What are the responsibilities and job description for the Chaplain position at Breck School?
TITLE: Chaplain
FLSA STATUS: Exempt
Reports to: Head Chaplain and Division Director
School Overview
Breck School is a preschool through twelve, coeducational college preparatory, Episcopal day school located in Golden Valley, Minnesota, with a national reputation for excellence and achievement in academics, athletics, and the arts. Our School’s Episcopal roots are lived through an unwavering commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging where we respect the dignity of every human being. We prioritize lifelong learning and a commitment to the greater good.
We are a community of highly engaged and motivated students, faculty, staff, and school leaders focused on building trusting relationships and strong academic scholarship through a practice of bridging research to practice. Upon graduation, Breck students are prepared for a life of intellectual curiosity, self-knowledge, and social responsibility, matriculating to colleges and universities throughout the world.
Position Overview
Breck is seeking a dedicated leader and teacher for the role of Chaplain. This position includes both classroom and chapel responsibilities, integrating the spiritual and intellectual life of our school community. While Episcopal identity is key to Breck, “There are many paths to God'' is our guiding teaching. This is a philosophical concept from the Hindu tradition demonstrating that our approach is interfaith by design.
Our Chapel is truly the heart of our campus and all we do. It is where we gather not only for worship, but also for Commencement, senior speeches, concerts, and other notable school traditions. This person should be a confident worship leader and a thoughtful pastoral presence, while also offering engaging and academically rigorous classroom lessons. The learning, growth, and development of our students define the purpose of all we do as chaplains and designing worship and classroom experiences that are meaningful and relevant to young people of a variety of religious and identity backgrounds is key. Chaplains at Breck not only serve a major role in student life, but are also essential to alumni, parents, faculty, staff, school leadership, and the broader Twin Cities community.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Chapel
- Design and implement meaningful and relevant worship experiences for a multifaith community of students
- Collaborate on the worship team to develop and implement a school-wide chapel theme, All School Chapels, aligned divisional chapels, and other worship and school life experiences
- Steward and guide Episcopal identity understanding in the Breck community, aligning all experiences with the teaching, “There are many paths to God”
School Life Culture
- Leverage chapel and other community spaces to create an environment that promotes respect, rapport, learning, and a deep regard for one another
- Establish meaningful relationships with students, faculty, parents, school leaders, alumni, and community members at large
- Reinforce and communicate clear and consistent expectations for learning, conduct, culture, and climate
- Thoughtfully intervene and support when student or staff behaviors are harmful or unaligned with respecting the dignity of every human being
- Provide pastoral care as appropriate and in partnership with divisional counselor
- Lead and offer officiant services as needed for weddings, celebrations of life, blessings, bedside visits, and other community pastoral events
Support and collaborates with divisional administrative team as needed
Communication
- Communicates effectively with families, students, and colleagues
- Communicates student progress in a timely and thorough manner
- Demonstrates effective written and oral communication skills
Professional Responsibility
- Support the mission and values of the school
- Support the programs and priorities of the department, division, and school
- Establish and maintain positive working relationships with faculty, students, and parents
- Maintain confidentiality
- Demonstrate professional behavior that enhances and inspires those around them.
- Seek and develop opportunities for professional growth
- Attend and participate in required meetings, school events, and committee work
- Perform duties as required/requested
Teaching and Learning
- Demonstrate proficiency in religion as an academic area of study
- Motivate students to engage in the learning process, developing their self-knowledge as a learner
- Design and implement effective instruction for a variety of learners using a MBE framework
- Develop lessons that create a sense of belonging, with diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice integrated throughout
- Understand and use assessment to promote student growth and learning
Education and/or Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree (Master's preferred)
- Episcopalian required. Open to lay or ordained candidates
- Previous teaching experience recommended
COMPETENCIES:
- Commitment to Episcopal identity, interfaith ethos, and diversity, equity, and inclusion as an embodiment of all we do
- Compassionate and jovial presence, communicating clear care and commitment to students, families, and faculty
- Demonstrated leadership in worship, classroom, and school environments
Collaborator at heart, knowing that teamwork and synthesis of ideas deepens all we do
To apply
Submit a letter of interest, resume, and two letters of reference to employment@breckschool.org.
