Ecclesiastical Endorsement
Unity Worldwide Ministries currently offers ecclesiastical endorsements for military, healthcare or correctional facility chaplains who are affiliated with a Unity ministry (i.e. regular attendee and volunteer at a ministry).
An ecclesiastical endorsement is not a letter of recommendation or an ordination and does not authorize the chaplain to perform marriages or other activities that an ordained minister or license Unity teacher (LUT) is approved to perform. The endorsement is a document that states that the person is qualified spiritually, doctrinally, educationally, and professionally to represent Unity in the specialized setting.
PREREQUISITES INCLUDE:
A list of required SEE Classes can be found at Spiritual Education & Enrichment | Unity Worldwide Ministries (unityuwm.org). There are 3 options for registering and taking these required courses.
* Online courses are offered by Unity Worldwide Spiritual Institute (UWSI) in four terms each year: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. UWSI info can be found at https://www.unityuwm.org/academic_calendar
* Online courses are offered by Unity Urban Ministerial School (UUMS). UUMS info can be found at www.uums.org
* Field courses can be taught by any Unity Minister or Licensed Unity Teacher through a local Unity Ministry. Field courses require a $45 administrative fee paid to UWSI, plus whatever the ministry asks in tuition or donation. Find a ministry at Map of Ministries | Unity Worldwide Ministries (unityuwm.org). Field Course info can be found at SEE Field Courses | Unity Worldwide Ministries (unityuwm.org)
Present evidence of successful completion of four units of formal institutional training in clinical pastoral education (CPE). A unit is at least 400 hours of supervised training.
Provide a letter describing suitability for clinical pastoral work from your Unity Minister.
Provide evidence that the desired institution requires ecclesiastical endorsement as a condition of employment or volunteer service.
SUBMISSIONS:
If you are interested in an ecclesiastical endorsement and meet the above requirements, send the following items as attachments to DBoehm@Unity.org or through our secure website upload "Send Us a File" found on our home page at | Unity Worldwide Ministries (unityuwm.org)
* A transcript showing completion of the 18 required Spiritual Education and Enrichment Classes,
* evidence of completion of the CPE requirement, and
* evidence that the institution requires ecclesiastical endorsement, including their phone number and email
* Your minister must send a separate letter directly to us describing your suitability for clinical pastoral work
After completion of the above requirements, the endorsement will be mailed directly to the institution requiring the endorsement and a copy will be sent to the candidate. Any previous endorsements for the candidate will be terminated and notification of the termination will be sent to the previous institution.
Credentialing Department
Rev. Lynn O'Dell, Credentialing Coordinator, Lodell@unity.org
Denise Boehm, Credentialing Assistant, Dboehm@unity.org