Bylaws

(As Amended January 8, 2004)

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ARTICLE I - MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION

SECTION A - The date and place of the Annual Meeting of the Association shall be determined by the Board of Directors.

SECTION B - Special meetings of the Association may be called by the Board of Directors, provided that sixty days advance notice shall be given to the membership.

SECTION C - Voting privileges shall be limited to members with the notation that only certified members shall vote on matters pertaining to certification. Individual and institutional members shall have a vote in the business of the Association and in the region to which each belongs.

Amendment of the Bylaws and election of Association Officers and Standing Committee Chairs shall be by written mailed ballot to the voting membership.
Establishment of dues, adoption of the budget and review of the policies of the Association are reserved for action of the membership at Annual or called meetings of the Association.

SECTION D - Any annual or called meeting of the Association shall have authority to act for the Association except in the amendment of the Bylaws or in the election of officers.

ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP

SECTION A - Definitions

The word "Minister" shall refer to a person who has been authorized by a religious endorsing body through ordination, consecration or equivalent means (as determined by the person's religious endorsing body and attested by the appropriate office of the person's religious endorsing body) to exercise specific religious leadership and service within and on behalf of the religious endorsing body which furthers its purpose and mission and which is supported by a covenant with a local religious body which will oversee his/her work in ministry.
The term "Pastoral Counselor" shall refer to a minister who practices pastoral counseling at an advanced level which integrates religious resources with insights from the behavioral sciences.
The term "pastoral counseling" shall refer to a process in which a pastoral counselor utilizes insights and principles derived from the disciplines of theology and the behavioral sciences in working with individuals, couples, families, groups and social systems toward the achievement of wholeness and health.

SECTION B - Member

This category is intended to include:
1. Persons who are ministers, pastoral counselors or who practice pastoral counseling as defined by the Association;
2. Persons who are preparing for a certified membership category;
3. Persons who are members of any human service profession who have an interest in the ministry of pastoral counseling, pastoral counselor training or in pastoral counseling centers, and who are duly licensed or certified by a state or province where applicable, or who are otherwise credentialed by a professional human service association.
Eligible individuals will be granted membership by demonstrating upon application their ability to meet the standards of eligibility established in AAPC Bylaws and Association policy.

SECTION C - Member (Certified) [1]

This category is intended to include ministers who can:
1. Demonstrate competence to do limited, brief or supportive pastoral counseling independently, or to do in-depth pastoral counseling under direct supervision; and
2. Integrate counseling insights into the total pastoral function.
To qualify for membership at the Member (Certified) level, an applicant must:
1. Hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college;
2. Hold a Master of Divinity degree from a school of theology accredited by the Association of Theological Schools;
3. Hold membership in good standing in a religious endorsing body, which certifies the applicant as a minister as defined by the Association;
4. Hold a continuing responsible relationship to one's local religious community;
5. Give evidence of satisfactory completion of one unit of Clinical Pastoral Education in an accredited center;
6. Give evidence of three years as a minister, demonstrating growing maturity in one's identity and role as a professional religious leader;
7. Give evidence of having done at least three hundred and seventy-five (375) hours of pastoral counseling and having received at least one hundred and twenty-five (125) hours of interdisciplinary supervision of that counseling dealing with the theological and psychological dimensions of human problems;
8. Give evidence of continuing in an appropriate consultative or supervisory relationship, preferably with a Fellow or Diplomate of the Association, or with a qualified person selected in consultation with the Regional Certification Committee;
9. Give evidence of compliance with the Code of Ethics of the Association.
10. Be elected to membership and certified as a Member (Certified) by the Regional Certification Committee.

