Membership & Ordination Requirements

All of our members are ordained chaplains and have legal recognition outside the church as members of the Clergy. Chaplains provide pastoral services in secular settings but are not Pastors/Elders in the church sense. Requirements for ordination are described below. Credentialing beyond "Basic Ordained Chaplain" has additional requirements, education, and expectations as described. 


We partner with CPEI and ICPT for Clinical Pastoral Education. See our CPE section on the website by clicking here. 


Basic ordained chaplain

protestant christian

Our Chaplains are ordained clergy, a religious ministry professional. To qualify you must meet each of the following requirements. For vocational endorsement you must meet education and credential requirements:

  • Must be a member in good standing of an Evangelical Biblical Protestant Christian Church. Your church must be doctrinally conservative, committed to scripture, and in agreement with our statement of faith. 
  • Must be recommended by your pastor.
  • Must be recommended by a personal reference who has known you at least 3 years.
  • Must submit to a background check.
  • Must agree completely with our Statement of Faith.
  • Must agree with our Vision and Mission statements.
  • Must complete “The Basics of Chaplaincy” at The Chaplains Academy
  • Must complete "Christian Counseling for Grief" at The Chaplains Academy.
  • Must pass an interview with our Executive Director.
  • Must sign and adhere to our Code of Conduct and Ethics.
  • Must have a high school diploma or higher.
  • Must obtain 20 hours of continuing education annually.
  • Every year you will complete a short form to verify your CE, personal information, and adherence to Code of Conduct. 


Violation of the Code of Conduct can result in disciplinary action including termination of your credential.