The Pastoral Care Committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry
The Pastoral Care Committee of the Board of Ordained Ministry serves two primary purposes for those serving in ministerial roles (serving in local churches or extension ministries), as well as their families, serving (or having membership within) the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.
1. The first purpose is to provide referral networking and allocation of financial subsidy assistance for professional licensed counseling, spiritual direction, or short-term interventional clergy coaching (based on a crisis intervention situation). Subsidy resources are based on the Pastoral Care Subsidy Policy (see the Journal article).
2. The second purpose is to provide Sexual Ethics education for all those serving in ministerial roles within the boundaries of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference (regardless of location of one’s Conference membership or denominational affiliation).
Such Sexual Ethics education will consist of two parts:
A. LEVEL 1 (BASIC) (0.5 CEUs, required for all entering ministerial roles)
Level 1 (Basic) Sexual Ethics Workshops provide the essential, ethical and legal dimensions of appropriate healthy boundaries for those serving in ministerial roles. The primary purpose of this workshop is to educate participants on how to incorporate such healthy boundaries into their professional and personal behavior. The Level 1 (Basic) Workshop is mandatory for all persons seeking certification as candidates in ministry, candidates for ministerial roles and for all other individuals beginning ministerial roles within the Eastern PA Conference. The Level 1 (Basic) may be taken as a “refresher” workshop (instead of, or in addition to, an Advanced Level Workshop) – in fulfillment of the quadrennium continuing education requirement – by all serving in a ministerial role who have previously completed a level 1 course.
B. ADVANCED LEVEL ELECTIVES IN SEXUAL ETHICS (0.5 CEUs required beyond the Level 1 (Basic) per quadrennium)
Advanced Level Electives in Sexual Ethics are designed not only to complete the required quadrennial continuing education expectations, but to engage persons in ministerial roles in ongoing accountable dialogue on appropriate healthy boundaries in ministerial practice. The emphasis on these courses is not just on “data input,” but on praxis (applying what we know, integrating what we learn into our professional and personal behavior). Only one 0.5 CEU credited workshop in sexual ethics is required every four years, but all workshops are open to all persons for their benefit. (Additional CEU credit can be obtained and applied toward our professionally required 4.0 CEUs per quadrennium, by taking these additional courses.)