SECTION D - Certified Pastoral Counselor

This is an apprentice category of membership intended to include persons in ministry who:
1. Demonstrate increasing competence to do pastoral counseling under direct supervision; and
2. Are preparing to become fully certified at the Fellow and/or Diplomate level in the Association within seven years.
To qualify for membership at the Certified Pastoral Counselor level, an applicant must:
1. Hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college.
2. Hold a Master of Divinity degree from a school of theology accredited by the Association of Theological Schools, or hold a Masters or Doctoral level degree in either theological or biblical studies, or a Master's or Doctoral level degree in Pastoral Counseling.
3. Hold membership in good standing in a recognized religious endorsing body which certifies the applicant as a minister as defined by the Association.
4. Hold a continuing responsible relationship to one's local religious community.
5. Give evidence of satisfactory completion of a supervised self-reflective pastoral experience, the most common of which is a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education.
6. Give evidence of three years as a minister, demonstrating growing maturity in one's identity and role(s) as a professional religious leader; for those not ordained or not seeking ordination, document three years of specifically religious leadership recognized and affirmed by a religious endorsing body.
7. Give evidence of having done at least three hundred and seventy-five (375) hours of pastoral counseling and having received at least one hundred and twenty-five (125) hours of interdisciplinary supervision of that counseling dealing with the theological and psychological dimensions of human problems.
8. Fellow Plan (Optional) if you are preparing to become a certified AAPC Fellow you must submit a specific plan for completing Fellow certification standards within seven years after certification as Certified Pastoral Counselor.
9. Give evidence of compliance with the Code of Ethics of the Association.
10. Be elected to membership and certified as a Certified Pastoral Counselor by the Regional Certification Committee.

SECTION E - Fellow

This category is intended to include pastoral counselors who can:
1. Demonstrate ability to work as a pastoral counselor at an advanced level of competency;
2. Provide leadership in interpreting the theological dimensions of human wholeness, and in utilizing the mental health resources of the congregation and community, and in interpreting the place of pastoral counseling to the other psychotherapeutic disciplines;
3. If one so chooses, one may enter supervisory training and do supervision of those in pastoral counseling while being supervised oneself in that process.
To qualify for membership at the Fellow level, an applicant must:
1. Satisfy the requirements set forth in items 2.a. through 2.g. for Certified Pastoral Counselor level.
2. Hold an advanced degree (M.A., S.T.M., D.Min., etc.) in pastoral counseling or its equivalent, which requires one year of academic work beyond the first professional degree;
3. Have done at least one thousand (1,000) hours of pastoral counseling while receiving at least one hundred and twenty-five (125) hours of interdisciplinary supervision of that counseling in addition to that required for Member/Certified Pastoral Counselor levels (a total of 1,375 hours of counseling and 250 of supervision);
4. Give evidence of having undergone sufficient theological and psychotherapeutic investigation of one's own intrapsychic and interpersonal processes so that one is able to protect the counselee from the pastoral counselor's problems and to deploy oneself to the maximum benefit of the counselee;
5. Give evidence of:
  1. an understanding of the counseling and psychotherapeutic process,
  2. an ability to develop a counseling or psychotherapeutic relationship,
  3. an ability to perform a leadership role in the context of the religious community and
  4. an ability to integrate one's professional role and personal identity;
6. Give evidence of compliance with the Code of Ethics of the Association.
7. Be elected to membership and certified as a Fellow by the Regional Certification Committee.

SECTION F - Diplomate

This category is intended to include pastoral counselors who can:
1. Demonstrate ability to work as a pastoral counselor and as a supervisor of ministers and pastoral counselors-in-training at an advanced level of competency;
2. Teach and supervise persons for the pastoral ministry and/or counseling in congregations, or in pastoral counseling centers, or in appropriate schools;
3. Demonstrate ability to conceptualize the relationship of the psychotherapeutic disciplines to the theological interpretation and guidance of life and the communication of this understanding to others.
To qualify for membership at the Diplomate level an applicant must:
1. Satisfy the requirements set forth in items 2.a. through 2.f. for Fellows;
2. Demonstrate competence in the practice of supervision of ministers in training in pastoral counseling;
3. Have supervised at least five supervisees for a minimum of thirty (30) hours each while receiving at least fifty (50) hours of supervision of that supervision;
4. Demonstrate significant performance in at least three of the following: academic achievement (Ph.D. or equivalent); research; publication; leadership in the Association; teaching and/or supervising pastoral care and counseling; or contribution to religious and community life;
5. Give evidence of compliance with the Code of Ethics of the Association.
6. Be elected to membership and certified as a Diplomate by the Association Certification Committee upon recommendation by the Regional Certification Committee.

