Chaplain
As a part-time Chaplain in the Army, you’ll remain a member of your faith group and be commissioned as a Specialist Service Officer responsible for the spiritual, religious and pastoral support to all ADF members and their families, in a range of peacetime and operational environments.
If you’re looking for a rewarding way to make a difference outside the everyday, while earning tax-free pay and working as part of a close-knit team, this is an exciting opportunity that can work around your lifestyle.
What you'll do
You’ll provide religious ministry or support to ADF members and their families. You’ll be required to provide for your own, facilitate for others and care for all. As such, there’s some similarity with civilian religious practitioners in the delivery of spiritual guidance, liturgical and sacramental rites.
You’ll also provide spiritual support and pastoral care to all members of the Army, regardless of faith or non-faith perspectives held by ADF members. You’ll be part of a unified, multi-faith team providing leadership in the practice of faith, spiritual and religious observance and ceremony.
As an Army Officer, you’ll remain an active member of your endorsing faith group, meaning you’re governed by 2 disparate yet culturally sympathetic entities. This is a great opportunity to challenge yourself and work in exciting new environments, without compromising your current career goals. You’ll feel proud knowing your work makes a difference.
Your duties as a chaplain can be divided into 5 primary functions.
- Spiritual ministry or support – promote spiritual wellbeing for all Army members through personal contact, guiding and empowering individuals. You’ll also conduct military services and ceremonies.
- Religious ministry or support – facilitate opportunities for Army members to practice and participate in their chosen religion in a manner they’re familiar with, both in peace and war. This support extends beyond Army members to include their recognised spouses and children in peacetime.
- Pastoral care – visit members in their workplace, accompany them on exercises and go with them into operations. You’ll walk with and support Army members through anxiety, fear, stress, moral dilemmas, guilt, fatigue, boredom and loneliness.
- Provision of advice – as a member of the Commander’s personnel support team, you’ll be in a unique position to exercise independent judgement. You’ll provide advice to commanders on matters relating to spiritual, religious and pastoral wellbeing, as well as personal morality, ethics character formation and morale.
- Character formation and development – you’ll share a functional responsibility for the development and delivery of character and pastoral education programs to encourage spiritual formation of individuals and develop interpersonal skills to motivate responsible moral judgements and behaviour.
Opportunities for progression and upskilling continue throughout your career as an officer. As you progress, the Army will provide you with leadership, management, and specialist skills training to develop your ability to effectively manage your teams. You’ll also be provided with training opportunities to further develop your role-related expertise. This world-class training will strengthen your skillset and enable you to become an influential leader in the Army.
The Army recognises 2 chaplain ranks: Chaplain and Principal Chaplain. For the purpose of appointment, salary, entitlements, function and technical chain of control, you’ll be awarded an honorary rank equivalency. The Chaplain Divisions (rank equivalencies) are:
- Chaplain Division 1 – Captain equivalent
- Chaplain Division 2 – Major equivalent
- Chaplain Division 3 – Lieutenant Colonel equivalent
- Chaplain Division 4 – Colonel equivalent
- Principal Chaplain Division 5 – Brigadier equivalent.
The Army Reserve has units located all across Australia and offers you the flexibility to serve where you live. There are training locations in cities, small towns and regional areas. Even if there isn’t a unit close to you there may be other ways to serve. You’ll have a Careers Coach who you can ask about your options.
Chaplains are appointed to all levels of the Army structure to ensure appropriate advice and support is available to Commanders. Senior Chaplains are appointed to functional commands and higher headquarters. Coordinating Chaplains are appointed to coordinate the activities of chaplains across a brigade or formation.
We look after the men and women of the Australian Defence Force.
Requirements and training
You must be an Australian citizen to serve in the ADF. However, Australian permanent residents may be eligible. For more details, visit the "Citizenship" tab on the Eligibility Requirements page.
You can apply for a role in the ADF from 16.5 years of age and must be at least 17 to join. For Reserve service, the maximum age to apply is 60 years, with a Compulsory Retirement Age (CRA) of 65. Candidates who wish to enlist into the Reserves beyond the age of 61 years will need further assessment to ensure they can complete all pre-requisite training in their chosen field prior to reaching CRA.
You don’t need a driver’s licence for this role but if you have one, it can’t be suspended or cancelled.
All ADF members require a security clearance. As an ADF member, you’ll need to obtain the appropriate level of security clearance for your role. You’ll need a collection of relevant information including background checks and/or interviews so the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) can make an informed assessment to ensure the protection of Government resources and information. Your Careers Coach will explain what level of clearance is required for the career you are considering.
