On Tuesday March 15, 2023, at a meeting of the London Minister's Council, hosted at Stoke Newington Church, seven pastors were presented with certificates declaring them as board certified chaplains from Clinical Pastoral Education International (CPEI), Florida, USA. These pastors are BUC Personal Ministries Director, Dr Kirk Thomas, Dr Mario Phillip, Pastor Rory Mendez, Pastor Royston Smith, Pastor Steve Roberts, Pastor Nick Vitalis, and Pastor Thando Mlalazi. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a unique educational experience for faith-based professionals, lay ministers and theological students seeking professional growth and development within a clinical or community-based setting.
Over a twelve-month period, these seven pastors embarked on their CPE training virtually, which included 100 hours of didactic lectures and 300 hours of supervised clinical training at various hospitals throughout the UK. The lead trainer Scott Speight, CEO of the Pastoral Care Centre was present to speak to the pastors of the importance of CPE training to their pastoral ministry and their lives in general. Upon awarding the new chaplains, he commended them for their dedication towards developing their capacity to better serve their parishioners and the world by extension.
CPEI is accredited by the Commission for Pastoral Education (CAPE), and the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET).