SECTION G - Pastoral Counseling Educator

This category is intended to include ministers who can: Demonstrate competence in providing educational and theoretical leadership in pastoral counseling, pastoral care, pastoral theology, psychology of religion, and related fields.
To qualify for membership at the Pastoral Counseling Educator level, an applicant must:
1. Hold a Ph.D. degree or its equivalent from an accredited university or seminary.
2. Actively be involved in the teaching and/or field or academic supervision of pastoral counseling students as part of one's academic appointment, which is certified by an endorsement signed by the Dean or other appropriate academic official.
3. Assist students in moving toward membership in the Association.
4. Hold a continuing responsible relationship to one's local religious community.
5. Be approved as a Pastoral Counseling Educator as designated by Association policy.
Pastoral Counseling Educators are eligible to serve on all committees except Certification and Institutional Accreditation.

SECTION H - Pastoral Care Specialist

This category is intended to include ministers who practice supportive pastoral care as a part of their general ministry, who want to relate to the AAPC, or want an ongoing relationship with a local pastoral counseling center. Pastoral Care Specialists are ministers who demonstrate competence in the area of supportive pastoral care and who engage in consultation and growth experiences at least quarterly to enhance their pastoral care ministry.
To qualify for membership as a Pastoral Care Specialist, an applicant must:
1. Demonstrate specialized training in supportive pastoral care;
2. Satisfy the customary expected educational requirements of one's religious endorsing body;
3. Hold membership in good standing in a recognized religious endorsing body which verifies the applicant as a minister as defined by the Association;
4. Hold a continuing responsible relationship to one's local religious community;
5. Give evidence of three years as a minister, demonstrating growing maturity in one's identity and role(s) as a professional religious leader; for those not ordained or not seeking ordination, document three years of specifically religious leadership recognized and affirmed by a religious endorsing body.
6. Complete fifty (50) hours of small group consultation dealing with supportive counseling methods, crisis intervention, grief counseling and loss, divorce recovery, pastoral diagnosis, referral, and the application of pastoral care principles in the broader functions of ministry, from an AAPC Fellow or Diplomate. Individual consultation of up to twenty (20) hours may be substituted for twenty (20) hours of group supervision as desired or when necessary;
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the limits of supportive pastoral care to include when individuals must be referred to qualified pastoral counselors or other clinicians;
8. Give evidence of compliance with the Code of Ethics of the Association.
9. Be approved as a Pastoral Care Specialist as designated by Association policy.
Pastoral Care Specialists are eligible to serve on all Association committees except Certification and Institutional Accreditation.

SECTION I - Student Member

This category is intended to include persons enrolled in degree and/or training programs and who have interest in pastoral counseling.

SECTION J - Institutional Membership

This category is intended to include pastoral counseling centers, institutions and agencies providing training in pastoral counseling, and agencies desiring membership that meet the Standards for Institutional membership.
1. There shall be four types of Institutional membership:
  1. Service Center: for centers accredited to provide pastoral counseling.
  2. Training Programs: for accredited service centers whose training program meets AAPC standards, or for approved training programs in pastoral counseling conducted in seminaries, universities and professional schools.
  3. Institutional Candidate: for institutions that are actively moving toward accreditation as a service center or approval as a training program.
  4. Institutional Affiliate: for institutions that will not be accredited as a service center or approved as a training program.
2. There shall be the following type of Institutional approval:
  1. Full accreditation for service centers and full approval for training programs which have successfully met AAPC standards. Full accreditation and full approval is for a period of seven years.
  2. Provisional accreditation for service centers and/or approval of training programs which have not fully met AAPC standards, but which have filed an acceptable plan for meeting standards within a two-year period.
  3. Affiliate status for Institutional Affiliates and Institutional Candidates which have met AAPC standards. Affiliate status does not include accreditation of clinical nor approval of training programs in these institutions.

