Clinical Pastoral Education - CPE

(Supervised Clinical Ministry)
 

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is an education experience available to all students by applying to and being accepted by an accredited CPE program. CPE or an equivalent is an ordination requirement for students seeking to be ordained in the ELCA.

ELCA standards for CPE

The programmatic standards for an approved CPE program include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. A specified period of not less than 400 hours, including supervised clinical practice in ministry, structured group, and individual study and reflection.
    
2. Active reporting and evaluation of one's practice of ministry, utilizing a small peer group and individual supervision.
    
3. Supervision by an individual who is appropriately trained, qualified and credentialed by Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc.
    
4. An inductive, experiential mode of learning that uses the clinical/case method and focuses on one's whole person in the practice of ministry.
    
5. Growth in learning the art of pastoral and spiritual care through conceptual models from theology, ethics, and the behavioral sciences.
    
6. A context of interpersonal ministry which includes potential for involvement in pastoral care, social justice ministry, worship and music, preaching, program management, teaching, etc.

Get an early start

Students do well to begin planning for participation in a CPE program (or equivalent Supervised Clinical Ministry experience) early in their theological education program.

Candidates are encouraged to complete this unit before candidacy endorsement and are expected to meet this requirement prior to internship. A candidate must complete the CPE requirement prior to the approval interview. Please communicate with your candidacy committee to determine their expectations for timing of CPE.

 To obtain list of approved centers and application forms, visit the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education web site, and their brochure page in particular: www.acpe.edu/brochure.htm.

When application forms are completed they should be sent directly to the Centers to which a student wishes to apply. Applications may be sent to more than one Center at a time.

• Current ACPE Directory

Getting credit for your CPE

After you have made arrangements to do your CPE experience, you must register for the CPE course, either as a summer unit or as an extended unit.

At the conclusion of your CPE experience, you will need to turn in to the Contextual Learning office both your supervisor's evaluation of you and your own self-evaluation. These will be read by the director of Contextual Learning, and a letter will be sent to the Registrar that you have completed the requirement. The registrar then marks your student record, giving you credit for completion.