Chaplain I

State of North Carolina•Wake County, NC

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction is hiring a Chaplain I at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina. The chaplain provides spiritual care and religious programming for incarcerated participants from a variety of religious traditions, including Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Humanist, and American Indian Traditionalist groups. The role requires effective communication with interdisciplinary staff, officers, community clergy, mental health providers, volunteers, incarcerated people, and their families. The chaplain must be comfortable supervising incarcerated people and working with people from diverse backgrounds. The chaplain plans, conducts, coordinates, or facilitates interfaith religious services and programs, and provides pastoral care, grief support, and religious education. The position includes advising facility leaders on religious and theological matters and, when appropriate, staff and offender morale. The chaplain also participates in research and data collection on pastoral, programmatic, and interfaith issues, and applies constitutional principles, RLUIPA, and relevant court decisions to support equal treatment of religious practices. The employee must understand and follow departmental and facility policies, procedures, legal documents, memoranda, and directives. This is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week position that includes one late-night shift and monthly weekend duty. Chaplains participate in a rotating on-call schedule. Applicants must submit a completed state application and the required ministerial, education, CPE, endorsement, and resume documents. The minimum qualifications include an accredited Master of Divinity or related master’s degree, Clinical Pastoral Education residency or equivalent experience, and ordination or membership in a recognized religious governing body.

Requirements

Master of Divinity degree from an ATS-accredited school of theology or seminary, or a master’s degree in a related field from an appropriately accredited institution, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
One year of residency in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) or equivalent professional chaplaincy or clergy experience.
Ordination or membership in a recognized religious governing body.
Ability to communicate effectively with interdisciplinary staff, officers, community clergy, mental health providers, volunteers, incarcerated people, and their families.
Comfort supervising incarcerated people and working with people from diverse backgrounds.
Ability to comprehend and follow departmental and facility policies, standard operating procedures, memoranda, legal documents, and other directives.
Submit a completed state application and the required documentation, including degree or transcript, CPE certificates or transcript, ordination certificate or equivalent, current letter of good standing or ecclesiastical endorsement, and current resume.
Applicants may be subject to a criminal background check and drug screen.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated knowledge of clinical pastoral or spiritual care principles and the chaplain’s role in a correctional or institutional setting.
Proven ability to plan, organize, and develop a comprehensive pastoral or spiritual care program.
Proven experience establishing rapport with patients, residents, incarcerated people, congregants, and their families.

Responsibilities

Plan, conduct, coordinate, or facilitate interfaith religious services and programs, including worship services, faith-group studies, Bible studies, and individual or group pastoral or spiritual care and counseling.
Assess patients or incarcerated people upon admission or transfer to identify pastoral or spiritual care needs.
Supervise religious or spiritual services provided by volunteers and inmate faith helpers.
Recruit and coordinate religious or spiritual volunteers and services on an ongoing basis.
Visit patients in community hospitals, as applicable.
Lead or arrange approved religious rites and sacraments, such as communion, baptism, and holy-day observances.
Coordinate pastoral volunteers.
Provide pastoral care, grief support, and religious education to incarcerated participants.
Advise facility leadership on religious and theological matters and, when appropriate, staff and offender morale.
Participate in research and data collection on pastoral, programmatic, and interfaith matters.
Apply constitutional principles, RLUIPA, and relevant court decisions concerning religious practices and equal treatment.