The Association Institutional Accreditation Committee develops standards for Institutional Membership. These are approved by the Board of Directors. Institutional members of the Association shall demonstrate their continuing compliance with these Standards.
Standards for Institutional membership shall be guided by the following principles:
1. Related to religious communities, including accountability and cooperation.
2. Public witness and general availability of services.
3. Interdisciplinary competence and cooperation in service and training.
4. Commitment to integrating theology and ministry, theory and practice, at all levels in the center.
5. Provision for peer accountability and review.
6. Commitment to personal and professional growth of board, clients and staff.
7. Responsible organizational and administrative structures, policies and practices.

Equivalencies for the standards shall be determined by the Association Institutional Accreditation Committee.
The Association Institutional Accreditation Committee shall establish policies and procedures for the accreditation and consultation process. These shall be kept current in the Institutional Accreditation Committee Operational Manual.
Grievances and appeals regarding the accreditation or approval process are the responsibility of the Association Institutional Accreditation Committee for Service Centers, and of the Board of Directors for Training Programs.
The Association office will keep a current schedule of fees and dues related to centers. These shall be published annually in the summer edition of the Association Newsletter.

SECTION K - Inactive

This category is intended to include all voting membership categories that are inactive as pastoral counselors, i.e., practicing, teaching, and supervising. It is also intended to include all voting categories who are temporarily inactive as pastoral counselors because of either illness or disability or because they are in a career transition.
Requests for Inactive Status are to be sent to the Association Office for processing.
While Inactive, the individual:
1. Pays annual dues established by Association policy
2. Receives a complimentary copy of the Association newsletter.
3. Is required to submit an annual report required by Association policy.
4. Shall not vote or hold office in the Association or the Region.
An Inactive member who seeks to return to active status at his or her former membership level must apply to the Association Office and must meet Regional and Association requirements for reinstatement.

SECTION L - Retired

This category is intended to include all voting membership categories who:
1. At age 65 or older have chosen to retire from the practice, teaching, or supervising of pastoral counseling;
2. Before the age of 65 must discontinue the practice, teaching, or supervising of pastoral counseling for reasons of health;
3. Before the age of 65 choose to discontinue the practice, teaching, or supervising of pastoral counseling for personal reasons and are at least 55 years of age, and have been in the Association for at least 10 years.
Requests for Retired Status are to be sent to the Association Office for processing.
While Retired, the individual:
1. May engage in no more than an average of 5 paid hours of pastoral counseling, teaching, and/or supervision weekly. If the practice or teaching of pastoral counseling and supervision beyond an average of 5 paid hours weekly is resumed, the Retired member must apply for return to active status at their former membership level and meet the regional committee's criteria for reactivation.
2. Pays annual dues established by Association policy
3. Receives a complimentary copy of the Association newsletter;
4. Is required to submit an annual report required by Association policy.
5. Retains the right to vote in Association business and is eligible to hold office.

SECTION M - Member Emeritus

This category is intended to include voting members of the Association who:
1. At age 65 or older have chosen to retire from the practice of pastoral counseling;
2. Have been members of the Association for at least ten years;
3. Have completely discontinued the practice of pastoral counseling.
Requests for Member Emeritus Status are to be sent to the Association Office for processing.
As a Member Emeritus, the individual:
1. Does not engage in nor plans to return to paid pastoral counseling, teaching, or supervision;
2. Pays annual dues established by Association policy
3. Pays annual Association dues at the Retired Status level but no regional dues.
4. Receives a complimentary copy of the Association newsletter;
5. Is not required to submit an annual report required by Association policy;
6. Does not retain right to vote in Association business or to hold office.

ARTICLE III - AFFILIATES

SECTION A - Definitions

Institutional Affiliates are organizations which, while lacking the qualifications for full membership or not desiring accreditation by the Association, are interested in pastoral counseling and wish to participate in the Association.

