Whereas “Theological Foundations and Policies and Criteria for the Ordering of Ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)” is the guiding document for all Ministry Policies in the United States and Canada, and Whereas The Christian Church in Illinois and Wisconsin is an active member region in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and Whereas TFPCOM calls for regular participation in programs of study, growth, and renewal; and adherence to the Ministerial Code of Ethics (Sec. F, Paragraph 2, TFPCOM):

Be it therefore resolved that Active Ministers with Standing in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Illinois and Wisconsin (“the Region”) shall be henceforth required to participate in at least one training event in the area of Ministerial Ethics annually in order to maintain standing.

Be it further resolved that the Region shall offer training programs annually in at least these four areas of instruction:

• Clergy Sexual Ethics and Boundary Training
• Anti-Racism, Pro-Reconciling Training
• Clergy and Congregational Financial Ethics
• Ethics of Spirituality and Self-Care

It is the expectation that the above programs would be offered on a four year rotation, in each part of the region, and ministers in those geographic areas would make every effort to attend annual training in cohort fashion on a rotating basis. In addition to programs offered by the Region, ministers may in engage in alternate programs of ethical training with advance written approval from the Regional Minister. These programs might come from other Regions, General Units, or Constituency Groups of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), or could be offered by professional associations such as Chaplaincy Programs. Likewise, general programs offered by training institutes beyond the above may be approved at the discretion of the Regional Minister.

It is important to note that over time every active minister with Standing in the Region will be expected to maintain training each of the four areas, and may not simply attend the same training each year simply to meet the requirement.