All Licensed and Ordained Ministers in the Pacific Southwest Region are required to meet the minimum standard of 1.5 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) per year to maintain standing in the PSWR, effective January 1, 2006. 1.5 CEUs equals 15 hours of instructional time.  

Ministers can earn CEUs by attending either Regionally sponsored and other religious/spiritual educational opportunities not sponsored by the PSWR. 

To apply for CEU credit for Regionally sponsored events, a CEU credit form will be provided for you at the event and will be stamped by event leaders at the end of the event. The minister is then required to submit this stamped form to the Regional Office for the credit to be applied to their ministerial profile. Submit the form and documentation via email to Michel Johnson at mjohnson@docpswr.org or a copy mailed to the Regional Office. Be sure to keep a copy for your records.

To apply for CEU credit for events not sponsored by the PSWR, download and print the PSWR CEU Form. Complete the form and attach proper proof that you completed the instructional hours. Submit the form and documentation via email to support@disciplespswr.org or a copy mailed to the Regional Office. Be sure to keep a copy for your records.

Upcoming CEU opportunities will often be shared via PSWR E-Shout. Use the form below to sign up to receive these emails. Please scroll down below for a list of upcoming CEU opportunities. You can also check the PSWR Regional Calendar and the “Upcoming Events” page for information on upcoming events.

CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY’S FOUNDERS DAY
SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2025

The Office of Church Relations will hold their 41st Annual Founders Day on Saturday, March 8, 2025 and will bring a new format to the beloved tradition. Familiar faces from the Chapman community will tell true stories to the theme of Oops, I did it again! in a StoryHour coached and hosted by Rebecca Anderson, a storyteller and copastor of Gilead Chicago and Bethany UCC. This StoryHour experience will not only be a time of joy, mirth, and connection, but it will lead us into deeper understandings of our shared identities.

The day will begin with a time for (re)connection with a coffee hour, featuring live music and a café atmosphere. President of the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, Joel Brown, will preach at the opening worship, which will feature Disciples on Campus students, the Chapman University Singers, and the talents of local musicians. Workshops, including The Evolution of Black Music: A Journey Through Sound and Spirit led by musician Angelica Rowell, will precede lunch and an opportunity for campus tours. The StoryHour will cap the celebration.

Ministers can earn CEU’s for full participation. Chapman has lowered the cost of tickets, and scholarships are available by contacting Jack Veatch at churchrelations@chapman.edu. No one is turned away because of finances!

Online registration can be found at chapman.edu/founders-day. Questions or need assistance with online registration? Please call University Tickets at (714) 997-6812. For all other Founders Day questions please contact the Office of Church Relations at (714) 997-6760.

And we are serious—do not let the cost of registration keep you away. If you need a scholarship, please ask for it! We hope to see there!

PREACHING THESE DAYS
Tuesday, February 25 11:00 am PT

The Proclamation Project is hosting a conversation with three preachers who serve local Disciples congregations about what preaching is like these days. How do we prepare our sermons? What particular challenges are we facing? In what ways are we responding to the world around us? What resources are we finding helpful?

Featured on the panel will be Rev. Sam Ramirez, Rev. Emily Bowen-Marler and Rev. R. Janae Pitts-Murdock, with moderator Rev. Lee Hull Moses. Following the panel discussion, attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions and join the conversation. Register here.

LEARN TO LIVE WEBINARS

Promoting More Helpful Self-talk: Advanced Strategies to Address the Core of Your Thinking
Feb 12, 2025 @ 10:00 - 10:30 AM PT

Our self-talk influences our emotions and impacts our overall well-being. Join us for an enlightening webinar that delves into transforming the core beliefs that silently drive our self-talk. In this interactive session, you’ll learn advanced strategies to shift the core beliefs underlying our negative self-talk to feel more capable, valuable, and confident.

Good News About the Winter Blues
Feb 19, 2025 @ 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM

For many of us, the winter months can feel awfully long with colder temperatures and far less sunshine. Motivation and mood can drop, either subtly or so significantly that even usual day-to-day activities feel impossible. But, in this 15-minute webinar, we will share the good news: that there are research-supported steps we can take to live fully, even through wintertime challenges.

The Role of Optimism in Overcoming Life's Challenges
Feb 20, 2025 @ 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Will we succeed or fail? Will tomorrow be bright or gloomy? Many of us don’t realize that how we view our past can have a huge impact on our future. In this webinar, we’ll share a new lens for viewing setbacks to build resilience & create optimism for the future.

