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Continuing Education Events for Clergy

•Approved Program Areas for Continuing Education  
•Continuing Education Units and Equivalency
•Offering Continuing Education Units at your event
Characteristics of Effective Clergy (Word)

Approved Program Areas for Continuing Education
Areas approved for continuing education shall be related to Characteristics of Effective Clergy in the Virginia Conference approved by the Virginia Conference Cabinet and Board of Ordained Ministry.  Additionally, specific areas for continuing education will be identified as a result of the annual evaluation by the Staff/Pastor Parish Relations Committee and district superintendent as outlined in Book of Discipline. 

Continuing Education Units and Equivalency
The measuring unit shall be a Continuing Education Unit (CEU).
A Continuing Education Unit is defined by ten contact hours of instructional session, or its equivalent, under qualified leadership. It is assumed that programs sponsored by an agency of the general church, jurisdiction, conference, district, ecumenical, or community service institution or covenant study groups will have qualified leadership.  

•If the event does not offer a CEU, equivalency can be made based on the number of contact hours under qualified leadership in units of 5 contact hours. For example, 5 contact hours equals 0.5 CEU, 10 contact hours equals 1.0 CEU, 15 contact hours equals 1.5 CEU’s, etc. Requests for this equivalency may be made to the BOM Registrar through the Center for Clergy Excellence. 
•For online continuing education, the sponsoring agency shall offer an official CEU. No more than three (3) CEU’s a quadrennium may be completed online.
•For professional study travel or Volunteers in Mission (VIM) trips, only trips that provide the required contact hours (lectures, discussions under qualified leadership) are acceptable. Repeat trips to the same place will not qualify, and only one travel-based CEU trip per quadrennium is allowed. An additional “Professional Study-Travel” form is required.
•Twenty hours of reading and reflection in areas related to the Characteristics of Effective Clergy in the Virginia Conference is equivalent to 1.0 CEU.  No more than 1.0 CEU defined as reading and reflection may be credited toward the eight for the quadrennium.

Offering Continuing Education Units at your event
Groups in the Virginia Conference wishing to offer Continuing Education Units to participants in their programs should complete this application. Confirmation of the number of CEUs authorized to be awarded will be returned to the group.
• VAUMC Policy for Offering CEUs (pdf)

Virginia Clergy Leadership Program
• Virginia Clergy Leadership Program and Application Form 

Opportunities for Continuing Education
Please explore these sites to help you in determining the program or seminar that best fits your interests or areas that you would like to further develop.
•  Visit the Virginia Conference Calendar of Events
•  Visit  your District Office (or neighboring districts)
• Consultants, Organizations, and Seminary websites offering Continuing Education (pdf)
• GBHEM Clergy Lifelong Learning  
•  GBHEM Peer Learning Groups (NICL)   

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