Practicing the presence of God
and providing care to all with proven professional chaplaincy
The Association of Certified Christian Chaplains (ACCC) is a nationally recognized Board Certifying body with members providing care in most of the fifty states. ACCC utilizes the “National Common Standards” in our Board Certifying process. The ACCC certifying process includes an interview with the National Panel on Certification, online exam exhibiting vocational competence, written evidence articulating the candidate’s theory and practice developed through experience and education, simulated role play to measure situational awareness and appropriately employing effective spiritual care.
ACC’s Affirmation of Faith
God
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)
There is one true God Creator, Redeemer, and Preserver of the universe. God is eternal, God is holy, God is love; God is triune, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each with distinct attributes but without division or nature, essence, or being, and who alone is worthy of worship.
Jesus Christ
“In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” (Colossians 2:9)
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, who, in His incarnation, was conceived of the Holy Spirit and Born of the Virgin Mary, fully God and fully human. Jesus lived perfectly and revealed the will of God was crucified, died, was buried, and, on the third day, rose from the dead. Having atoned for the sins of humankind on the cross, He ascended into Heaven, is exalted at the right hand of God, and will return in power and glory to judge the world. Christ dwells in all believers as the
living ever-present Lord.
Holy Spirit
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another, the Advocate, to be
with you forever. This is the Spirit of Truth— whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know him because He abides with you, and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. The Spirit exalts Jesus Christ and convicts humans of sin, unrighteousness, and of judgment. The Spirit enables humankind to understand truth, calls all to the Savior, effects regeneration of those who accept Christ as Savior, and infuses believers with the Fruit of the Spirit
Salvation
“It is by grace through faith that you are saved. This is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8)
“Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
The salvation of sinners is wholly God’s work of grace, offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by his life, death, and resurrection obtained eternal redemption for the believer. This salvation by grace through faith is secured through repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord.
Humankind
“So God created humankind in His image, in the image of God, he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
Created in God’s image, humankind is the crowning work of creation. By free will humans rebel against the love of God, rupturing the relationship by transgressing the commands of God and falling under condemnation. Only the grace of God can restore humans into a proper relationship with God and enable them to fulfill the creative purpose of God.
Scripture
“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness…” (2 Timothy 3:16)
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The ordinances of the Lord are sure, and altogether righteous.”
(Psalm 19:7-9)
The Holy Bible is the divinely inspired book of Old and New Testament scriptures, authoritative for faith and practice, wherein the way of salvation and holy living is illumined. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.
Marriage
“And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6)
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment. It is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman, in marriage, the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.
The Church
“And He has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:20-23)
The church is composed of all true Disciples of Christ. Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church. Christians are to associate themselves with local churches. The church is an autonomous body, operating under the lordship of Christ. Each church is given the authority to worship, carry out ministry, and to exercise the gifts and privileges invested in them by Christ.
Last Things
In God’s time and in His own way, He will bring the world to its appropriate end. God has appointed a day when He will judge the world by Jesus Christ—when all people shall receive their just reward; the unredeemed shall be condemned to everlasting punishment; the righteous shall be given everlasting life in the glory of God.
Our Christian Worldview
“… are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3)
Christ is “… the image of the invisible God… For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible … all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him, all things are held together.” (Colossians 1:15-17)
Christ is the Creator and center of the universe. Jesus proclaimed; “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6)
It is this Way, this Truth, and this
Life, the Association of Professional Conservative Chaplains promotes. Our Lord invites us to “Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)
This invitation we accept. All truth is God’s truth. All sound learning is part of our Christian heritage and calling and is centered in a Christian world view, where Jesus is Lord and we are His Disciples.