SECTION B - Institutional Affiliate

This category is intended to include pastoral counseling centers and other agencies interested in pastoral counseling.
To qualify for affiliation as an Institutional Affiliate, the applicant shall:
1. Demonstrate that pastoral counseling is provided or supported by the applicant, or that the applicant participates in some manner in providing training in pastoral counseling.
2. Demonstrate that other types of institutional membership are not possible for or desired by the applicant.
3. Meet the standards for Institutional Affiliates published in the Institutional Accreditation Committee Operational Manual.
4. Be approved for affiliation by the Regional Institutional Accreditation Committee.

SECTION C - Institutional Candidate

This category is intended to include pastoral counseling centers who are engaged in pastoral counseling and who plan to become accredited Service Centers within five years from date of application.
To qualify for affiliation as an Institutional Candidate the applicant shall:
1. Demonstrate that pastoral counseling is provided by the applicant.
2. Demonstrate that a plan is in place to become an Institutional Member.
3. Meet the standards for Institutional Candidates published in the Institutional Accreditation Committee Operational Manual.
4. Be approved for Institutional Candidate status by the Regional Institutional Accreditation Committee.

ARTICLE IV - CONTINUATION OF MEMBERSHIP AND AFFILIATION

SECTION A - Members in good standing shall maintain an active fulfillment of the requirements for their category of membership.

SECTION B - Members in good standing shall maintain a responsible and mutually accountable relationship to their religious endorsing body and shall participate in a local religious community.

SECTION C - Failure to comply with the requirements of Sections A and B of this Article IV shall provide grounds for suspension of membership services or termination of membership by the Association.

SECTION D - All members shall renew their membership annually by paying dues and by submitting annual reports required by Association policy. Failure to pay dues annually and to submit annual reports shall be grounds for suspension of membership services or termination of membership. The name of a member from membership shall be removed from the official Directory of the Association and the certificate of membership shall become null and void.

SECTION E - Institutional Members (Service Centers, Training Programs), Institutional Candidates, and Institutional Affiliates shall renew their membership/affiliation annually by paying dues and submitting annual reports required by Association policy. Failure to pay dues annually and submit annual reports shall be grounds for suspension of membership services and termination of membership.

SECTION F - Members who have resigned or whose membership has been terminated may seek reinstatement through following those procedures determined by Association policy. Reinstatement of certified or recognized specialty status shall require consultation with the appropriate Regional Certification Committee.

SECTION G - A charge against a member of unethical conduct or unprofessional practice of pastoral counseling or supervision, as defined in the Code of Ethics or the policies of the Association, must be specific and must be made in writing to the Ethics Initial Response Team.

SECTION H - AAPC members agree that any claim or dispute, other than ethics complaints brought under the Code of Ethics, by and between AAPC members, or members and AAPC, or members and centers affiliated with AAPC, shall be settled by mediation, and, if necessary to resolve the dispute, by legally binding arbitration. Judgment upon an arbitration award may be entered in any court otherwise having jurisdiction. Violation of this provision may result in the offending member's dismissal from the Association. If for any reason the applicable insurance coverage is voidable by the insured's use of mediation or arbitration, then the insurer shall be invited to participate in the process or consent to its use without loss of coverage. If coverage affected by the claim will be lost by resort to mediation or arbitration, then this requirement to mediate/arbitrate shall be deemed ineffective and inapplicable to resolve the claim or dispute.

SECTION I - AAPC members are encouraged, but not required, to resolve claims and disputes with clients and all others by mediation and, if necessary to resolve the dispute, by legally binding arbitration.

ARTICLE V - OFFICERS

SECTION A - The elected officers of the Association shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.

SECTION B - Officers shall be elected by written ballot upon a majority of votes cast by the members. Elections shall be conducted by mail in the thirty days preceding the Annual Meeting and the results announced at the Annual Meeting. The term of office shall begin at the adjournment of the Annual Meeting in which their election is announced.

SECTION C - The President and Vice President are to be elected for two-year terms in the same year and shall not succeed themselves.

