ADVENTIST CHAPLAINCY MINISTRIES
AN OVERVIEW OF ACM ECCLESIASTICAL ENDORESEMENT POLICIES
Revised November 2002

ECCLESIASTICAL ENDORSEMENT DEFINED

Ecclesiastical endorsement is the Church's affirmation that a person in chaplaincy or a related ministry is performing a valid ministry of the Church, and has presented evidence of calling and training for that ministry. It signifies that the candidate:

1. Is a minister or member in regular standing in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
2. Has completed appropriate training for the specialized ministry and has an appropriate pastoral background.
3. Is placed or is seeking placement in an approved ministry setting.
4. Will maintain accountability with the Church.

THE NEED FOR ECCLESIASTICAL ENDORSEMENT

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is committed to placing only qualified persons in the fields of chaplaincy and its related ministries, and has instituted Ecclesiastical Endorsement Policies for the North American Division. Several reasons illustrate the need for these policies. Ecclesiastical endorsement is:

• Required by virtually all government or public agencies that hire chaplains.
• Required by most private organizations that hire chaplains.
• Required or strongly recommended by most institutional accrediting bodies.
• Required for membership and certification in virtually all professional associations.
• Required by church policy as a prerequisite for chaplains to receive ministerial credentials
• Needed for ACM to effectively represent chaplains in dealing with placement, church policy issues and other matters.
• A demonstration of the chaplain's commitment to professional competence and accountability to the mission of the Church.

MINISTRIES FOR WHICH ECCLESIASTICAL ENDORSEMENT IS ISSUED

Ecclesiastical endorsement is issued only to individuals who qualify for appropriate ministerial credentials and to selected qualified lay persons who are serving in correctional, educational, healthcare, military and other settings.

CATEGORIES AND REQUIREMENTS OF ECCLESIASTICAL
ENDORSEMENT FOR CHAPLAINCY

All candidates for endorsement must satisfactorily complete the application and evaluation process. Applicants must be members in regular standing in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Five categories of endorsement for chaplaincy are issued by Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries:

Category 1 - Chaplain Assistant. Selected lay persons who are employed by an organization to provide regularly scheduled spiritual care services that are a part of that organization's chaplaincy program. It is recognition of a supporting role with supervision and accountability, rather than that of an independent practitioner. Requirements are:

• Member in regular standing and active in the life of a local Seventh-day Adventist Church with evidence of significant involvement in the helping ministries.
• Satisfactory completion of a recognized lay training program in the helping ministries.
• An accredited bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• One unit of Clinical Pastoral Education or equivalent training.
• Must meet all requirements of the organization where they wish to serve.

Category 2 - Chaplain Candidate. Full- time students in an accredited theological seminary who are doing chaplaincy training in a program such as the military chaplaincy candidate program. Requirements are:

• Current enrollment in an accredited Master of Divinity degree program.
• Must meet all requirements of the organization for which they need endorsement.

Category 3 - Volunteer Chaplain. Clergy who, as an extension of their regular pastoral duties, serve in organized volunteer chaplaincy programs. Requirements are:

• Regular standing as an employed or retired Seventh-day Adventist pastor with an appropriate ministerial commission/license/credential.
• At least two years of satisfactory pastoral experience.
• A bachelor's degree in theological/pastoral education and/or other theological education according to the requirements of the organization.
• Must meet all other requirements of the organization.

Category 4 - Associate Chaplain. The minimum level of endorsement for practicing chaplains. Persons who receive this endorsement need to recognize, however, that they may still not qualify for employment with certain organizations or be able to receive certification from various professional associations. Furthermore, ACM will not endorse a person who is seeking a position for which a higher level of preparation is required. For this reason applicants are strongly encouraged to look upon this endorsement level as temporary and to take additional training in order to advance to the full Chaplain endorsement. Requirements are:

• Regular standing as a minister in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, with current ministerial commission/license/credential or eligibility to receive it.
• A bachelor's degree from an accredited educational institution.
• A minimum of 48 semester hours (or 72 quarter credits) of graduate theological education from an accredited educational institution. Such graduate training will include a master's degree, or equivalent, considered appropriate for ministerial training by the ACM Committee. Candidates may document an equivalency for portions of the graduate education requirements according to the standards of the Association of Professional Chaplains.
• Candidates for healthcare endorsement must have at least two units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) taken in an accredited or recognized program. Other candidates may have to meet CPE requirements, depending on their employer's criteria.
• At least four years of successful pastoral experience.

