Application closing date Monday, August 10th, COB

Uniting Amala, Gordon & Uniting Mirinjani, Weston ACT
Permanent Full-Time or Part-Time | Flexible work patterns – let’s discuss what could work

Sometimes the most meaningful thing you can give someone is your time, your presence and the feeling that they have truly been heard.

Uniting is seeking a compassionate Pastoral Practitioner to provide pastoral and spiritual care across Uniting Amala in Gordon and Uniting Mirinjani in Weston, ACT.

This is a role centred on people – their stories, relationships, beliefs, culture, experiences and the things that give their lives meaning.

Spiritual care can look different for every person. For some, it may be grounded in faith, prayer or religious tradition. For others, connection and meaning might be found through family, music, culture, nature, a much-loved hobby, memories and life stories, or simply having someone beside them during a difficult time.

As a Pastoral Practitioner, you will take the time to understand what matters to the individual and provide care that respects who they are, what they believe and how they choose to find meaning, comfort, hope and connection.

What you’ll be doing

Working as part of Uniting’s Mission team and alongside our care and support teams, you will provide a trusted pastoral presence for residents, families, carers, staff and volunteers.

You will:

- Build genuine, trusting relationships through attentive presence, active listening and empathy.
- Provide compassionate pastoral, spiritual and emotional support during times of illness, grief, loss, loneliness, transition, uncertainty and end-of-life.
- Take the time to understand each person’s life story, culture, beliefs, relationships,



values and the things that are meaningful to them.
- Provide inclusive spiritual care for people of all faiths, spiritualities and worldviews, including those with no religious belief.
- Support people to connect with faith communities, traditions, rituals or other sources of meaning where this is important to them.
- Work collaboratively with families, carers and multidisciplinary teams to contribute a pastoral and spiritual perspective to holistic, person-centred care.
- Support families and those close to residents through times of change, deterioration, grief and bereavement.
- Provide a compassionate pastoral presence for staff and volunteers when they may also need someone to listen.
- Contribute to memorial services, pastoral gatherings and other meaningful occasions where appropriate.
- This is not about having all the answers. It is about knowing how to be present, how to listen and how to recognise what matters to someone at a particular moment in their life.

What you’ll bring

You will be someone who connects naturally and respectfully with people and is comfortable supporting individuals from many different backgrounds, beliefs and life experiences.

You will bring relevant pastoral, theological, ministry, spiritual care or related study, together with one or more units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE),



or demonstrated equivalent pastoral formation and relevant life or work experience.

You will also bring:

- Experience providing pastoral, spiritual, emotional or relational support to people experiencing vulnerability, illness, grief, loss or significant life transition.
- Empathy, compassion and the ability to build safe and trusting relationships while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
- Respect and genuine openness towards people from different cultures, faith traditions, spiritualities and those with no religious belief.
- An ability to work collaboratively with families, carers, care teams and other professionals.
- Robust listening, communication and interpersonal skills.
- An understanding of confidentiality, safeguarding and duty of care.
- A commitment to ongoing reflective practice and professional development.
- An alignment with Uniting’s values of being imaginative, respectful, compassionate and bold.
- Qualifications or additional training in areas such as pastoral or spiritual care, theology, ministry, counselling, social science, health, aged care, grief and loss, dementia, mental health, trauma-informed practice, cultural safety or palliative care will be highly regarded.

Understanding of Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander cultural protocol

Flexible work arrangements – let’s talk

We know the right person for this work may be looking for flexibility.

This opportunity may be available on a permanent full-time or part-time basis, with flexible work patterns open for discussion.

If this sounds like meaningful work you would value, we would be very happy to have a conversation about the arrangement that could work for you and for our services.

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📌 Pastoral Practitioner ACT (Weston)
🏢 Uniting
📍 Weston