vision of creating welcoming communities of excellence in senior living and care, where every senior leads their best life.

Our Values
- Compassion: We honour the dignity of every person with empathy and kindness.
- Belonging: We foster connection and community where everyone is sacred and valued.
- Integrity: We serve with honesty, accountability, and respect, aligning our words and actions.
- Excellence: We pursue quality, continuous improvement, and courageous creativity

Accountabilities
- Spiritual care for residents and families that honours each person's faith and values and walks alongside them through illness, transition, grief, and end of life.
- Opportunities for Christian worship, biblical teaching, prayer, and fellowship, and for residents to remain connected to their own community of faith.
- Spiritual care that is integrated into the interdisciplinary team's assessment and care planning for each resident.
- Spiritual and emotional support for team members, and a shared understanding of spiritual care across the community.
- A well-documented and well-resourced spiritual care service, aligned with Baptist Housing's spiritual care strategy and budget.

Responsibilities
As an Ambassador of Baptist Housing:
- Advance Baptist Housing's mission by modelling its values and servant leadership philosophy in all interactions.
- Build and maintain caring, respectful relationships with residents and families, and positive, collaborative working relationships with team members, volunteers, community partners, and other stakeholders.
- Honour the dignity of every person with empathy and kindness in day-to-day interactions.
- Foster connection and community so that residents, families, and team members experience a genuine sense of belonging.
- Act with honesty, accountability, and respect, keeping words and actions aligned.
- Pursue quality and continuous improvement in the work, approaching challenges with courage and creativity.
General Responsibilities
Spiritual care for residents and families
- Builds relationships and community with residents and families, through informal and formal means, to help meet social, emotional, and spiritual needs while respecting the diverse background, experience, and beliefs of each person.
- Provides support and guidance regarding end-of-life issues, grief, and other spiritual concerns.
- Assists residents and families with ethical concerns regarding resident care and end of life.
- Visits hospitalized residents.
- Helps plan funerals and memorial services and officiates at them upon request.
Worship and Faith community
- Plans, facilitates and/or leads in group spiritual care activities, such as Christian worship, Bible study, hymn sings, prayer, and fellowship in which residents may choose to participate.
- Facilitates the ministry of other clergy and enables residents to maintain their community of faith.
- Recruits and coordinates volunteers to assist with spiritual care.
Interdisciplinary care
- Conducts initial and ongoing spiritual assessments that respect residents' personal values and faith, helping them reflect on their personal story, life transitions and what gives them meaning and purpose.
- Shares spiritual assessments with the interdisciplinary team to assist care planning and interventions such as therapy, activation, and socialization.
- Collaborates with Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Social Workers, Recreation Managers, and other members of the interdisciplinary team to coordinate resident services.
- Participates in care conferences.
- Maintains records and charts significant information in the clinical record.
Support for team members
- Assists team members with spiritual and emotional needs, providing support and guidance when requested.
- Assists team members with ethical concerns regarding resident care and end-of-life needs.
- Collaborates to build an environment of belonging that supports and respects the diversity of each team member's personal faith and beliefs
- Promotes understanding of spiritual care through information-sharing and in-service education.