Though ACM does not endorse persons for chaplaincy with less than the above qualifications, it recognizes that some currently employed chaplains with less education may be providing acceptable ministry. In such cases the chaplains may either be grand fathered into this level of endorsement if they are close to retirement, or receive endorsement provisionally, providing time to take additional training.

Category 5 - Chaplain. The standard ecclesiastical endorsement for chaplaincy. Requirements are:

• Regular standing as a minister in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, with current ministerial commission/license/credential or eligibility to receive it.
• A bachelor's degree from an accredited educational institution.
• The minimum of a Master of Divinity degree from an accredited educational institution. Candidates may document an equivalency according to the standards of the Association of Professional Chaplains or the respective Chaplain Corps of the armed forces.
• Candidates for healthcare endorsement must have at least four units of Clinical Pastoral Education taken in an accredited or recognized program.
• At least two years of successful pastoral experience.

CATEGORIES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR ECCLESIASTICAL ENDORSEMENT FOR MINISTRIES RELATED TO CHAPLAINCY

Endorsement for the specialized ministerial disciplines of pastoral counseling and spiritual direction may be issued in cases where the applicant is qualified and is engaging in that specialty as part of an ongoing professional practice or organized program. The person must also be functioning with a clear pastoral identity and not just as a generic counselor or therapist. In addition, the local conference must be supportive of this ministry and willing to issue appropriate ministerial credentials. Applicants must meet all Category 5 - Chaplain requirements, as well as the additional requirements below:

• Spiritual Director
• The applicant must qualify as a practicing spiritual director, which requires training and certification from a recognized spiritual formation training program.

• Pastoral Counselor
• The applicant must qualify as a professional counselor, which includes an appropriate graduate degree and supervised practica in counseling, marriage and family therapy, etc.
• Certification from a recognized national association, such as the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, etc.
• State licensing where available and required.

LENGTH AND CONDITIONS OF ECCLESIASTICAL ENDORSEMENT

The ACM endorsement term is concurrent with the General Conference quinquenium. Though individual endorsements may begin at different times, all must be renewed at the end of the five-year period. The only exception is that endorsements voted in the last year of the quinquennium will be issued through the end of the quinquennial period.

Continuation of endorsement is dependent upon the filing of annual reports with ACM. The report form will be mailed to each chaplain near the end of each year and must be returned to ACM by the following February 28th. The report form sent during the quinquennial year will include an added section for requesting re-endorsement for the following term. Conditions of continued endorsement include the following:

• Maintenance of regular standing as a member or clergy in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
• Meeting any conditions of provisional or time-limited endorsement.
• Submission of satisfactory annual reports to the ACM office.
• Documentation of ministerial continuing education, as per the following schedule:

CONDITIONS PLACED ON ECCLESIASTICAL ENDORSEMENTS

At the discretion of the ACM Committee certain conditions may be placed on endorsements, either individually or in combination. These include:

• Provisional. In cases where an applicant has most of the necessary qualifications, but is lacking in some area, ACM will require the submission of a workable plan to make up such deficits and will monitor the situation over time.
• Time-limited. In cases where the candidate is qualified, but is not yet employed, an endorsement can be issued for a specified period of time to facilitate the job search, and then be extended to full term later as needed.
• Localized. When endorsement is voted for a specific location or employer only.
• Probation. When a chaplain has violated a condition of endorsement or church policy, and a period of time is needed to resolve the issue in question. The endorsement remains effective and will be reevaluated after a specified period of time.
• Revocation. When a chaplain has violated a condition of endorsement or church policy and it is necessary to cancel and withdraw the endorsement. In the event of revocation ACM will report such action to individuals or organizations who have required ecclesiastical endorsement for the purpose of employment, licensing and certification. If the matter impacts the chaplain's ability to hold ministerial credentials, ACM will also notify the appropriate church organization.

AUTHORITY IN THE ENDORSING PROCESS

Endorsements can be issued, withdrawn or amended only upon vote of the ACM Committee. In certain circumstances, however, authority is granted to the director and/or associate director to administer certain aspects of the process. These circumstances include:

• Endorsement in Process Letter. When an applicant faces a close deadline for documenting endorsement in order to qualify for a job, professional certification, etc., a letter may be sent to the appropriate person or organization. The letter will verify that endorsement is in process and provide a status report.
• Extension of Endorsement Letter. When a currently endorsed candidate needs extension of endorsement to another field for purposes of a job search, a letter of extension of endorsement may be issued. The candidate must be qualified for the field of extension, and such action will be reported and recorded in the minutes of the next ACM Committee meeting.
• Letter of Concern. When a chaplain has violated a condition of endorsement, a letter of concern will be sent to the endorsee. The matter will then be discussed at a subsequent ACM Committee meeting. Only the ACM Committee can impose disciplinary or remedial actions on endorsees.

