The Salvation Army Continuing Education Program (SACEP) is required for all officers in the first five years of service. The program consists of two parts; coursework, and residential retreats. Officers will need to successfully complete four (4) courses during the five years following commissioning, and attend an annual Connection Retreat each year in May.
Coursework for the four SACEP courses to be completed prior to promotion to captain need to be approved thorugh ORD and your Leader for Officer Development at Division or Command HQ. You may choose some of the following:
- online courses from partnering universities – IWU, ONU and NBC
- approved certificates & courses offered through ORD (see Opportunities through ORD for details)
- individualized course selection through degree completion options
COURSE OPTIONS
ORD DEPARTMENT:
The following courses are offered through the Officer Resource and Development Department. Please click here to see these items and contact the Officer Resource and Development department for registration and questions.
Online Courses (English Language) – Indiana Wesleyan University – IWU; Nazarene Bible College; & Olivet Nazarene University (ONU)
Onboarding– Please note: All courses with NBC, ONU and IWU require first-time students to participate in their onboarding course designed for online learning. You must complete the onboarding ahead of your planned course. Please plan an additional 3-6 weeks to complete the registration process and the onboarding. Failure to do so will prevent you from enrolling in your desired course.
Courses for continuing education, developed in partnership with Olivet Nazarene University, consisting of online courses began in January 2019. Four (4) courses must be successfully completed within five years of commissioning to meet the educational requirements for the consideration of confirmation of officership and promotion to captain. ONU Course List Summer-Fall 24. Course Descriptions.
Beginning in 2022, select courses have been offered through Indiana Wesleyan University Bridge Initiative. These courses can be taken for credit toward meeting SACEP requirements and can be applied to the completion of a degree if desired. Please check out the “Course Offering—IWU” link to view all available coursework. Courses through IWU are offered through scheduled offering times that are posted with the course in the database.
Nazarene Bible College is now offering English-based courses for SACEP officers. These courses, also, can be taken for credit toward meeting SACEP requirements and can be applied to the completion of a degree if desired. Please check out the “Course Offering Fall/Spring/Summer 24—25 NBC” to view the limited available courses.- Each semester these courses will change, and not all will be available each term. Do not let a course pass you by if you are interested. A required online orientation is required for students new to NBC, so plan with enough time in mind.
Online Courses (Spanish Language) – Nazarene Bible College (NBC)
Beginning in January 2019, Spanish-speaking officers may choose to take online courses from NBC to complete SACEP requirements. Four (4) courses must be successfully completed within five years of commissioning to meet the educational requirements for the consideration of confirmation of officership and promotion to captain. The course descriptions highlighted here are available for SACEP credit. A Mandatory Orientation course must be completed prior to registering for a SACEP course. Please contact ORD with questions. 2025 – 2026 Schedule and registration Coming Soon.
Connection Retreat (formerly SACEP Retreat)
A three-day Connection Retreat, held each year in May, is required. The Retreat will consist of: interviews with the Secretary for Personnel for fifth-year officers, sessional break-out meetings, structured and individual opportunities for spiritual formation, corporate worship, corporate instruction in a topic related to officership, and unstructured time for fellowship. Specific details for the annual retreat will be found under the link “Connection Retreat.”
Degree Completion
Officers seeking to complete a degree started with ONU, NBC, IWU or another institution may do so under the Officer Education Assistance Program (OEA). However, if interested, the officer can work with ORD and their Leader for Officer Development to develop a plan to integrate their SACEP courses into a degree completion plan with a university partner or university of their choice. Please contact Rob DeGeorge in ORD for details.
Application to OEA, following the completion of SACEP requirements, is required to continue on to finalize the degree. Officers enrolled in the IWU, ONU or the NBC (Spanish) tracks for SACEP courses may choose to continue their coursework to complete the full degree, or choose from a selection of available programs. Please refer to the “Degree Completion with ONU or NBC or IWU” links for additional information. For other Degree Completion options, see “Education Resources for Officers” link on the ORD main page or the “Other Degree Completion Options” link to the left.
