Obtain your certification in Church Administration

Enroll in our certification program for church administrators. You can obtain certification as a church administrator or as a church secretary.

Benefits of Certification

• Professional credentialing for your career
• The training enhances your skills and knowledge in church administration
• Helps you to gain confidence in your job assignments
• Allows you to apply to teach at some of our workshops/conferences

 Certification Requirements

Must be a current member of International Association of Certified Church Administrators (IAOCCA) for at least 24 months. (You can start the certification program within two months of membership; however, certification cannot be issued until after two years of membership).

Must have worked in a ministry assistant position for a minimum of three years full-time or six years part-time (volunteer or paid) for a local church or denominational/headquarters office.

Must complete a minimum of 80 hours of training through IAOCCA (via DVDs, CDs, home-study, onsite workshops, online, etc) within three years of applying for certification.

Upon being accepted in the certification program, candidate has three years to fulfill all the requirements for certification.

Must attend our annual IAOCCA conference within three years of beginning the program. If unable to attend an annual training conference, candidate must purchase the conference DVDs and complete the question/answer workbook and submit it to IAOCCA.

Candidate must complete and pass the online certification test (can take the test up to three times if needed, within three years)

Candidate must submit completed evaluations forms from immediate supervisor, senior pastor (if he/she is not your immediate supervisor), board member (or equivalent based on denominational structure).

Candidate must complete application form and pay non-refundable certification fee of $125.00 upon applying for the certification program.

Adhere to the standards and code of ethics.

 Sample Certification Subjects

Forty-Six detailed classes to choose from so you can select topics that best fits your needs.  

• Principles in Church Administration – This course will focus on what church administration is, and the roles of the administrative and pastoral staff. It lays the foundation for the church administration degree program. 

• Principles of Church Membership: This course overviews the purpose of church membership, integrating new members into the church, nurturing, maturing and equipping members, when members leave unannounced, and more.

• Principles in Effective Writing and Editing: – This course provides basic writing techniques necessary for every ministry assistant to successfully communicate in print.

• Principles of Dealing with Difficult Members – This course provides a detailed study of effectively serving difficulty members without compromising your sanity or the church’s mission. 

•  Board of Directors Orientation – Some churches call them Board of Elders, some empower their trustees to fulfill this role, whatever your church may call this group of people that are set in your church to help ensure order, policies and financial accountability is maintained, this course will provide you with a working knowledge of establishing an efficient board of directors.

• Pastoral Care – Although most pastoral care courses deal with the nurturing and care that a pastor is to give to the sheep, this course deals with the ministry that the church can give to pastors to help alleviate unnecessary stress, financial hardship and preventing them from becoming causalities in ministry.

• Church Personnel and Staff Development – This course provides details on how to establish on how to develop a functioning team ministry, the importance of job descriptions, and maintaining the team. 

After joining IAOCCA, click here to email us for your certification enrollment packet.  Note: Certification Enrollment Packets are only sent to members of IAOCCA - (no exceptions)