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Article II

ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP

SECTION A - Definitions

  1. The word "Minister" shall refer to a person who has been authorized by a religious endorsing body through ordination, consecration or equivalent means (as determined by the person's religious endorsing body and attested by the appropriate office of the person's religious endorsing body) to exercise specific religious leadership and service within and on behalf of the religious endorsing body which furthers its purpose and mission and which is supported by a covenant with a local religious body which will oversee his/her work in ministry.
  2. The term "Pastoral Counselor" shall refer to a minister who practices pastoral counseling at an advanced level which integrates religious resources with insights from the behavioral sciences.
  3. The term "pastoral counseling" shall refer to a process in which a pastoral counselor utilizes insights and principles derived from the disciplines of theology and the behavioral sciences in working with individuals, couples, families, groups and social systems toward the achievement of wholeness and health.

SECTION B - Professional Affilate

  1. Professional Affiliate is a general membership category for professionals in one or more of the following areas:
    1. Ministers
    2. Persons who are members of a human service profession who have an interest in the ministry of pastoral counseling, pastoral counselor training or in pastoral counseling centers, and who are duly licensed or certified by a state or province where applicable, or who are otherwise credentialed by a professional human service association.
  2. Eligible individuals will be granted membership by demonstrating upon application their ability to meet the standards of eligibility established in AAPC Bylaws and Association policy.
  3. Pastoral Counselor-In-Training is a general membership category for people actively engaged in the process of preparing for Certified Pastoral Counselor.

SECTION C - Member (Certified) [1]

  1. This category is intended to include ministers who can:
    1. Demonstrate competence to do limited, brief or supportive pastoral counseling independently, or to do in-depth pastoral counseling under direct supervision; and
    2. Integrate counseling insights into the total pastoral function.
  2. To qualify for membership at the Member (Certified) level, an applicant must:
    1. Hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college;
    2. Hold a Master of Divinity degree from a school of theology accredited by the Association of Theological Schools;
    3. Hold membership in good standing in a religious endorsing body, which certifies the applicant as a minister as defined by the Association;
    4. Hold a continuing responsible relationship to one's local religious community;
    5. Give evidence of satisfactory completion of one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education in an accredited center;
    6. Give evidence of three years as a minister, demonstrating growing maturity in one's identity and role as a professional religious leader;
    7. Give evidence of having done at least three hundred and seventy-five (375) hours of pastoral counseling and having received at least one hundred and twenty-five (125) hours of interdisciplinary supervision of that counseling dealing with the theological and psychological dimensions of human problems;
    8. Give evidence of continuing in an appropriate consultative or supervisory relationship, preferably with a Fellow or Diplomate of the Association, or with a qualified person selected in consultation with the Regional Certification Committee;
    9. Give evidence of compliance with the Code of Ethics of the Association.
    10. Be elected to membership and certified as a Member (Certified) by the Regional Certification Committee.

SECTION D - Certified Pastoral Counselor

  1. This is an apprentice category of membership intended to include persons in ministry who:
    1. Demonstrate increasing competence to do pastoral counseling under direct supervision; and
    2. Are preparing to become fully certified at the Fellow and/or Diplomate level in the Association within seven years.
  2. To qualify for membership at the Certified Pastoral Counselor level, an applicant must:
    1. Hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college.
    2. Hold a Master of Divinity degree from a school of theology accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, or hold a Masters or Doctoral level degree in either theological or biblical studies, or a Master's or Doctoral level degree in Pastoral Counseling.
    3. Hold membership in good standing in a recognized religious endorsing body which certifies the applicant as a minister as defined by the Association.
    4. Hold a continuing responsible relationship to one's local religious community.
    5. Give evidence of satisfactory completion of a supervised self-reflective pastoral experience, the most common of which is a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education.
    6. Give evidence of three years as a minister, demonstrating growing maturity in one's identity and role(s) as a professional religious leader; for those not ordained or not seeking ordination, document three years of specifically religious leadership recognized and affirmed by a religious endorsing body.
    7. Give evidence of having done at least three hundred and seventy-five (375) hours of pastoral counseling and having received at least one hundred and twenty-five (125) hours of interdisciplinary supervision of that counseling dealing with the theological and psychological dimensions of human problems.
    8. Fellow Plan (Optional) if you are preparing to become a certified AAPC Fellow you must submit a specific plan for completing Fellow certification standards within seven years after certification as Certified Pastoral Counselor.
    9. Give evidence of compliance with the Code of Ethics of the Association.
    10. Be elected to membership and certified as a Certified Pastoral Counselor by the Regional Certification Committee.

