Certification

Since 1985 the ACPE Board and the Certification Commission has been looking at ways in which to hold to our high standards of certifying ACPE Supervisors and to bring in some of the brightest in our field. The length of the Certification process has long created difficulties for so many people and we have found many individuals who have the potential to be ACPE Supervisors not willing to enter into the process due to the length of our process. The Certification Commission and the Board have reviewed this process, over and over again, making suggestions and offering our opinions, yet for one reason or another have failed to make any significant changes.

At the November 2013 ACPE Board of Representatives meeting, the Board voted to approve the current strategic plan that include the items below for the Certification process. The focus is to make the process shorter and decouple Level 1, Level 2 and Supervisory CPE levels.

The strategic plan states, "Revise current process and explore 1.) Associate Certified Pastoral Educator:  (Level 1 and Level 2 CPE only)  Person can choose to stop at this level or continue to next level.  2.) Certified Pastoral Educator:  (Level 1, Level 2 and supervisory CPE levels)."

The Board voted to accept the Certification Process Task Group recommendation that the association declare a temporary suspension of the current practice that the Commission sub-committee's vote on the request of Associate Supervisors to be made Certified Supervisors, ACPE.  The suspension is to be effective immediately.

This is the first step in the process outlined in the strategic plan to make what is now referred to as "Associate" the terminus certification. The result of this action is that anyone meeting a committee requesting "certified supervisor" will be granted.

There are many questions due to this action.  More changes to align the certification process with the strategic plan will be coming throughout the year. Future decisions about a different "title", the approval to participate in the SES program as a "trainer" and the use of peer reviews among other topics will be forth coming. The work group schedule is intense due to manual revisions being due in May for approval by the board.

Property

The Board voted to accept the Property Committee recommendation that the association sell the 1549 Clairmont Road property and the 542 Church Street property. The association will then negotiate to enter into a three to five year lease at One West Court Square, Decatur, GA. The proposed move date is August/September 2014. There are still negotiations in process with the property and the Board is open to those conversations. But there is an end in sight, and the Property Committee and Board will make the final decision based on what we deem is best for our office staff and our association at this time.