For more information or to learn about how security clearance will apply to you, view the eligibility requirements page.
To be appointed to the Royal Australian Army Chaplain Department (RAAChD) you’ll need to meet the following requirements.
- Be from an endorsed denomination or faith group represented within the current religious diversity of Army personnel. See below for a list of approved faith groups.
- Provide documented evidence of a minimum of 3 years theological, ministry, or faith group endorsed bachelor level degree.
- Provide documented evidence of ordination or faith group equivalent.
- Provide documented evidence that your faith group endorses you as a religious leader and you have invested authority to represent your faith group in Army. Examples include ordination, accreditation or faith group equivalent.
- Have at least 2 years pastoral ministry experience following completion of faith group endorsed bachelor’s degree and post-ordination.
- Have documented endorsement and approval from your faith group, at the national level, that you are in good standing with your faith group and a suitable representative for Army chaplaincy.
- Be deemed suitable by the Director General Chaplaincy - Army and be endorsed by the appropriate member of the Religious Advisory Committee to the Services (RACS).
Approved denomination groups are currently:
- Anglican Church
- Australian Christian Churches
- Australian Baptist Ministries
- Buddhism
- Catholic Church
- Churches of Christ
- Council of Australian Jewry
- Hindu Council of Australia
- Islamic Council of Australia
- Lutheran Church of Australia
- Presbyterian Church
- Salvation Army
- Seventh-day Adventist Church
- Sikh Council of Australia
- Uniting Church.
To join the ADF, you must be healthy and physically fit. This is partially assessed from the completion of an extensive questionnaire covering your medical history, followed by a physical examination.
You’ll also be required to successfully pass a physical fitness assessment.
Male
- Push-ups: 8
- Sit-ups: 20
- Beep Test: 6.1.
Female
- Push-ups: 4
- Sit-ups: 20
- Beep Test: 6.1.
For further details on medical and physical fitness standards, refer to physical fitness standards for entry into the ADF and medical process for entry into the ADF.
There is no minimum number of years required in the ADF Reserve as service is voluntary. You can volunteer until the Defence Reserve retirement age of 65, subject to the requirements and your suitability for further service.
Reserve service is flexible and can fit around your family, life and work responsibilities. In your first year, you can choose to serve between a minimum of 20 and up to 150 days, which includes Initial Employment and Military Training. After that, you can choose to serve 20 to 150 days each year, with the potential to extend to 200 days. On training completion, you can serve from as little as one night a week, one weekend a month, or in consecutive weeks - in a way that suits your lifestyle.
Course: Specialist Service Officer First Appointment Course (SSO FAC)
Duration: 25 days
Location: Royal Military College – Duntroon, Canberra, ACT
You’ll learn fundamental knowledge of:
- leadership and military justice
- weapons handling
- command and control
- unit and personnel administration
- basic military skills
- the ideals of officer behaviour
- attitudes necessary for future employment.
This course is delivered in 2 parts for both full-time and part-time (Reserve) Officers.
- Part 1 – 10 days
- Part 2 – 15 days.
Course: ADF Support Chaplaincy Course
Duration: 4 weeks
Location: Defence Force Chaplaincy College (DFCC), Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), Canberra, ACT
This course is structured as a distance learning and residential course that consists of 4 parts.
Part 1 Introduction to Defence Chaplaincy (5-day equivalent ‘on the job’ over a 6-month period) – includes conducting or facilitating religious and secular observances/activities and effective administration and management.
Part 2 Pastoral Policy and Advocacy (one week at DFCC) – prepares you to provide support networks, pastoral care support and maintain pastoral care records.
Part 3 Character, Ethics and Morality (one week at DFCC) – prepares you to provide timely and accurate advice on character development, personal morality, ethics, military ethical decision making and to develop and deliver educational programs.
Part 4 Pastoral Counselling, Mental Health Literacy and Wellbeing (2 weeks at DFCC) – prepares you for mental health research, pastoral counselling, record-keeping, referral practices and the requirements for your own professional supervision, self-care and professional development.
Prior to attending the ADF Support Chaplain Course, chaplains will be required to conduct Notification Officer training and are encouraged to complete other courses when available, including:
- Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
- Moral Injury Skills Training (MIST)
- Mental Health First Aid.
Intermediate and senior levels of training are provided to you at various stages of your ADF service, to prepare you for the varying responsibilities associated with being an Army Chaplain.
- ADF Coordinating Chaplaincy Course (12 days) – this course will prepare you for employment as a Coordinating Chaplain.
- ADF Chaplain Senior Course (5 days) – this course prepares Division 3 chaplains in common service areas for advancement to senior chaplain at the Division 4 level.