Good News About the Winter Blues
Feb 28, 2025 @ 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

For many of us, the winter months can feel awfully long with colder temperatures and far less sunshine. Motivation and mood can drop, either subtly or so significantly that even usual day-to-day activities feel impossible. But, in this 15-minute webinar, we will share the good news: that there are research-supported steps we can take to live fully, even through wintertime challenges.

A GUIDE TO CONTEMPLATION WITH OLDER ADULTS
Wednesdays in February, 9:00 - 10:00 am PT

Join us throughout the month of February for the Older Adults DO Meditate. A Guide to Contemplation With Older Adults webinar series, presented by Older Adult Ministries and featuring Revs. Kimberly Weir and Paul Koch.  

Paul and Kimberly share from their experiences leading online and in-person contemplative prayer/meditation groups. They will lead a meditation and prayer to expand and deepen spiritual connections.

VOICES OF DEMOCRACY AFTER 2024 ELECTIONS:
A PATH TO DISCERNMENT AND PROPHETIC ACTION
February 20, 4:30pm PT

This webinar aims to engage participants in discernment and understanding of the electoral process and its outcomes. As election results reveal various complexities, challenges, and opportunities for prophetic action related to justice and the well-being of communities, this webinar will focus on identifying signs of both challenge and hope. We believe that, as citizens and people of faith, we can foster positive change in the political landscape over the next four years. What alternatives can we explore to nurture hope and align our actions with these ideals in our ministries and places of mission?

FAITHFUL VOICES:
BREAKING THE SILENCE ON SUICIDE
February 26, 1:00pm CT

In 2022, suicide accounted for 49,476 deaths in the United States—approximately one every 11 minutes. Historically, suicide rates among Black Americans have been perceived as lower compared to other racial groups. However, current trends show an alarming increase in suicidality, challenging outdated perceptions and emphasizing the necessity for a shift in public awareness and intervention strategies to save lives. This vital webinar addresses breaking the stigma, addressing the crisis, and creating effective, compassionate support systems for those in need.

ECO STORY CIRCLE SERIES:
EXPLORING GRATITUDE AND GRIEF IN THESE TIMES

March 6th - April 17th  | Thursdays, 12-1:15 pm ET

Led by Rev. Scott Hardin-Nieri and therapists Connie Burns and Sydne Stone through Disciples Home Missions/Green Chalice Ministry.

This 7-week Lenten learning experience is designed by therapists, pastors and chaplains. Together, we will explore emotional and spiritual responses and share stories in the face of current ecological and social challenges. Responses like grief and sorrow, anxiety and fear, guilt and shame, anger, and despair are normal responses in unprecedented times. This course is designed to offer mutual support, healing, insight, and compassion, not a therapy experience. *Registration Fee = $20 (Scholarships available, Email Shardinnieri@gmail.com) Register through this link

Past participants expressed profound gratitude for being among people who could talk honestly about grief, suffering, and the ecological and social challenges of our time.

The movement of these 7-weeks together will include the following: 1. Introductions/Orientation 2. Sorrow/Grief 3. Anger 4. Fear/anxiety
5. Shame/Guilt 6. Despair/Hopelessness 7. Integration and wholeness

LEADERSHIP ACADEMY - EMERGE
Asynchronous Online Course

New Church Ministry is now offering a Leadership Academy course on CHURCHx, an elearning platform built to support mission and ministry. Learn about the DisciplesNEXT framework from the comfort of your own home and at your own pace. This course is ideal for those who work during the week or are bi-vocational. While it provides the same curriculum as those who attended Leadership Academy in person, only the EMERGE track session is currently available. EMERGE participants discern their missional purpose, develop their future stories, and prepare their communities of faith for launch. However, workshops and resources are continuously being added. Access to this course never expires. Learn more

BLACK MINISTERS RETREAT
March 11 - 13, 2025
Charleston, South Carolina

Register now for our 2025 Black Ministers Retreat!

“You, Stand” is our theme and our retreat text is Exodus 33:7-22.

God instructs the leader to stand on the rock and God will cover them. We have planned a time of refreshment, learning, and remembrance. Come and enjoy!

“Yoga on the Beach” will be lead by Joselyn Spence, M.Div, LPC, ATR, CCTP, RYT. She is the Director of Mental Health and Wellness for the National Benevolent Association  Of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 

New Church Ministry proudly presents IMPACT, a new webinar series that welcomes you on a captivating journey of storytelling and deep mutual learning. In each episode, host and Minister of New Church Strategies Rev. Dr. Jose Martinez invites guests who have defied conventions and fostered vibrant communities of faith to share their invaluable experiences and personal narratives. By exploring the challenges, triumphs, and transformative moments of these visionary leaders, attendees gain invaluable inspiration and direction for their own ventures. 

