Clinical Pastoral Education

Clinical Pastoral Education for Minnesota-Wisconsin Baptist Pastors

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a training program focused on improving a pastor’s self-care and caring skills. CPE is delivered in units consisting of several months of weekly meetings by an extended format via Zoom and 300 hours in a ministry setting. Hospitals and hospices usually require one to four units of CPE for chaplains who work for them. CPE allows pastors to have a bivocational career more closely aligned with their ministry skills. Many hospices are currently seeking chaplains and have part-time positions that coordinate well with the schedule of a bivocational pastor.

CPE changes the lives of the students and the people receiving care. Most people who do CPE will relate that it changes their lives considerably as they examine issues they had not previously considered. CPE teaches and reinforces a life-long skill of theological reflection which helps students manage anxiety and lead well.

The MWBC is sponsoring a CPE unit in 2024 that will meet on Thursday nights via Zoom January 8, 2024 to April 28, 2024 from 5:30 pm to 8:30pm CST. CPE tuition is normally $1,199 per unit. The MWBC has arranged for MWBC pastors to take their first unit for $325. The group is limited to nine pastors. Applications are due December 8th and can take up to two weeks to complete. Contact Clint at calvert@mwbc.org for more information.

The CPE course provided is affiliated with Clinical Pastoral Education International (CPEI). CPEI is accredited by International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). CPEI is currently applying for Department of Education accreditation which would qualify its board-certified chaplains to work for the Veterans Administration.

Please contact Clint Calvert at 507-254-0237 or calvert@mwbc.org for more information.