Professional Chaplain Organizations
Resources
Professional Chaplain Organizations
The Office of Chaplains recommends professional organizations that can assist chaplains and chaplain candidates in formation, professional development, credentialing awareness, and readiness for specialized ministry.
Pax et Bonum
The Value of Professional Organizations
Professional chaplain organizations can provide important support for those preparing for or serving in chaplaincy. They help clergy and candidates deepen their understanding of chaplaincy standards, strengthen pastoral practice, and pursue further training appropriate to the settings in which they serve.
For those discerning chaplaincy within Old Catholic Churches International, these organizations may also serve as useful points of reference for formation, continuing education, and professional development alongside the Church’s own guidance and endorsement process.
Approved and Recommended Organizations
ACPE
Association of Clinical Pastoral Education. Publicly referenced by the Office of Chaplains as a key organization connected to chaplain preparation and formation.
APC
Association of Professional Chaplains. Publicly identified among the professional organizations recommended for chaplains and chaplain candidates.
CPSP
College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy. Publicly referenced in the chaplaincy materials as part of the wider professional landscape relevant to chaplain formation.
SCA
Spiritual Care Association. Publicly referenced by the Office of Chaplains among organizations relevant to chaplain development and professional support.
Formation and Readiness
These organizations may assist candidates in understanding standards, expectations, and the professional shape of chaplaincy in institutional and healthcare settings.
Professional Comradeship
The public chaplaincy resources also emphasize the value of education, experience, and professional comradeship in sustaining chaplains in their ministry.
How These Organizations Support Chaplaincy
Professional organizations do not replace the Church’s discernment or endorsement, but they can help chaplains grow in competence, discipline, and awareness of the environments in which they may serve. Their value is often found in training opportunities, formation pathways, networking, standards of practice, and continuing development.
For those interested in healthcare chaplaincy and related fields, these organizations may be especially useful in clarifying the professional expectations often associated with institutional ministry.
The Office of Chaplains recommends these resources so that clergy and candidates may be better prepared for the pastoral, institutional, and professional demands of chaplaincy.
Relationship to Endorsement and Formation
The Church’s process of ecclesiastical endorsement remains central for OCCI chaplain candidates. Professional organizations should therefore be understood as supportive resources that complement, rather than replace, ecclesial formation and oversight.
Candidates are best served when they attend both to the Church’s standards for endorsement and to the practical and professional preparation that chaplaincy may require in specialized settings.
- Review the Church’s endorsement materials carefully
- Consider what kind of chaplaincy setting you are pursuing
- Identify appropriate training and formation resources
- Use recommended organizations to deepen professional readiness
- Remain in contact with the Office of Chaplains as you proceed
Continue Exploring
To understand how these professional organizations fit within the larger work of chaplaincy, continue into the endorsement and formation materials provided by the Office of Chaplains.
Contact Information
If you have questions about professional organizations, endorsement, or chaplain formation, the Office of Chaplains is available to assist you.
Office of Chaplains
Email: chaplaincy@myocci.org