Older People's Chaplain

The Role

To provide dedicated pastoral, spiritual, and missional support to older people within the church and the wider community, affirming their dignity, fostering their inclusion, and enabling their continued participation in the life of the Church. The role focuses on enabling older adults to flourish spiritually, emotionally, and socially, whether they are long‑standing members of the church, new to faith, or exploring faith later in life.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide compassionate pastoral care for older people.
• Working with the Church Leader and the Operations and Finance Manager, develop a 5‑year strategy that aligns with the Church vision and places older people’s work at the heart of the Church’s mission and ministry.
• Ensure full training in Safeguarding, and that all Safeguarding, GDPR and risk management practices underpin all of our older people’s ministry, keeping people safe.
• Monitor the strategy regularly to ensure its successful delivery, making adjustments as needed and responding to new opportunities and challenges.
• Create annual plans showing how you intend to achieve the strategy, reporting against KPIs allocated to you and the team.
• Provide sensitive and proactive pastoral care to older adults, both within the congregation and in the wider community, visiting housebound members and those in residential care, offering prayer, companionship, and practical support.
• Coordinate and train volunteers in pastoral visiting and befriending.
• Offer compassionate one‑to‑one support for older people facing isolation, bereavement, illness, or cognitive impairment.
• Underpin all of the Church’s work with older people with prayer.
• Be an active member of the team, supporting other team members and being fully flexible when needed.
• Lead worship and ministry in accessible ways.
• Plan and lead accessible services for older adults, including dementia‑friendly and home‑based worship.
• Lead services, devotionals and prayer groups specifically designed for older adults (in church, care homes, and private homes).
• Offer opportunities for spiritual growth and discipleship tailored to older people, including Bible studies and fellowship gatherings.
• Ensure older adults are integrated into the wider worshipping life of the church.
• Administer Holy Communion and other sacraments to those unable to attend church.
• Promote advocacy, inclusion, and the dignity of older adults.
• Act as a champion for the needs and contributions of older people within the church.
• Collaborate with the wider pastoral team, clergy and volunteers to shape inclusive ministry approaches.
• Identify the gifts of people within the Church family and local community who have a particular calling to older people’s work.
• Develop and support teams of volunteers to assist in the delivery of activities, visits and services for older people.
• Source and provide education and training that builds the current & future capacity and confidence for older people’s work via both staff and volunteers.
• Promote intergenerational engagement and understanding.
• Engage in mission by building community connections with older people.
• Develop creative outreach initiatives to engage isolated or vulnerable older people in Gorseinon and the surrounding areas.
• Build partnerships with local care homes, community groups, health services, and charities working with older adults.
• Work collaboratively with church and community initiatives to tackle loneliness, promote wellbeing, and provide practical support.
• Support churches in becoming more age‑inclusive and dementia‑friendly.
• Keep accurate and confidential records of pastoral encounters, referrals and activities.
• Accurately maintain records, including volunteer agreements and personal data, in line with GDPR and safeguarding policies, ensuring a culture of care and integrity.
• Keep appropriate pastoral records and ensure confidentiality is maintained.
• Work in line with the Church in Wales safeguarding policies and procedures at all times.
• Attend training and development relevant to the role.
• Manage time and resources efficiently, including any budgetary responsibilities.

Other Information

There is a genuine occupational requirement that the holder of this post is a committed Christian. Equality Act (2010) Part 1 applies. This Job Description is not a statement of all the duties applicable to the post holder, variations to the duties outlined above will occur to meet the needs of the post. Any variations will be commensurate with the grade and character of the post.