Details
12/20/2017
Pastoral Care Specialist
Graceworks Lutheran Services
Position Summary:
Coordinate and facilitate services to meet the spiritual needs of residents, family members and staff regardless of their faith or tradition. In so doing, people living or serving in a long-term care setting can experience the ministry of the church embodying grace and hope to older adults, their families and others who serve them. Under the supervision and guidance of the Vice President, Residential Care, the Pastoral Care Specialist will be responsible to engage the spiritual needs of residents, enhance the spiritual life of the community, and advocate for spiritual values through religious practices, spiritual programs that are open to people of all faiths, and care, presence and counsel. This responsibility will be accomplished in accordance with the mission, values and policies of Graceworks Lutheran Services, a ministry affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and recognized by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Position Accountabilities and Performance Criteria:
1. Lead or provide regular worship services and sacramental rites appropriate to constituencies in all levels of care within the community. Lead or provide special services that are inclusive and welcoming to all faiths and denominations.
2. Coordinate with worship leaders from other faiths to provide appropriate services that address the needs of the residents.
3. Recruit pastoral care volunteers to assist spiritual or religious services at the community. Arrange for screening, oversight, and training, and supervise volunteers assisting with worship or other pastoral care activities.
4. Engage the spiritual needs of residents through pastoral visits, presence, counsel, and conversations with residents, staff, visitors, and other people. Counsel residents and their families, as well as staff, especially in response to issues of life transitions, end of life, grief, and loss.
5. Collaborate with staff in assessing resident needs and proposing and delivering appropriate responses especially when facing transitions of level of care. Offer a diverse spiritual program to meet the needs of residents throughout the spectrum of religious and spiritual practice.
6. Adhere to all policies and procedures of the organization and all federal and state laws. Satisfy corresponding standards measuring quantitative and qualitative aspects of pastoral care. Participate in Bethany Village resident and staff committee meetings including quality assurance and performance improvement as appropriate.
7. Carry out such other general responsibilities as may be assigned or delegated by the Vice President, Residential Care, or designee.
Position Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications: Master of Divinity or equivalent from an accredited college, university or theological school. Ordained in good standing with denominational judicatory and/or ecclesiastical endorsement for specialized ministry. One or more units in Clinical Pastoral Education (“CPE”). Preference given to candidates who are on the roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America or the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, have received endorsement by national Lutheran church body for Specialized Pastoral Care, and have completed units of Clinical Pastoral Experience (“CPE”) or graduate study with focus on ministry in a long-term care setting or geriatric unit.
Minimum Experience: Demonstrated knowledge and competence in gerontology, recognition of impact of socio-cultural attitudes toward aging, and understanding of the dynamics of grief and loss and their impact on the elderly, ethical issues in aging, and the distinctive worship needs, including the specific uses of religious ritual resources, in this form of ministry. Established written, oral, and computer technology communication skills. Expectation of integrity, modeling for residents and staff the personal qualities and ethics of the Christian faith. Sensitivity and adherence to the mission of the Lutheran Church as related through its agencies, congregations, and other church-wide expressions. Preference given to candidates who have three or more years of pastoral care experience in a long-term or acute health care setting, at least one unit of CPE, or an advanced degree with focus on ministry in a long-term care setting, or on the elderly in a significant way.
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Pastoral Care Specialist-Graceworks Lutheran Services
