By David E. Carl, Organizational Design Work Group Chair

ACPE celebrates 50 years as an organization this year. It is a time for both reflection and for envisioning the future. We reflect on the history. We also recognize and honor the visionaries who have brought ACPE this far.

Now it is our turn to advance ACPE. Author and speaker Nido Qubein is speaking to us when he says:

"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start."

There are compelling reasons to carefully evaluate ACPE and to position the organization for the future. Changes in the environment for pastoral care and for pastoral education; organizational structures and reporting that need to be aligned; assuring that we control our future and that it is not presented to us. 

To that end the Organizational Design Work Group is working. First was a survey of structure which many of you completed. We are now taking a step back to look much more broadly and from a "higher level." At the regional conferences this fall we will hold listening sessions - town hall meetings if you will - to ask about the future of our organization and our profession. These sessions will gather thoughts about what is ahead. The questions will not focus on problem solving. In fact, the questions should raise problems, issues and concerns. That's what we are looking for. Discerning the future - envisioning the future is where we must start in order to think about what ACPE must do and look like going forward.

• What is changing in the world that requires or will require changes in clinical pastoral education? In practice?
• What keeps you awake at night?
• What do you think about/worry about for clinical pastoral education?
• What do you think about/worry about for ACPE?
• What is the one thing that ACPE could do that would make your work/your world better?
• 'Who was' ACPE?
• Why do we exist as an organization?
• What is ACPE's purpose today?
• Why should we exist as an organization?
• Who do we want to be?
• What does the volunteer of today look like?
• What does the volunteer of the future look like?

To quote famed Chicago architect Louis Sullivan - "Form follows function". We cannot look at structure and form until we are clear on the purpose and function of ACPE for the next 10 or more years.

Don't be anxious because we are not coming to a resolution soon. That is our intent. To gather ideas, thoughts, concerns about what we do and why we do it - before we get to how we do it and what that looks like.

Following the Town Hall Meetings at the regional conferences, the Organizational Design Task Force will meet to sift through the information gathered and begin to develop statements about the future for ACPE. If more information is needed there may be another survey to all members.

Once there is clarity on the purpose and future for ACPE, the Work Group will begin to look at organizations with similar purpose and activities to see the options for the "how" to achieve those goals. These ideas will be brought to the entire assembly in May 2016 in Denver. Input from everyone will inform the next steps and the Work Group will meet following the Denver meeting to create a proposal for ACPE for the next 10 to 20 years.

It is essential that we all understand there are no agendas here. There are no implied options or ready-made solutions. Nothing can be developed without a clear agreement on the discerned future for ACPE. No plan can be made until we hear from as many people as possible.

Please participate in the sessions and surveys as they come to you. Please be patient with the process. Know that our current success is to be celebrated while we look forward to future success.