The Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) program is an experience-based pastoral learning program, designed to helped clergy fulfill a variety of educational requirements. It meets the following educational needs:

• Pastors seeking one more unit of CPE for a board certification.
• Annual conference requirements for ordination or a degree program.
• Standard skill-building for pastoral care.
• Increasing pastoral capacity for inter- and intra-personal awareness.  

Apply here. There is a $30 application fee and a $500 deposit to hold a program spot. Tuition must be paid in full before the unit starts.

The CPE programs offered at CIPP is hybrid in format and community-based in its clinical practice. It uses both face-to-face and videoconference meetings for structured education in a variety of ministry settings. Participants are appointed to provide pastoral/spiritual care for more than 20 hours per week. The United Methodist Endorsing Agency and the GBHEM Office of Research and Evaluation conducted an extensive study on the effectiveness of the hybrid model. The program evaluation report for the pilot program was published in December of 2015. Read the full report.

Each CPE unit starts with a three- to four-day orientation retreat. These retreats are located in different jurisdictions throughout the United States, and the program plans to eventually expand to the Central Conferences as well. Click here to view upcoming retreat dates.