Below is an overview of the process to remain in Good Standing with The ChI Interfaith Community. It serves as a template of accountability for you and for The Chaplaincy Institute. We will be eager to learn about your ministry and service each year, discover ways in which ChI can support you personally and professionally, and receive your renewal of Membership in Good Standing status with The ChI Interfaith Community.
You will receive an email August 1 inviting you to renew your Clergy in Good Standing Status. Please watch for this email and contact ChI ’s office if you do not receive it. In that email, you will be asked to provide the following in order to renew your status as Clergy in Good Standing with The ChI Interfaith Community:
Spiritual Direction/Spiritual Counseling Requirement
All Clergy Members in Good Standing are required to meet six times a year with a spiritual director or a counselor/therapist with a spiritual focus. This ongoing requirement is designed to ensure that you continue to grow and develop in your role as spiritual guide and leader. Ongoing spiritual direction/spiritual counseling will help keep you, as a seeker, creatively engaged with the process of spiritual inquiry, and will give you an opportunity for deep reflection as you work with individuals at the edges of life and death and everything in between.
Annual Report Requirement
Each of our clergy has a ministry that is uniquely hers/his. Each year, we will ask you to submit a report to describe your ministerial activities in the past year and help us stay connected with your life and life’s work.
Clergy History & Profile Requirement
In an effort to highlight the work of our clergy we request a biography, clergy history, and information related to building an alumni support network. This information will help us understand our student/alumni base so we may better serve their needs during and after completion of their studies. Once you have provided this information in your first renewal, there is no need to complete this portion again unless there has been a significant change.
Ethical Code of Conduct
CHI follows The Common Code of Ethics for Chaplains, Pastoral Counselors, Pastoral Educators and Students3F*. We ask our students and Ordained Clergy to agree to abide by these guidelines by signing the Ethical Agreement.
ChI Connections
The presence of ChI alumni at ordinations and other events is greatly valued. Although not a requirement, we strongly encourage clergy to return periodically for an ordination, reunion/retreat event, certificate training, or continuing education. We love to see our alumni return to ChI for ordinations. Other opportunities include our next Spiritual Direction Certificate Program and a certificate program in Supervision of Spiritual Directors. We anticipate more such opportunities for connecting and developing skills in the future. We invite your collaboration as we continue to grow our ChI Community.
Fee
The annual renewal fee for Clergy in Good Standing is $200. Those who serve in a community volunteer role reduce their annual fee to $150.
Stewardship
The ChI Interfaith Community is your ordaining body that provides you with professional and personal support and Clergy in Good Standing status. The community’s ability to remain viable depends on your support. Supporting the community through volunteerism and your financial commitment are essential, for without your ongoing support the community will not endure.
Each clergy member decides how much time and treasure to devote to the ongoing sustainability of The ChI Interfaith Community and Seminary. The spiritual practice of managing our resources for the sake of a greater good is called stewardship. Stewardship is a matter worthy of prayer, reflection and meditation as you discern your level of commitment. In some religious bodies, there is a tradition of a tithe, or a tenth, of one’s income being set aside for the ongoing support of the spiritual community. Whatever you decide is right for you, it is wise to begin this practice now as a sign of your commitment to yourself, your fellow students, your fellow clergy, future students and all those whose lives are blessed by The ChI Seminary and Interfaith Community.
Service Opportunities
The volunteer roles offer the opportunity to serve The ChI interfaith Community and reduce your annual Clergy in Good Standing fee. Each role is explained in detail on ChI ’s website at:
If you have any questions about these roles or would like to volunteer, please contact ChI ’s Community Minister. Many roles can also be performed while a student at ChI .
*The Common Code of Ethics for Chaplains, Pastoral Counselors, Pastoral Educators and Students can be downloaded from The Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) website and is provided with the renewal.