School Chaplain

Description

At Mercersburg, we value diversity and believe in cultivating a safe community where everyone is encouraged to be their authentic selves.

Job Classification: Faculty, Full-Time, 10 Month, Exempt

Reports to: Assistant Head of School for Community & Culture

• Pastoral Care & Community Presence
  • Serve as a supportive, caring adult for all students and employees, regardless of faith background.
  • Engage fully in campus life through advising, residential responsibilities, civic engagement or inclusivity work, or co-curricular involvement (such as coaching or affiliated programming).
  • Support crisis care and the ordinary challenges of adolescence.
  • Connect easily with and enjoy the energy of adolescent students.
  • Connect to clergy and various faith leaders in the surrounding community
• Interfaith & Multicultural Spiritual Programming and Facilitation
  • Develop programming for students to explore ethical questions, spirituality, identity, and belonging through reflection groups, interfaith programming, student-led initiatives, and community observances.
  • Support students in practicing or exploring their own traditions while building bridges across multiple faiths and worldviews.
  • Ensure that students have opportunities to worship in their respective faiths regularly, if desired.
  • Organize faith-related practices such as meals or customs.
• Stewardship of the Irvine Memorial Chapel
  • Honor the Chapel’s heritage while expanding its role as a multipurpose spiritual and community space.
  • Lead or coordinate major school traditions (e.g., Convocation, Christmas Candlelight, Baccalaureate) with inclusivity and meaning.
  • Develop broader student and community use of the Chapel through reflective programs, academic use, student and guest speakers, and school-wide events.
  • Manage Chapel budgets and associated endowments.
  • Continued oversight of Sunday chapel services.
• Mission & Educational Integration
  • Teach courses in religion, ethics, philosophy, or related fields, contributing to both academic exploration and personal development as a full member of the History and Religion Department.
  • Recognize and support religion as an academic and intellectual endeavor in addition to a lived practice.
  • Collaborate with the Academic Office, Counseling, and Student Life to weave ethical and spiritual growth into student experience. Participate in the Student Support Team and weekly Office of Student Life meetings.

• Professional experience with chaplaincy or pastoral and/or spiritual care, and interfaith or multi-faith communities.
• Ability to serve students of all faiths and those with no faith affiliation.
• Experience working with adolescents, preferably in a school setting (teaching, advising, residential life.)
• Training or demonstrated academic expertise in religious studies, ethics, philosophy, or related fields.
• Approachable, relational personality: likeable, trustworthy, student-centered, and genuine excitement to be embedded in community life.
• Strong communication and organizational skills; discretion and sound judgment.

• Bachelor’s degree. Advanced degree welcomed but not required.
• Experience in an educational setting or commensurate work with adolescents.
• Classroom teaching experience preferred but not required.
• Ordination is welcomed but not required.

The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

• Environment:
  Work is performed in an indoor/office environment where the noise level ranges from quiet to moderate. Work will also be performed outside an office environment to visit prospective students and families. These environments will vary.
• Physical:
  Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to walk, stand, and sit for prolonged periods of time; to travel in all modes of transportation; sufficient manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination to operate office machinery; and to verbally communicate to exchange information with both English-speaking and non-English speaking contacts.
• Vision:
  See in the normal visual range with or without correction.
• Hearing:
  Hear in the normal audio range with or without correction.

This description is intended to provide a general scope of the position. This job description may include other duties as assigned by the manager.