Chaplaincy is a growing field of ministry where trained practitioners bring and demonstrate the gospel through the provision of pastoral care in a many settings outside the parish church including hospitals, schools, prisons; to the emergency services, sporting teams and other institutions and groups. 

The availability of Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care services in Victoria is being developed in several of these areas through increased Government funding – allowing opportunities for chaplains to work professionally in some of these areas. 

These roles are suitable for both men and women though it should be noted that the majority of positions currently advertised are often of a part-time nature.Chaplaincy positions generally require qualifications in a combination of fields: Theology, Pastoral Care, Education, Social Work and Counselling. Generally at least two of these are considered mandatory.   Current training pathways for specific chaplaincy ministries that can be facilitated through existing course structures at the PTC are:

Medical Chaplaincy

Theological Qualifications (Degree/Graduate Diploma/MDiv)

2 units (minimum) of Clinical Pastoral Education. 

These two units are available through an external provider: The Association for Supervised Pastoral Education in Australia (ASPEA). One unit of CPE generally involves group work, reflective writing, and a supervised  minimum of 100-200 hours face to face ministry in varied hospital settings or an agreed ministry placement. The units are generally undertaken at CPE centres in a range of larger metropolitan and should not generally be undertaken in conjunction with other studies). One unit of CPE (PC436/636) can currently be taken for credit in Degree and Grad Dip/MDiv programs at PTC. Helpful websites:  ASPEA www.aspea.org.au and Health Care Chaplaincy Council of Victoria www.hccvi.org.au

Schools Chaplaincy

Theological Qualifications (Degree/Graduate Diploma/MDiv)

1 Unit (minimum) of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE). 

Completion of the subject Chaplaincy in Educational Settings. This subject is sponsored by ACCESS Ministries and is provided by consortium of various colleges including PTC in 1st Semester each year. Chaplaincy in Educational Settings (DM414/614) can be taken for credit as part of Degree and Graduate Diploma/MDiv programs offered at PTC. A brochure is available from the PTC office. Helpful Website: ACCESS Ministries: www.accessministries.org.au 

Integrated Chaplaincy Training (ICT)

The HCCC encourages all ministers and candidates to consider undertaking chaplaincy training as part of their overall training in gospel ministry. The ICT course is also suitable for other students with an interest in chaplaincy or pastoral ministry that connects to the local community. It is designed to give students exposure to several different contexts for chaplaincy work (e.g. sports, critical incidents, schools) whilst studying the theory related to such practice. ICT is a full semester unit of 120 hours in total including a field education placement and a lecture one night per week at a different chaplaincy location. The course is co-ordinated by Dr. David Wilson (0414 862 922 ). One unit of ICT (PC444/644) can be taken for credit as part of Degree/Graduate Diploma/MDiv programs offered at PTC through the ACT. A detailed brochure about the ICT course is available on request from the college.