APCE is an association made up of those who are serving or have served in educational ministries, as ministers, professional or volunteer educators, or students, in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Church in America, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Moravian Church in America, and the Christian Reformed Church in North America.

The purpose of the Association of Partners in Christian Education, Inc. is to advance educational ministries in the Church and increase the ongoing witness of our faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. APCE encourages professional recognition through certification and/or designation, provides opportunities for improvement of professional skills, supports personal enrichment, actively advocates for church education, serves as a channel to and from denominational structures, and recognizes achievements and innovative contributions of church educators. The corporation is organized exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.APCE is an association made up of those who are serving or have served in educational ministries, as ministers, professional or volunteer educators, or students, in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Church in America, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, the Moravian Church in America, and the Christian Reformed Church in North America.

We, the Association of Partners in Christian Education, value faith formation for all ages, stages, and walks of life. As we continue to learn and grow as baptized people, we acknowledge a lack of diversity in our organization. As followers of Jesus Christ, we admit we fall short in acting upon what we hear, not listening to all voices at the table. We acknowledge that our actions, both implicit and explicit, have stifled these voices long silenced. Jesus calls us to inclusiveness, which we seek to embody as we wrestle with how to achieve diversity, equity, and justice.

• • We define diversity as creating and preserving a place at the table for all of God’s children regardless of color and its racialization, gender and/or sexual identity, ability, denomination, economic circumstance, culture, nationality, or other barriers to participation.
  • We define equity as the good fruits of God’s intention, striving to bring special attention to those who have traditionally been treated unequally and unjustly.
  • We define justice as giving support and comfort to the “least of these” – the outsiders, the powerless, and the voiceless.

Why APCE?

…because Growing in Faith Matters.

At its Fall 2018 meeting, the APCE Coordinating Council explored why we do what we do and the impact we aspire to have in the lives of others and in the world. From these explorations, the Council discerned a working why: We do what we do because Growing in Faith Matters.

With this working why in mind, the Coordinating Council identified three strategic priorities for the coming years:

• To increase the accessibility and availability of APCE generated or curated resources to people serving in the Christian educational ministries of the church;
• To increase opportunities at the local and regional levels;
• To develop facilitated colleague groups—with mentors, coaches, or guides—around topics of interest.

This working why—and these strategic priorities—seek to craft a vision that builds upon the best of the past as APCE follows God’s calling and leading into the future.