Breck School

Job Description

Title:                      Chaplain

FLSA Status:         Exempt                  

Reports to:            Head Chaplain and Division Director

Effective Date:       2/1/2021

School Overview

Breck School is a preschool through twelve, college preparatory, Episcopal day school located in Golden Valley, Minnesota. In the context of an inclusive and caring community, Breck enjoys a national reputation for excellence and achievement in academics, athletics, and the arts. Our School’s Episcopal roots are lived through the unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion where we respect the dignity of every human being and hold a firm belief in social responsibility. We are a close and caring community that focuses on lifelong learning and a commitment to the greater good.

Across the school and across constituencies there is collective focus on care for each individual student in service of excellence. A community of high-achieving and motivated students and faculty, staff, and administrators focused on intellectual inquiry, engagement, and bridging research to practice, Breck is committed to offering an exceptional school experience to our students. Upon graduation, Breck students lead lives of intellectual curiosity, self-knowledge, and social responsibility and matriculate 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 an interfaith 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 Breck community, aligning all experiences with the teaching, “There are many paths to God”

School Life Culture

• Leverages chapel and other community spaces to create an environment that promotes respect, rapport, learning, and a deep regard for one another
• Establishes meaningful relationships with students, faculty, parents, school leaders, alumni, and community members at large
• Reinforces and communicates clear and consistent expectations for learning, conduct, culture, and climate
• Thoughtfully intervenes and supports when observing student or staff behaviors are harmful or unaligned with respecting the dignity of every human being
• Provides pastoral care as appropriate and in partnership with divisional counselor
• Leads and offers officiant services as needed for weddings, celebrations of life, blessings, bedside visits, and other community pastoral events
• Supports and collaborates with divisional administrative team as needed

Professional Responsibility

• Supports the mission and values of the school
• Supports the programs and priorities of the department, division, and school
• Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with faculty, students, and parents
• Maintains confidentiality
• Demonstrates professional behavior that enhances and inspires those around them.
• Seeks and develops opportunities for professional growth
• Attends and participates in required meetings, school events, and committee work
• Performs duties as required/requested

 Planning and Instruction

• Demonstrates knowledge of and proficiency in religion as an academic area of study
• Motivates students to engage in the learning process and aligning pedagogy with mind, brain, education (MBE) practices, encouraging students to fully engage self knowledge as a learner
• Designs and implements effective instruction to engage student learning
• Plans and delivers instruction for a variety of learners using a MBE framework
• Develops lessons that consider multiple perspectives with diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice integrated throughout
• Understands and uses assessment to promote student growth and learning

Education and/or Experience:

Four-year degree required (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 letter of interest, resume and two letters of reference [email protected]