Who are our Alumni?
Recent program celebrations
Alumni Testimonials about CPEHere are the voices of experts, people who have taken at least one unit of CPE in the program at Alegent Health:
“I now see myself as having a strong, compassionate and confident pastoral authority among colleagues as well as with clients and family members. It seems I am better able to ‘think on my feet’.”
“CPE has given me an ability to be aware of me, to help me consciously choose how to respond to what is going on. I feel that I am living more awake, especially when I see people reacting and having no clue what is going on inside of them.”
“CPE was an amazing experience. I think it should be required of anyone considering ministry.”
“I use my CPE training almost daily.”
“CPE helped me to become focused in my ministry. CPE helped me realize that my personal growth (emotionally, physically, and spiritually) is also important.”
Main Outcomes of CPEOur CPE alumni, out of the program one, three, and five years, identify the following as most important for them (11 of 20 items are listed here in rank order for the three groups surveyed)
| |
Rank order 5-years out |
Rank order 3-years out |
Rank order
1-year out |
| Component in developing pastoral identity |
1 |
3 |
3 |
| Preparation for hospital/institution visitation in ministry |
2 |
1 |
2 |
| Impacted personal spiritual journey |
3 |
4 |
6 |
| Better understanding of ethical issues in health care |
3 |
15 |
5 |
| Helpful in appreciating value of peer group learning |
5 |
11 |
13 |
| Enhanced ability to reflect theologically about death, loss |
6 |
2 |
8 |
| Appreciate value of ongoing consultation/ supervision in ministry |
9 |
12 |
4 |
| Helpful in developing basic listening/counseling skills |
10 |
10 |
1 |
| Process to identify personal strengths |
14 |
8 |
14 |
| Process to identify personal limitations |
15 |
14 |
15 |
| Important step in pursuing career goals |
17 |
5 |
10 |
What do persons who send participants to CPE say?
In our last survey, field education supervisors and others involved in the formation of priests, pastors and other church workers identified the following as the most important outcomes of CPE:
| |
Rank order |
| Ability to identify personal limitations |
1 |
| Ability to identify personal strengths |
2 |
| Development of basic listening and counseling skills |
2 |
| Development of hospital/institutional visitation skills |
2 |
| Development of Pastoral identity |
5 |
| Development of crisis intervention skills |
5 |
Would you recommend CPE to a potential ministry candidate? Overwhelmingly, alumni answer
yes: 87.5% of those five years out; 94.1% of those three years out; and 92.7% of those one year out of CPE.