SECTION E - Fellow

  1. This category is intended to include pastoral counselors who can:
    1. Demonstrate ability to work as a pastoral counselor at an advanced level of competency;
    2. Provide leadership in interpreting the theological dimensions of human wholeness, and in utilizing the mental health resources of the congregation and community, and in interpreting the place of pastoral counseling to the other psychotherapeutic disciplines;
    3. If one so chooses, one may enter supervisory training and do supervision of those in pastoral counseling while being supervised oneself in that process.
  2. To qualify for membership at the Fellow level, an applicant must:
    1. Satisfy the requirements set forth in items 2.a. through 2.g. for Certified Pastoral Counselor level.
    2. Hold an advanced degree (M.A., S.T.M., D.Min., etc.) in pastoral counseling or its equivalent, which requires one year of academic work beyond the first professional degree;
    3. Have done at least one thousand (1,000) hours of pastoral counseling while receiving at least one hundred and twenty-five (125) hours of interdisciplinary supervision of that counseling in addition to that required for Member/Certified Pastoral Counselor levels (a total of 1,375 hours of counseling and 250 of supervision);
    4. Give evidence of having undergone sufficient theological and psychotherapeutic investigation of one's own intrapsychic and interpersonal processes so that one is able to protect the counselee from the pastoral counselor's problems and to deploy oneself to the maximum benefit of the counselee;
    5. Give evidence of:
      1. an understanding of the counseling and psychotherapeutic process,
      2. an ability to develop a counseling or psychotherapeutic relationship,
      3. an ability to perform a leadership role in the context of the religious community and
      4. an ability to integrate one's professional role and personal identity;
    6. Give evidence of compliance with the Code of Ethics of the Association.
    7. Be elected to membership and certified as a Fellow by the Regional Certification Committee.

SECTION F - Diplomate

  1. This category is intended to include pastoral counselors who can:
    1. Demonstrate ability to work as a pastoral counselor and as a supervisor of ministers and pastoral counselors-in-training at an advanced level of competency;
    2. Teach and supervise persons for the pastoral ministry and/or counseling in congregations, or in pastoral counseling centers, or in appropriate schools;
    3. Demonstrate ability to conceptualize the relationship of the psychotherapeutic disciplines to the theological interpretation and guidance of life and the communication of this understanding to others.
  2. To qualify for membership at the Diplomate level an applicant must:
    1. Satisfy the requirements set forth in items 2.a. through 2.f. for Fellows;
    2. Demonstrate competence in the practice of supervision of ministers in training in pastoral counseling;
    3. Have supervised at least five supervisees for a minimum of thirty (30) hours each while receiving at least fifty (50) hours of supervision of that supervision;
    4. Demonstrate significant performance in at least three of the following: academic achievement (Ph.D. or equivalent); research; publication; leadership in the Association; teaching and/or supervising pastoral care and counseling; or contribution to religious and community life;
    5. Give evidence of compliance with the Code of Ethics of the Association.
    6. Be elected to membership and certified as a Diplomate by the Association Certification Committee upon recommendation by the Regional Certification Committee.

