Eligibility and Requirements

Eligibility

Certification is open to individuals working on a local church staff or in a denominational office, provided their job responsibilities have a primary element of support to local congregations in one of the key areas of administrative leadership.  These candidates must submit the document of denominational leadership, which confirms their work with congregations. Other interested parties also are welcome and encouraged to take part in this educational opportunity. 
                                                                                   
Candidates are encouraged to be a member of the national association while completing certification.

 Candidate must have completed at least three years of fulltime service or full-time equivalent in a local congregational church setting or denominational office in which he/she has had primary responsibility in one or more of the key areas of administration. Candidates may start the certification process prior to obtaining the experience requirement but are bound to the five years completion limits.

Calculation for full time equivalent is based on a 2080 hour work year. Full-time equivalent may be in more than one congregation as an employee or outsource support. Individuals should submit in writing the details of their part-time experience and why they feel it is equivalent.

• Personnel/Human Resource Management
• Staff Development
• Congregational Leadership
• Theology of Stewardship
• Office Management
• Information Management
• Property Management
• Communication and Marketing
• Strategic Planning
• Financial Management
• Stewardship of Self
• Legal & Tax Matters
• Christian Perspectives & Theology of Church
• Theology and Ethics of Church Administration

Applicable forms and processing fees must be submitted by June 1 of the year in which the candidate is to be certified.

Requirements

Requirements include the following:

• Candidate must complete the course requirements for academic study through one of the approved training centers
• Candidates must complete an action-based certification project as outlined in the Project Guidelines. Project are available for download in the resource store and are free to members and fee based to non-members. Click here for a complete list of projects.
• Candidate must subscribe to the NACBA Code of Ethics
• Candidates must complete the certification process within five years of their official start date, which is the date the candidate completes the first seminar