Community-based Clinical Pastoral Education

The Community-based CPE program is an extended CPE program for clergy and laity—community “natural caregivers”—in settings outside fifty miles of St. Louis, Missouri. In contrast to the traditional hospital-based CPE program, these students bring as their clinical base the spiritual care context(s) in which they are already involved. Thus, the traditional CPE action/reflection elements are applied to their existing ministry opportunities in congregation and community. For the participants, this is a low cost, accessible way to deepen their pastoral identity, and increase their knowledge and skills in the ministry context most integral to their local communities. Students meet at one another’s ministry settings for the bi-weekly day-and-one-half seminars over a period of six months, drawing verbatim material from pastoral encounters in their local community and congregational settings. Participants, both clergy and lay, typically enroll to find continuing education and support for their professional and volunteer ministries. While students bring their pastoral work to both individual and peer group supervision, the program design also teaches consultation skills by placing them in mentoring relationships with members of their home congregations and the larger communities. Theologically, this leads to a deeper understanding of the “neighbor” we are called to serve, and helps the students to utilize new opportunities for living out their call and identifying support. The program has an established track record as an educational and outreach model, and was selected for special mention in the Cluster’s 2001 ACPE accreditation review.

Current CPE Offerings and Tuition Fees

Units begin whenever and wherever “two or more are gathered together.” Four units are offered yearly. Units have been held in Quincy, Il, for students coming from Bluffs, Canton, Quincy, and Milan and Hannibal, MO; in Cape Girardeau, MO, for students from Murray, KY, and Sikeston, Poplar Bluff, and Hornersville, MO; Centralia, IL, for students from Effingham, Vandalia, and Centralia, IL.

Tuition for a unit is $650.00 and is payable at the beginning of the program or in increments upon prior arrangement with the supervisor. Some denominations and institutions provide funding to the participants for this program. That funding is arranged by the student.

How to Apply for a Community-based CPE Program

Applications for community-based CPE should be sent to the interim contact, Jim Bennett (click here for contact information.) A $50.00 application fee payable to the St. Louis Cluster, ACPE should accompany all application materials.  This fee is non-refundable and is not applied toward tuition.

The application can be filled out and printed on-line or as a Microsoft Word document (see application materials.)