SECTION G - Pastoral Counseling Educator

  1. This category is intended to include ministers who can: Demonstrate competence in providing educational and theoretical leadership in pastoral counseling, pastoral care, pastoral theology, psychology of religion, and related fields.
  2. To qualify for membership at the Pastoral Counseling Educator level, an applicant must:
    1. Hold a Ph.D. degree or its equivalent from an accredited university or seminary.
    2. Actively be involved in the teaching and/or field or academic supervision of pastoral counseling students as part of one's academic appointment, which is certified by an endorsement signed by the Dean or other appropriate academic official.
    3. Assist students in moving toward membership in the Association.
    4. Hold a continuing responsible relationship to one's local religious community.
    5. Be approved as a Pastoral Counseling Educator as designated by Association policy.
  3. Pastoral Counseling Educators are eligible to serve on all committees except Certification and Institutional Accreditation.

SECTION H - Pastoral Care Specialist

  1. This category is intended to include ministers who practice supportive pastoral care as a part of their general ministry, who want to relate to the AAPC, or want an ongoing relationship with a local pastoral counseling center. Pastoral Care Specialists are ministers who demonstrate competence in the area of supportive pastoral care and who engage in consultation and growth experiences at least quarterly to enhance their pastoral care ministry.
  2. To qualify for membership as a Pastoral Care Specialist, an applicant must:
    1. Demonstrate specialized training in supportive pastoral care;
    2. Satisfy the customary expected educational requirements of one's religious endorsing body;
    3. Hold membership in good standing in a recognized religious endorsing body which verifies the applicant as a minister as defined by the Association;
    4. Hold a continuing responsible relationship to one's local religious community;
    5. Give evidence of three years as a minister, demonstrating growing maturity in one's identity and role(s) as a professional religious leader; for those not ordained or not seeking ordination, document three years of specifically religious leadership recognized and affirmed by a religious endorsing body.
    6. Complete fifty (50) hours of small group consultation dealing with supportive counseling methods, crisis intervention, grief counseling and loss, divorce recovery, pastoral diagnosis, referral, and the application of pastoral care principles in the broader functions of ministry, from an AAPC Fellow or Diplomate. Individual consultation of up to twenty (20) hours may be substituted for twenty (20) hours of group supervision as desired or when necessary;
    7. Demonstrate an understanding of the limits of supportive pastoral care to include when individuals must be referred to qualified pastoral counselors or other clinicians;
    8. Give evidence of compliance with the Code of Ethics of the Association.
    9. Be approved as a Pastoral Care Specialist as designated by Association policy.
  3. Pastoral Care Specialists are eligible to serve on all Association committees except Certification and Institutional Accreditation.

SECTION I - Student Member

  1. This category is intended to include persons enrolled in degree and/or training programs and who have interest in pastoral counseling.

SECTION J - Institutional Membership

  1. This category is intended to include pastoral counseling centers, institutions and agencies providing training in pastoral counseling, and agencies desiring membership that meet the Standards for Institutional membership.
    1. There shall be four types of Institutional membership:
      1. Service Center: for centers accredited to provide pastoral counseling.
      2. Training Programs: for accredited service centers whose training program meets AAPC standards, or for approved training programs in pastoral counseling conducted in seminaries, universities and professional schools.
      3. Institutional Candidate: for institutions that are actively moving toward accreditation as a service center or approval as a training program.
      4. Institutional Affiliate: for institutions that will not be accredited as a service center or approved as a training program.
    2. There shall be the following type of Institutional approval:
      1. Full accreditation for service centers and full approval for training programs which have successfully met AAPC standards. Full accreditation and full approval is for a period of seven years.
      2. Provisional accreditation for service centers and/or approval of training programs which have not fully met AAPC standards, but which have filed an acceptable plan for meeting standards within a two-year period.
      3. Affiliate status for Institutional Affiliates and Institutional Candidates which have met AAPC standards. Affiliate status does not include accreditation of clinical nor approval of training programs in these institutions.
  1. The Association Institutional Accreditation Committee develops standards for Institutional Membership. These are approved by the Board of Directors. Institutional members of the Association shall demonstrate their continuing compliance with these Standards.
  2. Standards for Institutional membership shall be guided by the following principles:
    1. Related to religious communities, including accountability and cooperation.
    2. Public witness and general availability of services.
    3. Interdisciplinary competence and cooperation in service and training.
    4. Commitment to integrating theology and ministry, theory and practice, at all levels in the center.
    5. Provision for peer accountability and review.
    6. Commitment to personal and professional growth of board, clients and staff.
    7. Responsible organizational and administrative structures, policies and practices.
  1. Equivalencies for the standards shall be determined by the Association Institutional Accreditation Committee.
  2. The Association Institutional Accreditation Committee shall establish policies and procedures for the accreditation and consultation process. These shall be kept current in the Institutional Accreditation Committee Operational Manual.
  3. Grievances and appeals regarding the accreditation or approval process are the responsibility of the Association Institutional Accreditation Committee for Service Centers, and of the Board of Directors for Training Programs.
  4. The Association office will keep a current schedule of fees and dues related to centers. These shall be published annually in the summer edition of the Association Newsletter.

