Become a CPTer

CPT workers make up what we call the "Peacemaker Corps." Teams of trained Corps members enter emergency situations of conflict and areas of militarization in partnership with local peacemakers. Responding to Christ's radical call, they attempt to bring God's redemptive love to violent situations. Meet some of our CPTers....

Becoming a CPTer: Joining the Peacemaker Corps

Contact CPT's Personnel Coordinator if you are interested in serving as a Peacemaker Corps member, most terms are three years, either stipend eligible (full and part time) or as a Reservist (2-16 weeks a year).

Here are the necessary steps. You must complete a delegation before your application will be considered for training:

DELEGATION: Join a CPT Delegation. Submit a "Short-Term Delegation Application" to CPT's Delegation Coordinator in the Chicago office, or via email: delegations@cpt.org. No special training is required for participation in a short-term delegation.
APPLICATION: Submit a completed "Peacemaker Corps Application" to CPT's Personnel Coordinator via email: personnel@cpt.org or mail to the Chicago office. Application forms are accepted throughout the year. Applicants are interviewed and references contacted.
TRAINING: Upon successful completion of a delegation, interview and reference check, applicants will be invited to participate in CPT's intensive training program. Training is a continuation of the application process. Mutual discernment between CPT and the trainee regarding acceptance into the Peacemaker Corps occurs at the end of the training period. Participants are asked to contribute $750 to cover the month's room and board and training supplies. Participants are also responsible for their travel to and from the training site.

Christian Peacemaker Corps: Stipend Eligible and Reservist

Stipend Eligible:Full-time and Part-time Corps members commit to a three-year term of service on CPT projects.
- Full-time is a minimum average of nine months a year on a CPT project. This time might be split up in 3-6 month chunks depending on the particular CPT project.
- Part-time is a minimum of 4.5 months per year in a CPT project. This can also be split into two service periods on-project. When not serving on-project, stipend eligible CPTers live in their home communities participating in advocacy, fundraising and personal time-off.
Reserve Corps: The Reserve Corps members reinforce the work of every Christian Peacemaker team by providing a larger pool of trained peacemakers who commit to working with CPT (2 to 16 weeks each year) for three years.

The Work of the Corps

Teams of 2 to 12 persons join the efforts of local peacemakers facing imminent violence by:

Providing a nonviolent presence with individuals or communities who are threatened
Physically intervening to prevent violence
Reporting on human rights abuses
Planning and carrying out creative, nonviolent public responses to injustice
Training others in nonviolent direct action
Speaking and writing to media, interested groups, congregations, and organizations

Qualifications for Corps Members

CPT is committed to building a Peacemaker Corps that reflects the rich diversity of the human family in ability, age, class, ethnicity, gender identity, language, national origin, race and sexual orientation. See our Membership Policy.

CPT seeks applicants who are:

at least 21 years of age
committed to the nonviolent community of Christ or to another faith/spirituality, and seeking God’s will in their work, worship, and decision-making
dedicated to peacemaking
experienced in nonviolent direct action
adequately free from responsibilities in order to move into life-threatening situations on short notice
willing to commit to three years of service

Members may also have special skills or significant experience in a particular cross-cultural setting.

Peacemaker Corps Objectives

Christian Peacemaker Corps members are sent to crisis settings with the following objectives:

To promote lasting peace by giving skilled, courageous support to peacemakers working in situations of conflict
To inspire people and governments to discard violence in favor of nonviolent action as a means of settling differences
To provide churches and communities with first-hand information and resources for responding to situations of conflict, and to urge their active involvement
To interpret a nonviolent perspective to the media and broader society

Training the Corps

Applicants for the Christian Peacemaker Corps participate in an intensive, integrated, four-week training course involving action, reflection, and practice of a variety of peacemaking skills in the following areas:

Biblical Basis for Nonviolence
Spirituality and Faith for Peacemaking
Public Witness and Nonviolent Direct Action
Negotiation & Conflict Transformation Skills
Ministry of Presence
Cross-cultural Work and Undoing Racism
Working in Teams
Organizing and Communication Skills

CPT conducts Peacemaker Corps trainings in Winter and Summer for groups of 10-15 full-time and Reserve Corps applicants in Chicago. Regional trainings are arranged when 10-15 people from an area are ready to join the Reserve Corps. Participants are asked to contribute $750 to cover the month's room and board and training supplies. Participants are also responsible for their travel to and from the training site.

Supporting the Corps

It costs about $15,000 (U.S.) per year to support a member of the Christian Peacemaker Corps. One half of this cost is allocated as subsistence support for Christian Peacemaker Corps members. The other half covers travel expenses and a portion of program costs. By comparison, the U.S. military spends over $140,000 per year to maintain each soldier in combat readiness.

CPT operates on the generous contributions of many committed supporters. Reserve corps members are expected to raise the costs of their participation. Full-time corps members receive a subsistence living stipend based on need, and are also expected to solicit support during their home leave periods.

Support team members work with Corps members in developing a local support community to undergird Corps members through prayer, personal encouragement, and by assisting with media work and raising funds. Involving others in this effort broadens the base of awareness and commitment to CPT’s ministry.

