Retired Status

All board certified or associate certified chaplains in the Association of Professional Chaplains who are in good standing, have been certified for at least two years, and have substantially retired from professional chaplaincy may request retired status (working no more than 50% of the time within a year in professional compensated chaplaincy). Certification or status with BCCI does not change, hence the use of the terms “Retired Board Certified Chaplain” and “Retired Associate Certified Chaplain.”

Retired Board Certified Chaplains:

  • Retain certification title – must present BCCI credentials as “Retired Board Certified” (RBC) or “Retired Associate Certified” (RAC) 
  • Pay only APC annual dues
  • Are exempt from continuing education requirement and maintenance of certification
  • May be State Leaders and voting members of state certification committees
  • Receive continued access to Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy as well as the Journal of Religion, Spirituality and Aging

To maintain Retired status:

Note: Maintenance of BCCI Certification fees, annual continuing education reports, five-year peer reviews and five-year spiritual/faith group endorsements are NOT required of retired board certified chaplains or retired associate certified chaplains.

Complete the online form linked below if you would like to request this status change.

Life Membership options are also available for retired chaplains.