SECTION K - Inactive

  1. This category is intended to include all voting membership categories that are inactive as pastoral counselors, i.e., practicing, teaching, and supervising. It is also intended to include all voting categories who are temporarily inactive as pastoral counselors because of either illness or disability or because they are in a career transition.
  2. Requests for Inactive Status are to be sent to the Association Office for processing.
  3. While Inactive, the individual:
    1. Pays annual dues established by Association policy
    2. Receives a complimentary copy of the Association newsletter.
    3. Is required to submit an annual report required by Association policy.
    4. Shall not vote or hold office in the Association or the Region.
  4. An Inactive member who seeks to return to active status at his or her former membership level must apply to the Association Office and must meet Regional and Association requirements for reinstatement.

SECTION L - Retired

  1. This category is intended to include all voting membership categories who:
    1. At age 65 or older have chosen to retire from the practice, teaching, or supervising of pastoral counseling;
    2. Before the age of 65 must discontinue the practice, teaching, or supervising of pastoral counseling for reasons of health;
    3. Before the age of 65 choose to discontinue the practice, teaching, or supervising of pastoral counseling for personal reasons and are at least 55 years of age, and have been in the Association for at least 10 years.
  2. Requests for Retired Status are to be sent to the Association Office for processing.
  3. While Retired, the individual:
    1. May engage in no more than an average of 5 paid hours of pastoral counseling, teaching, and/or supervision weekly. If the practice or teaching of pastoral counseling and supervision beyond an average of 5 paid hours weekly is resumed, the Retired member must apply for return to active status at their former membership level and meet the regional committee's criteria for reactivation.
    2. Pays annual dues established by Association policy
    3. Receives a complimentary copy of the Association newsletter;
    4. Is required to submit an annual report required by Association policy.
    5. Retains the right to vote in Association business and is eligible to hold office.

SECTION M - Member Emeritus

  1. This category is intended to include voting members of the Association who:
    1. At age 65 or older have chosen to retire from the practice of pastoral counseling;
    2. Have been members of the Association for at least ten years;
    3. Have completely discontinued the practice of pastoral counseling.
  2. Requests for Member Emeritus Status are to be sent to the Association Office for processing.
  3. As a Member Emeritus, the individual:
    1. Does not engage in nor plans to return to paid pastoral counseling, teaching, or supervision;
    2. Pays annual dues established by Association policy
    3. Pays annual Association dues at the Retired Status level but no regional dues.
    4. Receives a complimentary copy of the Association newsletter;
    5. Is not required to submit an annual report required by Association policy;
    6. Does not retain right to vote in Association business or to hold office.

SECTION N - Member International

1.  This general category is intened to include international persons who are educators, ministers, pastoral counselors, or who practice pastoral counseling as defined by the Association in the Certification Manual.

[1] This category was closed to new applicants as of June 30, 1994.