There are five categories of NACC membership: Member, Affiliate, Student, Ministry Volunteer, and Education Institution.
Please see below to learn more about each membership category.
Individual Membership categories
Member
Member ($325 annual)
A Catholic Chaplain or other minister who is involved in spiritual care ministry and shares in the Church’s healing mission without the benefit of NACC certification. This membership level is a prerequisite for beginning the certification process.
Member Value
- Voting privileges
- Education and professional development offerings of:
- Reasonable, member-rate webinars and local events
- Free networking opportunities with colleague in over 20 different ministry areas to engage in sharing resources and leading practices
- Regular news of other professional resources through our e-newsletter, NACC Now
- Quality articles in our e-magazine Vision
- Mentoring for certification or spiritual care leadership on request
- Member-rate for our NACC national conference for those who can attend, and plenary talks and workshop resources for those who cannot
- Special convening of members on vital topics on request
- NACC special task forces involvement
- Knowledge, research, and resources available on the NACC website, www.nacc.org, or through special requests made through NACC Now.
- Advocacy support through our Strategic Partnerships with other chaplaincy associations
Responsibilities
- Keep NACC updated with professional/personal contact information
- Submit signed Member Ethics Statement
- Advocate for the NACC and professional chaplaincy
- Maintain annual membership dues
- Participate in the Association
Board Certified Chaplain/CPE Educator
Board Certified Chaplain/CPE Educator ($325 annual)
Board Certified Chaplain and CPE Educator are categories of certification, not membership.
A BCC member is:
A Catholic Chaplain or CPE Educator who has the benefit of professional certification granted by the NACC Certification Commission on behalf of the USCCB. Renewal of certification is required every five years. One applies for this category through the process outlined in the NACC Certification Competencies and Procedures.
Learn more about the prerequisites for, and processes of, NACC certification, on this page:
Prerequisites for Board Certification
Board Certified Value
- Voting privileges
- Opportunity to serve on NACC Board of Directors, Committees, Commissions, and Panels, and as Certification Interviewer and Interview Team Educator (ITE)
- NACC Board Certification and Renewal of certification
- Education and professional development offerings of:
- Reasonable, member-rate webinars and local events
- Free networking opportunities with colleague in over 20 different ministry areas to engage in sharing resources and leading practices
- Regular news of other professional resources through our e-newsletter, NACC Now
- Quality articles in our e-magazine Vision
- Mentoring for certification or spiritual care leadership on request
- Member-rate for our NACC national conference for those who can attend, and plenary talks and workshop resources for those who cannot
- Special convening of members on vital topics on request
- NACC special task forces involvement
- Knowledge, research, and resources available on the NACC website, www.nacc.org, or through special requests made through NACC Now.
- Advocacy support through our Strategic Partnerships with other chaplaincy associations
Responsibilities
- Keep NACC updated with professional/personal contact information
- Submit signed Member Ethics Statement
- Advocate for the NACC and professional chaplaincy
- Maintain annual membership dues and certification / renewal of certification fees
- Participate in the Association
- Submit signed Ethics Accountability Statement for Certification / renewal of certification
- Maintain professional development and education
- Follow renewal of certification schedule
Affiliate
Affiliate ($130 annual)
A professional who is involved or shares an interest in the Church’s healing mission and desires to further the mission of the NACC. This category of membership is open to individuals who serve in the Church’s pastoral care ministry field, as well as individuals of any denomination, professional association, healthcare organization, academic program, and those involved in working with or training CPE supervisors and chaplains.
Member Value
- Education and professional development offerings of:
- Reasonable, member-rate webinars and local events
- Free networking opportunities with colleague in over 20 different ministry areas to engage in sharing resources and leading practices
- Regular news of other professional resources through our e-newsletter, NACC Now
- Quality articles in our e-magazine Vision
- Mentoring for certification or spiritual care leadership on request
- Member-rate for our NACC national conference for those who can attend, and plenary talks and workshop resources for those who cannot
- Special convening of members on vital topics on request
- NACC special task forces involvement
- Knowledge, research, and resources available on the NACC website, www.nacc.org, or through special requests made through NACC Now.
- Advocacy support through our Strategic Partnerships with other chaplaincy associations
Responsibilities
- Keep NACC updated with professional/personal contact information
- Submit signed Member Ethics Statement
- Advocate for the NACC and professional chaplaincy
- Maintain annual membership dues
- Participate in the Association
Student
Student ($60 annual)
A student in an academic, ministry formation, or CPE program discerning chaplaincy as a career or as a valuable preparation for other ministries in the Church. Before applying for certification and receiving a certification application, a student must first become a Member.