SECTION D - The Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected for two-year terms in the alternate year from the election of the President and Vice President and may serve no more than two consecutive terms.

ARTICLE VI - DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

SECTION A - The President shall be the chief elected officer of the Association and the Chair of the Board of Directors and shall perform such duties as are customary for presiding officers.

SECTION B - The Vice President shall assist the President in such ways as the President may request. In the absence of the President, or in the inability of the President to exercise the office, the Vice President shall assume those duties. The Vice President shall moderate the Association Action Council.

SECTION C - The Secretary shall take minutes of all meetings of the Executive Committee, of the Board of Directors and of the Association, which shall be made available to members; shall issue notice of Annual Meetings at least two months in advance, and shall oversee the keeping of an accurate roll of members.

SECTION D - The Treasurer shall oversee the accounting of all funds and that all monies of the Association are handled in accordance with the policies of the Association; and shall present an audited report of the finances of the Association to the Annual Meeting. The Treasurer shall be a member of the Finance Committee.

ARTICLE VII - BOARD OF DIRECTORS

SECTION A - There shall be a Board of Directors of the Association. The Board of Directors shall establish policy for the Association, when such policy is not addressed through the bylaws, and it shall communicate such policy to the membership. It shall be responsible for all legal and fiscal matters, including an annual budget, as well as for the employment of an Executive Director. It shall present a report of fiscal and budgetary matters at each Annual Meeting. Matters affecting the identity and participation of members will be presented to members for a vote at the Annual Meeting.

SECTION B - The Board of Directors shall consist of the following: the duly elected officers and five members-at-large, who will be elected for one three-year term and not succeed themselves, who are individual members of the Association, and shall be moderated by the President of the Association.

SECTION C - The Board of Directors shall meet at the time of the Annual Meeting of the Association, and at other times as deemed necessary by the Officers of the Association. A quorum shall consist of one-half of its total membership.

SECTION D - The Board of Directors shall establish any council, committee, or task group, which would be useful in carrying on the work of the Association.

ARTICLE VIII - ASSOCIATION ACTION COUNCIL

SECTION A - There shall be an Association Action Council. The Association Action Council shall monitor and coordinate the overall program of the Association. It shall maintain active communication with the Board of Directors and shall be accountable to the Board of Directors for remaining within legal, fiscal, and policy parameters established by the Board.

SECTION B - The Association Action Council shall consist of the following: Regional Chairs, Standing Committee Chairs, Appointed Committee Chairs and other representatives as needed, and shall be moderated by the Vice President of the Association.

SECTION C - The Association Action Council shall meet at least once a year and shall maintain ongoing internal communication as needed.

ARTICLE IX - REGIONS

SECTION A - The members of the Association shall be divided into regions to advance the purposes and to facilitate the program of the Association. The regions shall be a part of the Association and subject to the Bylaws, the duly elected officers, and the Board of Directors.

SECTION B - The regions of the Association shall be ten in number, having the following names and composed of the designated geographic areas:

Atlantic: the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia;
Central: the states of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, and the Canadian Province of Manitoba;
Eastern: the states of New Jersey, New York, and the Canadian Province of Ontario;
Midwest: the states of Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio;
Northeast: the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and the Canadian Provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec;
Northwest: the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and the Canadian Provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories and Yukon.
Pacific: the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada,
Rocky Mountain/Plains: the states of Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, and the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan;
Southeast: the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee;
Southwest: the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas;

SECTION C - The officers of a region shall be a Chair, a Vice Chair, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and any other officers the membership of a region desire in order to promote regional functioning.

SECTION D - Each region shall organize Standing Committees within the region to correspond to the Association Standing Committees. These Regional Standing Committees shall be responsible to and shall function collaboratively with the respective Association Committees. A Regional Standing Committee may be composed of one person. A Region may organize such additional Standing Committees or ad hoc committees as the membership of a Region desire to promote regional functioning, consistent with Association policy.

SECTION E - Regions may authorize the formation of chapters of the Association upon a metropolitan or state basis. Such chapters shall be responsible to the region within which each exists.