DOCUMENTING EDUCATIONAL AND FIELD EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR ENDORSEMENT

Candidates for endorsement must document their educational qualifications according to the following requirements:

• Academic Education.
  • Undergraduate and graduate programs must be from an educational institution that is accredited by an agency recognized by either the Council for Higher Education Accreditation or the United States Department of Education.
  • Applicants may document equivalencies for graduate theological education according to the standards of the Association of Professional Chaplains or the respective Chaplain Corps of the armed forces.
  • Degrees or educational credits earned abroad must meet recognized international educational standards and be deemed an equivalent to similar training in North America. If there are questions about the educational program the candidate may be asked to have his/her transcripts evaluated, at personal expense, by an educational credential evaluating agency recommended by ACM.

• Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and Other Clinical Training.
  • For training within North America ACM accepts CPE programs offered under the auspices of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education, the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy and the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. Chaplains who took their CPE outside of North America will need to document their training according to the standards of the Association of Professional Chaplains.
• Other supervised, clinically-oriented pastoral training may be accepted for up to half of the CPE requirement, provided that they meet the equivalency criteria used by the Association of Professional Chaplains.

• Alternative Pastoral Field Experience.
  • Some applicants come to ACM without the normative pastoral background. If the person is otherwise qualified, he or she may identify alternative field experiences that may have achieved pastoral formation and development. On a case-by-case basis ACM may accept clinical pastoral education residencies, or periods of time where the candidate served as a pastoral associate. Such service is often part-time, nevertheless it may be substantive if it involved pastoral work over a sustained period of time under the supervision of a qualified pastor and the conference ministerial director, with regular pastoral reflection and supervision.

ECCLESIASTICAL ENDORSEMENT AND MINISTERIAL CREDENTIALS

Ministerial credentials authorize a candidate to perform the basic functions of the pastoral office and are issued by the Secretariat of a local or union conference within whose territory the chaplain works or will work. Endorsement from ACM builds on that foundation and certifies that the candidate is also prepared for specialized ministry. Issues relating to ministerial credentialing often arise when dealing with endorsement. NAD policy D 10 67 states that endorsed Adventist chaplains will usually receive their credentials from the conference within whose territory they work. ACM follows these policies and practices:

• Employment Within the Church Organization. In the case of persons employed in Seventh-day Adventist organizations, it is the usual practice for the administration or human resources department in that organization to request an appropriate ministerial credential from the conference. ACM will assist in this process as needed.
• Employment Outside the Church Organization. In the case of chaplains employed in positions outside the church organization, ACM will contact the appropriate conference to recommend a ministerial commission/license/credential.
• Military-related Chaplains. Chaplains employed by the armed forces will receive their credentials from the North American Division, due to their mobility.
• Chaplains Subject to Intra-Union Movement. In some cases where a chaplain works, or may be moved, across conference lines within a union, or may be employed by a union institution, the union may issue the credentials.
• Dual-track "Internship." ACM counsels that the best route into chaplaincy is to have some parish experience prior to specialized training and ministry. In some cases this might not be possible. This includes individuals who are making a mid-life career change, competent seminary graduates not hired by a conference and so on. To facilitate entry into ministry and appropriate ministerial standing for these persons, ACM may utilize the following process.

Applicants must meet all educational requirements for ecclesiastical endorsement, and have at least one year of valid and successful supervised ministry experience. Individuals who are otherwise qualified and are able to find a job in chaplaincy, will begin their work and, at the same time, maintain an "intern-like" relationship with the local conference for a specified period of time. ACM and the applicant will work with the conference to obtain ministerial commission/license/credential for his/her ministry. The chaplain will then function part-time as a volunteer assistant pastor in a local church. Such ministry will be under the supervision of the pastor and the conference ministerial director, and the work load must be reasonable since the chaplain already has a full-time job in ministry. The individual's ministry will be observed and evaluated by the conference and ACM as he or she progresses toward ordination or appropriate commissioning.

Voted by North American Division Committee at the year end meetings, Fall of 2002