Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) had its beginning at Baylor with the creation of the Department of Pastoral Care on January 2, 1974. Chaplain Joseph E. Gross was employed at that time as Director of Pastoral Care to establish and direct education for ministers through the CPE model. As an accredited clinical training center in the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Baylor began to offer intensive training for in-depth pastoral ministry.

Through the department's training and certification of clergy, seminarians, and qualified lay persons, Baylor equips ministers to meet the credentialing requirements of professional chaplaincy organizations. Our CPE program attracts students from around the world and prepares them for effective ministry in a wide variety of international settings. In fact, our program has trained over 500 ministers from eighteen denominations and fifteen countries spanning five continents. The Baylor CPE program, in its continued focus on preparing ministers to serve effectively in an increasingly pluralistic society, has provided the department and the health care system the means to provide healing ministry to support its tradition and values.