Reporting, resources, and partnerships
- Documents statistics and information related to the ongoing provision of spiritual care services.
- Submits quarterly reports to the Associate Vice President, Spiritual Care.
- Collaborates with the Associate Vice President, Spiritual Care and the Administrator on spiritual care strategy and budgets.
- Maintains current knowledge of relevant resources to assist with spiritual growth and needs.
- Secures and uses suitable materials for hospital and bereavement visits.
- Networks with Baptist Housing Chaplains and local groups such as ministerial associations and other agencies that may contribute to the spiritual care of residents and team members.
Health & Safety Leadership
- Establishes, influences and supports a culture of health and safety.
- Demonstrates safe working practice and encourages team members to work safely.
- Demonstrates the ability to maintain a safe and organized environment.
- Takes initiative and makes suggestions for health and safety improvements in the workplace.
- Identifies hazards and unsafe work practices, corrects these when possible, or reports to the supervisor.
Professional Development
- Pursues professional growth through Baptist Housing's learning opportunities, training, and career pathways.
- Other duties as assigned and as reflective of individual strengths.
Qualifications
Education
- A graduate degree in theological studies (e.g., M.A., M.C.S., M.Div.), or a minimum of a Bible or Ministry degree from an evangelical Bible College
- Capable of endorsement by Fellowship Pacific (endorsement process facilitated during probationary period).
- Clinical Psychospiritual Education (CPE), or equivalent training in professional spiritual care, is strongly preferred
- Equivalent combinations of education and experience, including life experience and personal learning, will be considered
Experience
- 1-2 years in long-term care, healthcare or hospital setting
- 1-2 years working with seniors
- 3-5 years in Christian ministry
Technical Skills and Abilities
- Ability to develop, coordinate, and improve chaplaincy services.
- Knowledge of geriatrics, the aging process, the grief process, and other concerns of seniors.
- Understanding of how spiritual care integrates into a holistic vision of wellness for seniors.
- Ability to clearly and non-coercively speak to spiritual concerns and share the hope of Christ, while respecting the right of others to maintain their beliefs and privacy.
- Ability to teach others in both formal and informal settings.
- Working knowledge of computers and software for email communication, internet use, electronic filing, and reporting.

Core Competencies
- Lovingly provides spiritual care for all residents and team members.
- Shows sensitivity to religious and cultural diversity, with a love and desire to serve all residents and team members regardless of religious faith or background.
- Possesses high capacity to be attentively present with residents who may not recognize them.
- Life-long learner who takes the initiative to maintain current knowledge of spiritual care and geriatrics.
Foundational Competencies
- Demonstrates personal alignment with Baptist Housing values and displays an attitude of genuineness, empathy, compassion, respect and understanding.
- Demonstrates an understanding of the unique needs of seniors.
- Fosters a sense of belonging among residents and team members.
- Demonstrates a strong service orientation, proactively seeking opportunities to support residents and team members.
- Able to establish and maintain collaborative and positive working relationships at all levels of the ministry.
- Positive attitude. Coachable and teachable.
- Strong interpersonal skills. Models our values in all interactions. Navigates conflict well.
- Effective communicator, both verbally and in writing.
- Flexible, adaptable and resilient.
- Self-motivated and able to work with minimal supervision.
- Maintains confidentiality, safeguarding organizational information, and residents' and team members' personal information.
- Applies critical thinking and analytical and problem-solving skills, exercising sound judgment and making confident, timely decisions.
- Excellent organizational skills. Detail oriented.
- Capable self-manager. Able to prioritize, multitask, and meet deadlines. Flexible to adapt to shifting priorities. Results-oriented, consistently working to meet and exceed goals.
- Physically and mentally able to perform the duties of the job in the work environment.
- Able to travel as required to carry out work.
Working Conditions
Work Location
- Work is performed in a single building which includes Long-Term Care, Assisted Living and Independent Living.
- Occasional travel within the province is a requirement of this position.
Physical Requirements
- The work may require standing or walking up to 50% of the time.
- The work may require looking at a computer screen up to 20% of the time.
- The work may require talking on the phone up to 5% of the time.
- The work may include some light lifting.
Hours of Work
- This position is full-time.
- This position generally works weekday hours.
- On call and occasional weekend work will be required.
- The individual must be able to vary hours of work to carry out the duties of the job.
Hazards
- Hazards are considered minor and controllable.
Other
- Due to the nature of the job, and our commitment to a safe environment for residents, the individual is subject to a criminal record check.
- A driver’s license is strongly preferred.
- Agrees with Baptist Housing's Statement of Faith and adheres to Codes of Conduct.
- Must be legally eligible to work in Canada (i.e., be a Canadian citizen, a Permanent Resident, or hold a valid work permit).
- Must be in good health, free from communicable diseases, and physically and mentally able to perform the duties in the working environment.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people in this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, required skills or working conditions associated with this position. Duties and responsibilities that do not constitute a major change may be added, deleted, or changed at any time at the discretion of the supervisor, either orally or in writing.