Title: Multifaith Chaplaincy Spiritual Care Fellow
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Position Purpose:
Reporting to the Multifaith Chaplain, the Multifaith Chaplaincy Spiritual Care Fellow will assume responsibility for sharing in the management and development of religious and spiritual life at Bates College. Unaffiliated with any one particular religious tradition, the Multifaith Chaplaincy exists to nurture the religious, spiritual, and ethical lives and learning of all students, faculty, and staff of the College through an intentionally multifaith orientation and program.
In response to an evolving religious landscape in which many are skeptical of religious affiliations, yet still seeking avenues for connection and meaning-making, the Multifaith Chaplaincy seeks to engage all curious, questioning or committed students. faculty, and staff by facilitating opportunities for genuine conversation, connection, and exploration around topics of meaning, purpose, and relationships.
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Job Duties:
- Sharing in the coordination of multifaith outreach and programming for the campus in cooperation with the diverse religious and spiritual communities represented at the College.
- Sharing in the development of projects and events advancing religious pluralism on the campus.
- Advising student religious groups on the planning and implementation of events and programs (e.g. Holi, Eid, Diwali, Passover, etc.)
- Supporting (along with the Multifaith Chaplain) 10-12 student Multifaith Fellows in their programs, events, and spiritual formation.
- Prioritizing confidential pastoral care meetings for students, faculty, and staff. This includes occasional crisis-centered work in the evenings/weekends.
- Collaborating with offices across campus for social justice and identity oriented events and programs.
- Sharing in the design and implementation of annual rituals, services (e.g., Alumni Memorial Service, MLK Service, Tree Planting Memorial, Lessons and Carols, Baccalaureate) and special events (e.g., The Multifaith Banquet, collaborations with other offices like events for Orientation Week and Parents and Family Weekend).
- Public speaking‒typically prayers, reflections, introductions, and readings‒at annual Multifaith events.
- Leading in the planning of the annual Zerby and/or Andrews Lectures.
- Designing and implementing small groups for connecting spirituality and developmental growth or common experiences (like grief, or trauma).
- Designing and coordinating (in consultation with the Multifaith Chaplain) new offerings for annual events to meet the needs of an evolving religious landscape.
- Responding to requests from the College community for new offerings; designing and implementing these offerings when appropriate and in consultation with the Multifaith Chaplain.
- Sharing in the design and facilitation of retreats for the campus.
- Providing primary chaplaincy leadership at College ceremonies and other activities of the Multifaith Chaplaincy in the Multifaith Chaplain's absence.
- Working with Bates Faculty and Staff on employee-centered programming.
- Assisting with office publications, website, social media, and publicity.
- Writing recommendation letters for students.
- Maintaining availability on many evenings and weekends to lead and facilitate the Office’s events.
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Minimum Qualifications:
Education
- Graduate degree in religious, theological, or spiritual studies from an accredited institution.
- Credentials appropriate to one’s own faith community and tradition.
Experience
Minimum of 2 years experience in a professional position in the religious and spiritual life office of a college, university, or hospital preferred.
Skills and Knowledge
- Commitment to equity and inclusion, and serving the needs of a culturally and educationally diverse community.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively in an environment that prizes and promotes diversity; desire, knowledge and ability to work effectively with people of all religious traditions and with those who have no formal religious affiliation and/or who are openly skeptical about such affiliations.
- Demonstrated ability to treat all people with respect and regard.
- Demonstrated ability to offer confidential pastoral conversation within a framework of ethical practice.
- Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to the goals of liberal arts education in a complex institution.
- Excellent speaking, writing, and organizational skills.
- Knowledge of and commitment to a wide variety of issues relating to social justice.
- Demonstrated creativity in ritual planning and leadership across many religious traditions.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively on a team model.
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Benefits:
Bates College offers competitive salaries, access to the library and athletic facilities, and a supportive, collegial environment in a drug- and smoke-free workplace. This position may accrue leave in accordance with the Maine Earned Paid Leave law.
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Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:
Bates College is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and providing an educational and work environment free from discrimination. The college prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status and other legally protected statuses in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administration of its education policies and programs, or in the recruitment of its faculty and staff. Bates College adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws and regulations. All college faculty, staff, students, contractors, visitors, and volunteers are responsible for understanding and complying with the Non-Discrimination Policy.
Inquiries concerning the college’s policies, compliance with applicable laws, statutes, and regulations (such as Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/Section 504), and complaints may be directed to Gwen Lexow, Title IX Officer, 207-786-6445 or via email at glexow@bates.edu.
About Bates:
Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college, attracting 2,000 students from across the U.S. and around the world.
Since 1855, Bates has been dedicated to educating the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. Committed to opportunity and excellence, Bates has always admitted students without regard to gender, race, religion, or national origin.
Cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action, Bates prepares leaders sustained by a love of learning and zeal for responsible stewardship of the wider world. Bates engages the forces — intellectual trends, demographic changes, and technology — that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate.
Bates has highly competitive admissions, graduates over 90 percent of its entering students, and more than half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates employs 200 faculty members and 550 staff.
The college is proud of deep roots in the Lewiston/Auburn community, Maine’s second-largest urban area with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 133-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, an emerging city with an entrepreneurial climate, a lively arts scene, and a dynamic business community. Bates is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 350 miles north of New York City.