SECTION F - Regions may adopt Regional Guidelines consistent with the Association Bylaws and subject to approval by the Board of Directors.

SECTION G - A region may authorize a member of the Association to be related to a region other than the one in which said member resides.

ARTICLE X - THE STANDING COMMITTEES

SECTION A - Election of Committees

The Chairs of Standing Committees shall be elected by written ballot by a majority of votes cast by the members. Elections shall be conducted by mail no less than 30 days preceding the Annual Meeting and the results announced at the Annual Meeting. The Chairs of Standing shall be elected for one three-year term. The term of office shall begin at the adjournment of the Annual Meeting in which their elections are announced.

The term of office shall begin at the adjournment of the Annual Meeting in which their elections are announced.
The members of the Standing Committees shall be the Regional Chairs of the corresponding Regional Standing Committees.
All elected committee members shall be members of the Association with only certified members serving on the Certification Committee

SECTION B - Definition

Standing committees are elected by the Association to implement the mission of the Association, and will establish policy and procedure for respective areas of responsibility. The activities, policy and procedure of Standing Committees are subject to Board of Directors policy, review and approval.

SECTION C - Theological and Social Concerns Committee

The Theological and Social Concerns Committee shall be responsible for:

The encouragement of theological reflection and formulation in order to illume, clarify, and give expression to the religious dimensions, values, and meanings of human life, and of pastoral counseling as a means of this theological practice;
The development of appropriate means to help individual and institutional members to review the implicit theological assumptions in the philosophy and practice of their pastoral counseling;
The applications of pastoral counseling expertise to current social issues in the Association and in society.

SECTION D - Certification Committee

The Certification Committee shall be responsible for:

Establishing and overseeing the procedures for reviewing and approving applications for individuals seeking certified status with the Association as qualified to practice, supervise and teach pastoral counseling.
Reviewing the standards for individuals seeking certified status with the Association and recommending revision of these standards to the Board of Directors.

SECTION E - Institutional Accreditation Committee

The Institutional Accreditation Committee shall be responsible for:

Determining the procedures for the processing of applications for institutional membership and affiliation in the Association;
Overseeing the procedures for election to institutional membership as an accredited Service Center and for approval as an Institutional Candidate or Affiliate of applicants who satisfy the requirements as determined by a Regional Institutional Accreditation Committee, and for election to institutional membership as an approved Training Program in Pastoral Counseling of applicants after their examination by both Regional and Association Institutional Accreditation Committees;
Reviewing the standards for institutional membership and affiliation in the Association and recommending revision of these standards to the Board of Directors when revision seems needed.

SECTION F - Formation Committee - Responsible for, and oversight of, formation and training opportunities for individuals, agencies, regions, and Association leadership.

SECTION G - Leadership Development Committee - In addition to overseeing the development of leadership in the Association, this committee will serve as the nominating committee and shall be responsible for:

Nominating two persons for each office scheduled for election, with the exception of nominations for President, in which case the current Vice President shall be nominated and run unopposed unless there are additional nominations as provided for in paragraph 3 below. Should the Vice President decline to run for President, two names would be placed in nomination for President. It also selects persons to serve on Board of Directors established committees, as appropriate.
Nominating persons for the five "at large" seats on the Board of Directors, as well as for the chairs of Standing Committees, scheduled for election.
Circulating the names of those nominated to the membership three months or more prior to the Annual Meeting;
Receiving additional nominations submitted by petition of ten or more members, which petitions must be received by the Leadership Development Committee Chair not less than 3 months prior to the Annual Meeting;
Preparing a brief biographical statement with the photograph of each candidate nominated and submitting the same with a ballot to all members 2 months prior to the Annual Meeting;
Overseeing receipt of ballots from the membership;
Overseeing the counting of all ballots received not later than 3 weeks prior to the Annual Meeting and reporting the results to the President for announcement at the Annual Meeting;
If a candidate withdraws his/her name prior to the Annual Meeting, the Leadership Development Committee shall present the name(s) of other candidates in another mail ballot. Members shall have thirty days after such a ballot is mailed to respond. The result of such an election shall be announced in the Newsletter of the Association, and that person's term of office shall begin at the time of the announcement.