This dynamic series embraces diversity, welcoming influential leaders from a multitude of faith traditions and backgrounds. From established religious institutions to emerging spiritual movements, IMPACT showcases a broad spectrum of voices and perspectives, ensuring participants have a rich tapestry of insights to draw from. While each of its speakers bring a distinct approach and innovative strategies to the table, equipping participants with a toolkit of ideas to create thriving, inclusive places of worship that resonate with today’s seekers, IMPACT emphasizes the power of storytelling as a catalyst for change. Whether you are an aspirational individual looking to make a difference or a member of an established congregation that is considering revitalizing its mission, IMPACT is your transformative guide. Join us as we delve into the profound potential that storytelling has to shape the future of faith communities worldwide. Together, we can ignite a new era of spiritual vitality and make an enduring impact on the lives of those we serve.

CERTIFICATE IN PASTORAL MINISTRY

Join the conversations that will expose you to new ideas, deepen your commitments, and give insights on how to minister in a changing world. The Center for Ministry and Lay Training's online program allows you to explore your call to ministry or even earn a Certificate in Pastoral Ministry. Click here to apply.

Phillips is the only Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) seminary offering this Certificate in Pastoral Ministry. Since 1906, Phillips has been educating those who serve the church and is pleased to continue the 120-year legacy of the Bible College of Missouri through the Center for Ministry and Lay Training.

As a student, you’ll not only learn from our top-notch faculty, but you’ll also build a network of others engaged in ministry. The Center for Ministry and Lay Training is not designed for those who want to do ministry the way it’s always been done. If you want to make a difference in this changing world, we’ll help you push beyond your comfort zone. Learn more about the program and upcoming course schedule.

Fundamentals of Transitional Ministry training consist of two steps and a small group Fieldwork experience. The first step is Fundamentals of Transitional Ministry: The Work of the Leader (FTML). The second step, Fundamentals of Transitional Ministry: The Work of the Congregation (FTMC) builds on the information and experiences of FTML. The curriculum is designed for experiential learning throughout. Participants read content prior to class so that they are able to use the information to understand specific transition situations as found in sacred stories or in congregational case studies. Even in the virtual world connections and conversation are a vital part of the IMN FTM training.

UN*SILENCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: BECOMING A SENSITIVE RESPONDER TO THE HIDDEN PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS

Clergy and lay leaders who are passionate about reducing Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence (DV/IPV) can sign up for a 5 hour training facilitated by Courtney Armento. The course is available for a discounted rate of $117 and is self-paced with occasional live sessions with Courtney for Q&A. In the course, you will discover what to say (and what not to say) to those experiencing DV/IVP so that you facilitate spaces of calm in the midst of their storm. You will become equipped to create safe spaces so that you can empower those going through DV/IVP to make conscious choices. With your help, we can turn around the toxic culture of DV/IVP that unfortunately many have experience in churches and reduce -- dare we say eliminate? -- DV/IVP in our communities. Sign up for the course here (CEU credits available)

Several ministries are offering online trainings and webinars for clergy and church leaders. One source is New Church Hacks, offered by New Church Ministry, a ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) that trains, equips, assists and multiplies emerging and affiliating congregations and leaders. New Church Hacks provides clever solutions to tricky problems and empowers courageous leaders with the tools, tips and how-tos to start, sustain and strengthen congregations.

ChurchWest Insurance and their partners are busy developing tools to help your ministries in the weeks and months to come. Please visit their website to browse available webinars. CEU credits will be given based on the length of the webinar session (most sessions average one hour).

The Lombard Mennonite Peace Center provides speakers and education resources for churches of all denominations on biblical peace and justice issues, as well as conflict transformation skills training and training for church leaders grounded in family systems theory. It also provides mediation and consultation services for churches, schools, and other organizations. Please visit their website to browse available webinars and educational opportunities. CEU credits will be given based on the length of the webinar session.

Union Theological Seminary | Progressive theology has long taken shape at Union, where faith and scholarship meet to reimagine the work of justice. Grounded in the Christian tradition and responsive to the needs of God’s creation, a Union education prepares its students for committed lives of service to the church, academy, and society. A Union education develops practices of mind and body that foster intellectual and academic excellence, social justice, and compassionate wisdom. Union forms courageous faith leaders who make a difference wherever they serve. Please visit their website to browse available webinars and educational opportunities. CEU credits will be given based on the length of the webinar session.