Member Value
- Education and professional development offerings of:
- Reasonable, member-rate webinars and local events
- Free networking opportunities with colleague in over 20 different ministry areas to engage in sharing resources and leading practices
- Regular news of other professional resources through our e-newsletter, NACC Now
- Quality articles in our e-magazine Vision
- Mentoring for certification or spiritual care leadership on request
- Member-rate for our NACC national conference for those who can attend, and plenary talks and workshop resources for those who cannot
- Special convening of members on vital topics on request
- NACC special task forces involvement
- Knowledge, research, and resources available on the NACC website, www.nacc.org, or through special requests made through NACC Now.
- Advocacy support through our Strategic Partnerships with other chaplaincy associations
Responsibilities
- Keep NACC updated with professional/personal contact information
- Submit signed Member Ethics Statement
- Advocate for the NACC and professional chaplaincy
- Maintain annual membership dues
- Participate in the Association
Ministry Volunteer
Ministry Volunteer ($60 annual)
An individual serving in a volunteer spiritual/pastoral care program for a specific setting (e.g., health care, parish, elder care, corrections, etc.) to provide spiritual and religious support for the vulnerable.
Ministry Volunteer Member Application
Member Value
- Education and professional development offerings of:
- Reasonable, member-rate webinars and local events
- Free networking opportunities with colleague in over 20 different ministry areas to engage in sharing resources and leading practices
- Regular news of other professional resources through our e-newsletter, NACC Now
- Quality articles in our e-magazine Vision
- Mentoring for certification or spiritual care leadership on request
- Member-rate for our NACC national conference for those who can attend, and plenary talks and workshop resources for those who cannot
- Special convening of members on vital topics on request
- NACC special task forces involvement
- Knowledge, research, and resources available on the NACC website, www.nacc.org, or through special requests made through NACC Now.
- Advocacy support through our Strategic Partnerships with other chaplaincy associations
Responsibilities
- Keep NACC updated with professional/personal contact information
- Submit signed Member Ethics Statement
- Advocate for the NACC and professional chaplaincy
- Maintain annual membership dues
- Participate in the Association
Special Membership categories
Retired Membership
Retired Membership
Retired is defined as a person who has maintained membership in the NACC for at least five consecutive years and is now retired (no longer earning a salary as a chaplain), and desires to remain active in NACC and retain member privileges and responsibilities. Retired members who meet these criteria are eligible to vote.
An NACC board certified (BCC) member may enter the Retired Board Certified – Reduced
Certification Requirements category. A member requesting this category is one:
- who has been certified for at least five years,
- has successfully engaged in at least one five-year renewal of certification process, and
- seeks to remain active in NACC as a retired member (i.e. no longer earning a salary as a
chaplain/CPE supervisor).
Maintaining Certification in Retirement
For more information please visit this page.
Retired Status Request Form
Institutional Membership categories
Education Institution
Education Institution Membership ($500 annual)
NACC Membership includes:
- Your institution’s logo/address will be featured on the certification section of our website. Your logo will link to your site with hyperlinks to your degrees that meet our certification requirements. We can also include links to any special programs.
- Our semi-monthly E-newsletter, NACC Now, that shares chaplaincy news, provides links to valuable resources, and offers reflection on ministry, will also alert your students to over twenty networking calls we have for members involved in special chaplaincy ministries such as palliative care and hospice, correctional settings, etc., including a quarterly call for student members.
- Access to Vision web magazine providing high quality articles on specific ministry topics that can also be valuable resources for graduate courses, and research projects.
- Our website has numerous resources on specific chaplaincy issues.
- Access to NACC-sponsored webinars so your students can learn more regarding contemporary pastoral ministry issues.
- Access to nearly ten years of archived webinars on key topics that could be utilized in an on-line or in person class.
- Information regarding NACC-sponsored workshops and nationally streamed educational offerings on pastoral care, and the ability to participate at our low member rates.
- Potential networking with chaplains in your area to learn more about chaplaincy and preparing for this career. We have members who are state liaisons who can assist with those contacts.
- The resource of NACC members to present on the profession of chaplaincy and other professional topics to a student gathering, a class, or at a career day.
We will also work with you to determine other specific needs, such as:
- Involvement in NACC collaborative initiatives that advance the spiritual care ministry
- Resources for academic staff or students upon request
- Network with other Education Institution members on key issues of chaplaincy education
- Other specifically designed services, as requested
Vision E-Publication and NACC Now Electronic Newsletter
Vision, a serial publication of the NACC, is posted on the website six times a year. As a member of NACC you will also receive a bi-weekly NACC Now electronic newsletter by providing an email address.