ARTICLE XI - INDEMNIFICATION

The Association shall, to the extent legally permissible, indemnify each person (and his or her heirs, executors, administrators, or other legal representatives) who is, or shall have been, a member of the Association, a member of the Board of Directors, an officer of the Association, or an employee of the Association, against all liabilities and expenses (including judgments, fines, penalties and attorney’s fees) and all amounts paid, reasonably incurred by any such person in connection with, or arising out of, any action or threatened action, suit or proceeding in which any such person may be involved, directly or indirectly, by reason of his or her being or having been an Association member, Board member, officer or employee of the Association, except in relation to matters as to which any such person shall be finally adjudged (other than by consent) in such action, suit or proceeding (i) to have breached an officer or director’s fiduciary duty of loyalty to the Association, (ii) to have acted or failed to act not in good faith or with intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, or (iii) to have engaged in any transaction from which the officer or director derived an improper personal benefit. The Association’s indemnification of employees and other persons or agents of the Association shall not exceed, and shall be limited to, that provided herein to officers and directors, such expenses and liabilities to include, but not be limited to, judgments, court costs and attorney’s fees and the cost of reasonable settlements. In the event that a settlement or compromise of such action, suit or proceeding is effected, indemnification may be had but only if the Board of Directors shall have been furnished with an opinion or counsel for the Association to the effect that such settlement or compromise is in the best interest of the Association and that such Association member, trustee, officer or employee does appear to have acted other than by any proscribed act described in the foregoing exceptions (i) through (iii), and if the Board of Directors shall have adopted a resolution approving such settlement or compromise. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of other rights to which any Association member, trustee, officer or employee may be otherwise entitled. The provisions of this section are severable, and if any provision or portion hereof shall for any reason be held inapplicable, illegal or ineffective, this shall not affect any right of indemnification existing otherwise than under this section. The Association may, through action by the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee if good cause be shown, advance payment to a person for whom indemnification is due as provided herein, and purchase directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. This provision is subject to amendment and shall apply to claims for indemnification when actually made in writing and received by the Association and not be applied to or be based upon a date of occurrence giving rise to the claim or the indemnification provision that was then in effect.

ARTICLE XII - FINANCES

SECTION A - The fiscal year of the Association shall begin on the first day of July of each year and shall end on the last day of June of the following year.

SECTION B - The dues for members of the Association, and the processing fees for application for membership, shall be recommended by the Board of Directors to the Annual Meeting and shall be established by majority vote of the membership present and voting.

SECTION C - Dues statements shall be mailed prior to April 15 for the fiscal year beginning the following July 1.

SECTION D - The Association will receive designated funds for purposes of the Association, including for regional programming.

ARTICLE XIII - AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS

SECTION A - Proposed amendments to the Bylaws may be initiated by the Board of Directors, by a region or by a petition of fifty or more voting members. Such proposed amendments must be received by the Secretary at least 90 days prior to the Annual Meeting at which time they are to be discussed.

SECTION B - Each proposed amendment shall be referred by the Secretary to the Board of Directors' Bylaws Revision and Interpretation Committee for study, analysis and recommendation to the Board of Directors. The Board shall have the right to make revisions which are acceptable to the originators. The Board of Directors shall submit each proposed amendment, along with its recommendation, to the membership for its consideration and discussion at the Annual Meeting. Following such discussion at the Annual Meeting, the proposed amendments shall be submitted to the voting membership for mail vote. Ballots are to be received at a designated place no less than 30 days after the ballots are mailed to the membership. Ballots are to be counted by persons designated by the Board of Directors. If a majority of those voting approve the proposed amendment, it shall pass.

SECTION C - An approved amendment to the Bylaws shall be announced in writing to the membership and shall become effective upon its announcement.

Footnotes
[1] This category was closed to new applicants as of June 30, 1994.

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