Pastoral Practitioner

Permanent Part-time (4 days per week) | Singleton, NSW

Walk alongside people, stories and community — every day

Join Uniting’s dedicated Pastoral Care Team and play a deeply relational role supporting residents, families and staff at Uniting Singleton. This permanent part-time opportunity offers meaningful work, strong professional support, and ongoing professional, personal and spiritual development.

About the role

This role sits within Uniting’s Mission team and provides compassionate, person-centred pastoral care across our Singleton community.

At Uniting Singleton, pastoral care is deeply personal. You will support a close-knit community of around 85 residents across Elizabeth Gates and Alroy House, including a Memory Secure Unit. This is a role where you will be known by name, build genuine relationships over time, and have the space to offer thoughtful, unhurried pastoral presence across four days per week.

Structured in line with Uniting’s pastoral care model of one full-time pastoral practitioner per 100 residents, this role is designed to prioritise presence, connection and continuity of care.

“This is the kind of role where presence matters — taking time to listen, to sit, to remember names and stories, and to walk alongside people with compassion, dignity and respect.”

Guided by Uniting’s values, you will provide spiritual and emotional support that is culturally relevant, age-appropriate and responsive to diverse beliefs, life experiences and needs.

About Uniting

At Uniting, we take real steps to make the world a better place. As the community services arm of the Uniting Church in Australia, we support people across aged care, disability, child and family services, community services, Chaplaincy and Pastoral Practice.

We are deeply committed to social justice and advocacy, walking alongside people experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage. Everything we do is centred on the people we serve — their dignity, hopes and everyday lives.

Key responsibilities

As a Pastoral Practitioner, you will:

Provide meaningful pastoral and spiritual care to residents across Elizabeth Gates and Alroy HouseBuild strong, respectful and nurturing relationships with residents, families, staff and volunteersSupport people from diverse cultural, spiritual and faith backgrounds, including those living with dementiaContribute to the effectiveness and collegial culture of the Pastoral Care teamMaintain appropriate, accurate and timely documentation and reportingCommit to ongoing professional, personal and spiritual development

What you’ll bring

Qualifications

One or more units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) or equivalentRelevant pastoral or theological study

Experience and capabilities

Experience working within a large, complex church or not-for-profit organisationStrong understanding of pastoral and spiritual care in aged care or community settingsDemonstrated empathy and a genuine affinity with older people and those experiencing vulnerabilityClear understanding of the distinction between religion and spiritualityFoundational knowledge of multiple faith traditions, including Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and SikhismHighly developed interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills, with sound computer literacyA demonstrated commitment to social justice and making a positive difference in people’s lives

Desirable

Graduate qualification in a relevant discipline

Why join Uniting?

A part-time role that allows time, presence and depth of connectionBe part of a values-led organisation with a strong social justice missionOngoing supervision and spiritual developmentA supportive, collegial pastoral care communityThe opportunity to make a genuine difference in a close-knit regional setting

For all recruitment enquiries, please email Louise Massie at mmassie@uniting.org

For all Chaplaincy enquiries, please email Jennifer Johnston at JJohnston@uniting.org

Uniting NSW.ACT contributes to the work and mission of the Uniting Church in NSW and the ACT through social justice advocacy, community services and spiritual care. We provide care and support for people through all ages and stages of life, with a focus on people experiencing disadvantage and vulnerability. Our purpose is to inspire people, enliven communities and confront injustice. 

Uniting is a Child Safe Organisation committed to promoting the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of children and young people. 

Empowered by diversity 
At Uniting, inclusion isn’t just something we value – it’s how we work. Our culture and practice reflect the vibrant diversity of our colleagues, and the clients and communities we serve.