Enrollment
Prerequisites
Your personal and professional wellbeing is of utmost importance to us. However, thoroughly preparing you for ordained ministry is neither the intent nor within the scope of the Transfer of Ministerial Standing/Dual Ministerial Standing Program. Therefore, those applying for either a Transfer of Ministerial Standing or Dual Ministerial Standing must have already been ordained by one of the faith groups recognized by APC (Association of Professional Chaplain) and/or CPSP (College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy). (If you are uncertain whether or not your faith group is recognized, please contact either APC and/or CPSP for confirmation.)
APC – Phone: 847.240.1014 Email: ewa@professionalchaplains.org
CPSP – Phone: 212.246.6410 Email: cpspregistrar@gmail.com
APC/CPSP recognition is not a comment on whether or not an ordination is valid. APC/CPSP recognition means a faith group’s ministerial preparation meets their rigorous requirements for board certification. Since CHI is not in a position to confirm the depth of each faith group’s ordination preparation process, we rely on recognition bestowed by APC/CPSP. Therefore, anyone who has not been previously ordained by a faith group recognized by APC and/or CPSP is not eligible for the Transfer of Ministerial Standing/Dual Ministerial Standing program.
If pursuing Dual Ministerial Standing, the candidate will also be asked to provide written proof that he or she has Ministerial Standing with his or her original/current ordaining faith group and provide confirmation from the original/current faith group that they support the minister’s desire to hold Dual Ministerial Standing. This will help ensure transparency between the candidate’s original/current faith group and The CHI Interfaith Community.
Interfaith Chaplaincy Certificate Program
For those not yet ordained and those ordained by faith groups not currently recognized by APC and/or CPSP, the CHI Seminary offers its Interfaith Chaplaincy Certificate Program, through which a student may pursue a path toward ordination as an interfaith minister. Completion of this certificate program fulfills the academic requirements for interfaith ordination, but it does not ensure ordination.
For more information about the Interfaith Chaplaincy Certificate Program, click here.
Note: Those who have seminary training or other relevant life experiences may qualify to apply for waivers for those specific modules for which they can demonstrate equivalency.
Application Deadline
We have rolling admissions; students can begin any time of year. Applications, transcripts and letters of reference along with admission’s fees received by no later than the last day of the month are reviewed for admission to the following month’s module.
Admissions Interviews
We review applications in the order we receive them and will notify you once we have received your completed application package.
Application Process
Once your application form, transcripts, and letters of recommendation are received along with your application fee, the Dean of the Interfaith Chaplaincy Program will have an interview with you to determine where equivalencies exist between your education, life, and work experiences and the ChI curriculum and The ChI Community’s Core Competencies for Ministry.
A personalized curriculum of at least 2 courses (and up to 8 courses) will be developed and agreed upon between you and the Dean.
After determining academic requirements, candidates are asked to participate in a discernment interview with ChI ’s Community Minister. Once the interview takes place, the Dean of the Interfaith Chaplaincy Program and ChI ‘s Community Minister will consult and agree to accept or deny the candidate’s application. If accepted, an acceptance letter will be sent.
Note: Prospective students also have the option to request, complete, and submit a Request for Reduction of Course Requirements form along with a $50 fee in order to learn before officially applying how many modules they will need to take to complete the program. Our Dean will review the request along with transcripts and other submitted documentation and then determine with a prospective student his/her required modules.
Prospective students who submit the Request for Reduction of Course Requirements form will still need to officially apply and submit a $100 application fee if they wish to proceed with the process after the number of required modules has been determined.
More Information
Admissions Manager / admissions@chaplaincyinstitute.org / 510-843-1422