Prison Chaplain - Silverwater

Anglicare Sydney; Sydney; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging

Professional development

Employee Assistance Program

Exclusive retailer discounts

Supportive Christian organisation

Meaningful ministry

Job summary

Anglicare Sydney invites applications for a Justice Chaplain to provide pastoral care and spiritual support in the Silverwater correctional environment. You will walk with inmates, offer chaplaincy services, and help explore Christian faith through conversations, services and resources.

The role emphasizes compassion, resilience and relational ministry, with duties extending to staff and families as opportunities arise.

Qualifications

• Completed or currently completing theological studies at degree or diploma level.
• Experience and/or qualifications in pastoral care or related ministry.
• Strong ability to listen with empathy and provide compassionate support.

Responsibilities

• Provide pastoral care and support to inmates in crisis or distress within a correctional environment.
• Offer one-to-one pastoral care, discipleship and meaningful chapel services.
• Create opportunities for inmates to engage with Christian teaching and resources.
• Provide pastoral support to relatives and correctional staff as needed.
• Build respectful relationships while adhering to procedures and safety requirements.

Skills

Pastoral care

Active listening

Communication

Relationship building

Education

Theological studies

Job description

Transform lives, every single day

Do you want a career that means more? At Anglicare Sydney, we bring the strength, the support and the strategy to make it happen.

We're a well-respected not-for-profit that's been serving people in need for over 170 years. Our vision is simple yet powerful: Jesus Christ honoured, lives enriched and communities strengthened.

As our Justice Chaplain, you'll have the opportunity to bring pastoral care, spiritual support and the hope of the Christian faith to people within the correctional environment at Silverwater.

You’ll walk alongside inmates during times of crisis and significant personal challenge, providing a compassionate presence while encouraging positive life choices that can contribute to better outcomes during incarceration and following release.

Your ministry will also extend, as opportunities arise, to prison staff and the families and friends of people in custody.

Your opportunity

Justice Chaplaincy is a unique ministry that calls for compassion, resilience, wisdom and a genuine ability to build relationships with people from diverse backgrounds and life experiences.

You’ll provide pastoral support to all inmates who seek it, regardless of their beliefs, while creating opportunities for Christian inmates to be strengthened and challenged in their faith.

For inmates who are not Christians but wish to explore Christianity, you’ll provide opportunities to engage with the Christian message through individual pastoral conversations, chapel services and access to Bibles and Christian literature.

With compassion and faith, you will:

• Provide pastoral care and support to inmates experiencing crisis, distress or other significant life circumstances.
• Provide one-to-one pastoral care, discipleship and meaningful chapel services that encourage Christian inmates in their faith.
• Create appropriate opportunities for inmates who wish to explore Christianity to engage with the Christian message and access Bibles and Christian resources.
• Provide pastoral support to relatives and correctional staff during times of need, where opportunities arise.
• Build respectful relationships with people from diverse backgrounds while working within the procedures, boundaries and safety requirements of a correctional environment.

What you'll bring

You’re a resilient and relational Christian who can remain calm and grounded in complex and challenging environments.

You know how to listen with empathy, establish rapport and treat every person with dignity while maintaining appropriate professional and ministry boundaries.

You’ll be confident communicating the Christian faith while understanding that effective Justice Chaplaincy requires sensitivity, respect and an ability to meet people where they are.

You’ll also bring the judgement and resilience needed to work within a highly structured environment - following procedures, managing risk, resolving conflict appropriately and remaining composed under pressure.

What's required

• Completed or currently completing theological studies at degree or diploma level.
• Experience and/or qualifications in pastoral care, or currently working towards these.
• A mature Christian faith and demonstrated ability to provide compassionate, respectful pastoral support.
• Ability to build rapport and communicate effectively with people experiencing complex circumstances.
• Ability to remain composed under pressure, work within established procedures and maintain appropriate professional boundaries.

On completion of theological studies, you'll need to be eligible to hold a licence issued by the Bishop and a Certificate of Appointment. Anglicare Justice Chaplains, whether clergy or lay people, are appointed by the Bishop to their specific ministry context.

The successful candidate will also be required to undertake a Police Check and Working with Children Check.

Why Anglicare?

We provide meaningful opportunities and choice, both for the individuals and communities we support and the dedicated people here who make it happen.

At Anglicare, you’ll get the security, stability and opportunities that come with a strong, well-established organisation that’s ready for the future. You’ll belong to a community of kind, humble and respectful people who are committed to serving others.

You’ll also be part of Anglicare’s broader Chaplaincy ministry, supported to use your theological training, pastoral skills and Christian faith in a ministry context where presence, hope and genuine human connection can have a profound impact.

• Salary packaging options that can increase your take-home pay.
• Ongoing professional development and opportunities to deepen your ministry practice.
• Employee Assistance Program providing confidential support.
• Exclusive discounts across hundreds of retailers.
• A supportive, purpose-driven Christian organisation.
• Meaningful ministry where your work can contribute to positive change in people’s lives.

We’re many services, with one purpose - to meet people where they are and walk with them. At Anglicare, we believe everyone is Made for Connection - with God, with each other and with the places we call home.

As a Justice Chaplain, you’ll live that purpose in a unique environment - meeting people in moments of crisis, listening without judgement, sharing the hope of Jesus and encouraging choices that can help create a different future.

Are you ready for a career that means more?

This is a specifically Christian ministry role and requires the successful candidate to actively support Anglicare's Christian vision, mission and values.