2023-2025 Strategic Plan

Mission:

The Association of Professional Chaplains promotes quality chaplaincy care through advocacy, education, professional standards and service to its members.

Vision:

  • Strengthen the multifaith and multicultural professional competency of chaplains.
  • Empower chaplains to demonstrate quality outcomes to those whom they serve.
  • Demonstrate the distinctive value of professional chaplaincy which can be understood by external stakeholders.
  • Collaborate with accrediting and hiring institutions, as well as other organizations with which we have a common interest, in order to promote professional chaplaincy.

Values:

  • Dignity and worth of all persons.
  • Faith as an essential dimension of wholeness.
  • Chaplaincy care of persons, communities, organizations and systems.
  • Inclusivity and diversity.
  • Justice and equality for all.
  • Professional competency and ethical practice.

The Five Pillars of the 2023-2025 APC Strategic Plan

Member EngagementProfessional AdvocacyBCCI CertificationStrategic PartnershipsAnti-Racism

Member Engagement: 

  1. Increase Member Engagement
  2. Foster Community & Support
  3. Promote Professional Chaplaincy

Professional Advocacy

  1. Update and expand APC’s professional resources for chaplaincy departments, including Best Practices and Job Descriptions.
  2. Promote the quality of BCCI and value (ROI) of chaplains to organizations and institutions.
  3. Invest in research on chaplaincy.

BCCI Certification: 

  1. Launch online application process
  2. Develop a rubric to be used in BCCI interviews.
  3. Audit the certification process for improvement, attending to JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, inclusion) and anti-bias reforms.
  4. Establish a more diverse pool of certification committee members.
  5. Research accrediting BCCI certification

Strategic Partnerships: 

  1. Continue to deepen relationships with APC’s strategic partners, ACPE, CASC, NACC, NAJC and other spiritual care organizations (example: Association of Religious Endorsing Bodies), Transforming Chaplaincy, Chaplaincy Innovation Lab and other thought leaders.
  2. Build strong strategic alliances between APC and other groups that represent, train, and employ professional chaplains.
  3. Build a partnership with higher education institutions to develop chaplain related pathways.
  4. Facilitate an annual meeting with all spiritual care organizations to form a Grand Alliance.

Anti-Racism:

The Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) explicitly stands against systemic racism, social injustices, and inequities, against African Americans and all people of Color. As written in the APC Mission, Vision, and Values, we promote quality chaplaincy care through advocacy, education, professional standards, and service to our members. Specifically contained in the APC Vision, “Justice and equality for all” is paramount. As we move forward together, let us stand by this quote from Rev. Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. (April 3, 1968),”all we say to America is, “Be true to what you said on paper.”