Becoming a Board Certified Chaplain (BCC) or Pastoral Counselor (BCPC) with the Association of Certified Christian Chaplains indicates your dedication to the highest professional standards and ethics. ACCC certified professionals have demonstrated their devotion to continuing professional development and a devotion to the spiritual health of those they care for.
Certification is available as either board certified Chaplain/Associate Chaplain or Board-Certified Pastoral Counselor.
ACCC also accepts reciprocation of those certified under other organizations for certification with ACCC. See below for the requirements. To get started, see below.
The Chaplain is a professional that is employed in outside industry such as medical care, prisons, commerce, military, etc. They serve the employees and/or patients of these organizations.
The Pastoral Counselor primarily a Congregational Pastor. Their primary area of responsibility is the local church.
The Associate category is for those seeking professional chaplaincy certification but do not yet meet the other requirements for that status. The Associate level still requires four (4) units of CPE and, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree. The applicant may be lacking one of the other requirements (e.g. M.Div, ecclesiastical endorsement, or ordination/licensure/consecration). Once an associate completes the requirements they are automatically granted full board certification.
The Chaplain’s Assistant category is for those lacking the higher education component of full certification. To meet this category the applicant is required to complete all the other requirements for certification but is lacking a higher education degree. A high school diploma with some college credit is required.
Proceed to the “Application“ page and follow the directions there to submit your application. Below is a video to help understand the process.