Given the diverse ministry opportunities today, we value the training, equipping, and certifying of church and community-based leaders so that they actively engage in marketplace ministries and activities.
Certified Chaplain (CC) applicants must meet the following minimum educational and formation requirements:
The applicant must have attained at least the Certified Pastoral Counselor (C.P.C.) designation or its recognized equivalent, and must hold a diploma or degree from an accredited or otherwise recognized theological, ministry, or related institution.
The GAOCPC Chaplaincy Training program supports a structured professional pathway:
Certified Pastoral Counselor (CPC)
Establishes foundational pastoral care, counseling skills, and ethical awareness.
Certified Chaplain (CC)
Recognizes advanced chaplaincy formation, supervised practice, and readiness for institutional and community chaplaincy roles.
Certification is granted based on training completion, demonstrated competence, ethical compliance, and adherence to GAOCPC credentialing requirements. GAOCPC certification affirms professional readiness; it does not replace local institutional or governmental requirements where applicable.
This course equips the candidate chaplain with a strong biblical foundation, practical competencies, and sound theoretical understanding necessary for effective service across diverse ministry and care contexts. The program integrates historically established and practice-tested approaches to formation and ministry, enabling candidates to develop clarity, discernment, and professional readiness.
Through intentional instruction and guided application, the course seeks to inform, guide, and equip the candidate chaplain to serve with integrity, compassion, and accountability. Emphasis is placed on holistic care rooted in biblically grounded ministry practice, preparing chaplains to respond wisely and responsibly to individuals and communities in need.
Equip candidates with a sound biblical and theological framework that informs ethical, pastoral, and chaplaincy practice.
Develop professional identity, conduct, boundaries, and accountability consistent with recognized chaplaincy standards.
Train candidates in pastoral care, counseling, crisis response, visitation, and spiritual assessment across care settings.
Prepare chaplains to address spiritual, emotional, social, and moral dimensions of care with compassion and wisdom.
Cultivate sensitivity for multicultural, multifaith, and institutional environments while maintaining a clear Christian witness.
Instill commitment to ethical decision-making, professional responsibility, and compliance with GAOCPC standards.
Release confident, competent chaplains prepared for service in churches, hospitals, correctional facilities, and community organizations.
Chaplains provide a vital ministry of presence to individuals, families, and communities in moments of need, transition, and crisis. Chaplaincy service is carried out across a wide range of institutional, community, and ministry settings, including—but not limited to—the following:
Certified Chaplain (CC) applicants must meet the following minimum educational and formation requirements:
The applicant must have attained at least the Certified Pastoral Counselor (C.P.C.) designation or its recognized equivalent, and must hold a diploma or degree from an accredited or otherwise recognized theological, ministry, or related institution.
The GAOCPC Chaplaincy Training program supports a structured professional pathway:
Certified Pastoral Counselor (CPC)
Establishes foundational pastoral care, counseling skills, and ethical awareness.
Certified Chaplain (CC)
Recognizes advanced chaplaincy formation, supervised practice, and readiness for institutional and community chaplaincy roles.
Certification is granted based on training completion, demonstrated competence, ethical compliance, and adherence to GAOCPC credentialing requirements. GAOCPC certification affirms professional readiness; it does not replace local institutional or governmental requirements where applicable.
This course equips the candidate chaplain with a strong biblical foundation, practical competencies, and sound theoretical understanding necessary for effective service across diverse ministry and care contexts. The program integrates historically established and practice-tested approaches to formation and ministry, enabling candidates to develop clarity, discernment, and professional readiness.
Through intentional instruction and guided application, the course seeks to inform, guide, and equip the candidate chaplain to serve with integrity, compassion, and accountability. Emphasis is placed on holistic care rooted in biblically grounded ministry practice, preparing chaplains to respond wisely and responsibly to individuals and communities in need.
Equip candidates with a sound biblical and theological framework that informs ethical, pastoral, and chaplaincy practice.
Develop professional identity, conduct, boundaries, and accountability consistent with recognized chaplaincy standards.
Train candidates in pastoral care, counseling, crisis response, visitation, and spiritual assessment across care settings.
Prepare chaplains to address spiritual, emotional, social, and moral dimensions of care with compassion and wisdom.
Cultivate sensitivity for multicultural, multifaith, and institutional environments while maintaining a clear Christian witness.
Instill commitment to ethical decision-making, professional responsibility, and compliance with GAOCPC standards.
Release confident, competent chaplains prepared for service in churches, hospitals, correctional facilities, and community organizations.
