ACPE Program

We would like to welcome you to the opportunity of learning about what we have done and are doing in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) here at Baptist Health System. As we reflect upon the evolution of our ACPE program at BHS, the breadth of service and education we provide, our system-wide integration with Baptist Medical Center, Mission Trail Baptist Hospital, North Central Baptist Hospital, Northeast Baptist Hospital and St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital, we believe we offer truly exceptional opportunities for Clinical Pastoral Education and Supervisory Education.

The Clinical Pastoral Education Program at Baptist Health System functions as an element of the Division of Mission and Ministry. The Association of Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc. (ACPE) trains professionals and lay persons for ministry in hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, mental health centers, congregations and in other specialized settings. Through CPE, you'll develop skills and understanding to serve people at crossroads in their lives. Some are dealing with serious illnesses; some are aging or facing new challenges; others are dealing with death.

Our ACPE history has evolved to offer both impressive service in our clinical areas and education for students. From its beginning in 1961 as part of the Pastoral Care Department, the CPE program currently includes two ACPE Supervisors, one Supervisory Education Student position, six stipended Residents, six Summer Interns, and six Extended Interns.

Our ACPE Professional Advisory Group (PAG) provides strong support, consultation, and advocacy from our culturally diverse community and institution that insures continued accountability and visionary leadership. The CPE students, whether residents, extended unit interns or summer interns, work closely with our faculty, Baptist Health System healthcare professionals, and with a rich diversity of patients.

Baptist Health System is a fully accredited ACPE center offering certified units of CPE and CPE Supervisory Education. Because of our rich diversity of learning opportunities and our outstanding faculty, our CPE program is competitive with the finest CPE programs in the United States.

Family and faith-centered pastoral care is the program’s emphasis providing students with significant growth in their pastoral/personal formation. The family-centered care has provided a natural setting for family systems theory, faith development and spiritual assessment to stimulate the students’ growth and integration. The emergence of interest in spirituality has created a positive environment where our students truly feel a part of the team.

We provide mentor relationships through the presence of not only staff chaplains but other key clinical personnel who give students needed support and encouragement as well as collegial accountability of service expectations on the respective clinical area. Because the mentors consist of those outside of the respective Pastoral Care Departments as well, we believe the level of investment and integration of our ACPE program into the lifeblood of our Baptist Health System is certainly present. This is a definitive strength in professional development and pastoral formation, and provides a strong basis for Supervisory Education.

Programs

• Residency Program
  
  This full-time program provides a full year of pastoral care training with an emphasis on ministry formation, pastoral visitation, crisis counseling, bio-ethics training, and specialized areas of ministry. The program begins in early September and ends the following September. For those called to parish ministry, our residency provides instruction about congregations as systems and preaching as pastoral encounters. Parish-bound students gain insight about ecumenical relationships and societal forces impacting their churches. Also graduates receive the necessary training to be certified as chaplains by the Association of Professional Chaplains.
  
  
• Summer CPE
  
  This is a full-time program for seminarians, pastors and other professionals in ministry who meet the requirements for CPE. The program begins in early June and ends in August. Students completing the summer program receive credit for one unit of CPE.
  
  
• Extended CPE
  
  Extended units are designed for pastors and retired clergy who seek continuing education. Also, qualified laypersons may enroll in extended CPE to equip themselves for hospital ministry. This part-time program runs for 24-30 weeks. It meets one morning a week for seminars and supervision. Students in Extended CPE do on-call duty averaging 12 hours per week, four hours of which are spent in the clinical setting. The program begins in August and ends in January. This program enables participants to achieve the goals of CPE while maintaining their employment.
  
  
• Supervisory CPE
  
  This program is for persons who have demonstrated clinical ministry skills and show potential to be a pastoral educator. Persons in this program learn the art and skills of clinical ministry (CPE) supervision.