YMCA Chaplaincy Programme

Volunteer Role Title: Chaplain

Location: local YMCA

Hours of volunteering: Part-time (as arranged) as and when required.

Approximately 5 hours/week to start.

Responsible to: Chaplaincy Working Group through National Coordinating Chaplain

Main role description

• The chaplain will provide for the pastoral needs of service users, volunteers
and staff.
• The chaplain will assist young people, staff and volunteers to understand
more fully life's events as they relate to their spiritual and emotional well-
being that promotes their flourishing as people.
• In partnership with the local General Secretary/CEO, the chaplain will play a
role with the YMCA trustees in relation to how the mission is reflected in
practice.
• The chaplain will play a linking / networking / representational role in external
networks e.g. churches.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Spiritual and Pastoral Support

• Intentionally building relationships with all connected to your YMCA.
• Being an active part of daily life, purposefully joining in with team activities.
• Offering an inclusive space where everyone feels welcome
• Being a ‘listening ear’ at events/spaces
• Offering Individual pastoral care, prayer support and spiritual direction as
required
• Offering pastoral support in a crisis
• Promoting a sense of belonging which enables people to contribute and
flourish
• Exploring ways of supporting staff in their journeys e.g. developing a retreat
programme, opportunities for prayer and worship, developing a space for
prayer and reflection
• Exploring ways of ensuring people of other faiths and spiritualities feel
supported and included
• Acting as a resource person to staff in helping them work through issues
related to culture, beliefs and prejudices
• Accompanying staff in exploring the interface between social action and
promoting justice
• Proactively providing opportunities to engage with justice issues e.g. Lenten
projects, One World Week, Y CARE
 • Supporting the ‘welcome’/induction process for staff, volunteers and service
users
• Signposting people to appropriate body, mind and spiritual supports where
this is considered necessary
• Being a positive representative for YMCA in the wider faith communities

Expectations
• Participate in and complete 10 sessions of training including Chaplaincy
Everywhere and practical training
• Respect the confidentiality of users
• Carry out all these duties within the organisation’s policy guidelines
• Take part in the wider YMCA Chaplaincy network
• Attend regular supervision sessions with the identified member of the team
• Keep up to date with research and practice to maintain knowledge necessary
for this post

Terms and Conditions

Minimum 15 month commitment with hopes of 3 years of service

Person Specification

Essential Desirable
Qualifications • Willingness to
undertake further
professional
development
• Training in some form
of pastoral
care/spiritual
direction
• Educated to degree
level or above
Experience • Experience of working with • Experience of
people with varying faith working in the
backgrounds or no faith charitable sector
• Experience of working in or a • Experience of
commitment to working in an working with young
interdisciplinary team people and
• 2 years in a relevant role vulnerable adults
Knowledge • Knowledge of different • Knowledge of the
chaplaincy models challenges of working
• Knowledge of available services with young people
for signposting and and vulnerable adults
commitment to using them
Skills • Able to represent the • Supervision skills
organisation, its values and • Administration skills.
vision externally • Computer literate
 • Someone who is able to
communicate
• with a broad range of people in
a simple, direct and down-to-
earth way
• Someone who works from a
person centred approach and is
able to challenge, enthuse and
inspire others
• A good listener who shows
empathy for those who are
struggling for whatever reason
• A team player who will add
value to the staff team,
generating trust and credibility.
• A well-organised, creative self-
starter who can shape and
deliver a complex set of
activities without needing a lot
of supervision
• Comfortable in discussing faith
and spirituality as it interacts
with life.
• Able to articulate a personal
Vision for the role of chaplaincy
in the YMCA context

Behaviours • Commitment to personal

development and self-
reflection.
• Compassionate, Credible,
Trustworthy.
• Able to work with humility &
integrity
• Reliable, approachable and
discreet.
• In full agreement with the
Christian aims and purposes of
the YMCA (including
Foundational Documentations,
YMCA Ireland’s Christian
Emphasis Policy)

For more information, contact Anne at chaplaincoordinator@ymca-ireland.net

https://www.ymca-ireland.net/chaplaincy