The Challenge of Peacemaking

"Nonviolent resistance to tyrants, oppressors and brutal invaders is not for fools or cowards. It demands courage and daring of the highest order. It requires discipline, training and a willingness to face death. Are there tough, brave volunteers for that kind of costly, demanding battle? Would the nonviolent troops be available to be trained by the thousands and then tens of thousands to form disciplined Christian Peacemaker Teams ready to walk into the face of danger and death in loving confrontation of injustice and oppression?"

(Ron Sider, Nonviolence: The Invincible Weapon, p. 95)

For more information:

Christian Peacemaker Teams
Adriana Cabrera Velásquez, Personnel Coordinator
Email: personnel@cpt.org
+1-773-280-9798 (USA and Canada)
+316-874-5972 (Colombia)
Skype: admuffin1

Apply

To apply to join the Peacemaker Corps and become a CPTer, you need to have completed a Short Term CPT Delegation. If you have already participated in a delegation, apply by clicking on the Peacemaker Corps Application attachment below, fill it out and send it to the CPT office, or call the CPT office and ask that one be sent to you.

Email or send the completed application to either of the following:

Adriana Cabrera Velásquez, Personnel Coordinator
Email: personnel@cpt.org
+1-773-280-9798 (USA and Canada)
+316-874-5972 (Colombia)
Skype: admuffin1

CPT Chicago office
PO Box 6508
Chicago IL 60680
Tel: +1-773-376-0550; Fax: +1-773-376-0549

Attachment	Size
Peacemaker Corps Application - PDF	72.21 KB
Peacemaker Corps Application - MS Word fill-able form	66 KB

Frequent Questions

Thinking about becoming a CPTer? Here are some frequent questions:

Do I have to be a Christian?
Do I have to go on a delegation?
Does CPT provide financial support?
If I join, where will I go?
How much time will I spend on a project?
How much does training cost?
Where do I stay during training?
Can I just do the training and not join?
Who can I talk to if I have more questions?

1. Do I have to be a Christian?

No. CPT welcomes both peacemakers who are committed to the nonviolent community of Christ, and other people of faith/spirituality, who seek God’s will in their work, worship, and decision-making. CPT does not have a "litmus test" to determine whether someone is a Christian. On project sites, CPT works enthusiastically with local partners from a variety of faith traditions, and we encourage the formation and development of other faith-based, nonviolent peace teams. CPT delegations are open to anyone, regardless of faith commitment. Read our “Statement of Identity” and our “Membership Policy.”

2. Do I have to go on a delegation?

Yes. The delegation experience is an important part of CPT's application process. Delegations offer a first-hand experience with actual CPT work in one of our project locations. You see exactly the type of work you might do as a CPTer. And it gives CPT a chance to see how you function as part of team in the midst of a sometimes stressful conflict setting. Finally, delegation experiences are important reference points for the work done in CPT's Peacemaker training.

3. Does CPT provide financial support?

Yes. Our stipended workers (Full and Part-Time) receive a monthly subsistence support stipend to cover basic needs. Reservists commit to fundraise a specific amount to cover the costs of their ministry. Reservists are also responsible for their own health insurance expenses.

4. If I join, where will I go?

The decision is a mutual conversation between the CPTer and the organization. CPT does not issue "marching orders" for your placement. Language is a factor, and all of CPT’s project have language requirements. Some join with a particular project interest and CPT wants to support those requests. Some join with a willingness to serve where they are most needed. CPT recommends that CPTers stay with one project rather than serving in various project sites, allowing for better contribution in terms of knowledge and relationship-building.

5. How much time will I spend on a project?

This varies for full-time, part-time or Reservist, as well as for the specific project and visa considerations.

Full-time CPTers spend a total of nine months every year on a project. This may consist of a rotation of three months on-project, one-month off-project, or it may be a rotation of six months on-project, and two months off, or something similiar.
Part-time workers commit to serving a percentage of nine months per year on project, the total of which is no less than 4.5 months, and may be done in two stints in one year.
Reservists commit to anything between a minimum of two weeks of service and up to four months each year, for three years.

6. How much does training cost?

CPT’s month-long intensive training is for people who have submitted Christian Peacemaker Corps applications, participated in a CPT delegation, and have received formal invitation to participate in the training. The fundraising expectation is $750US. This includes all of your room and board plus training supplies. All participants cover their own costs of travel to and from training.

7. Where do I stay during training?

The training group lives and trains together as a group. The group might stay at an area church, or in bunk-bed dorm rooms at a nearby retreat center.

8. Can I just do the training and not join?

Unfortunately, no. CPT is not just a nonviolence training organization. We train people who have stated an intention to join CPT and serve in conflict settings to reduce violence. We believe in our nonviolence training and wish we could offer the training to everyone, but we don't have the resources.

9. Who can I talk to if I have more questions?

Call either of our offices and we'll be happy to answer your questions – we love talking to people interested in joining!
CPT Chicago office: 773.376.0550
CPT Canada office: 416.423.5525

Statement on Identity and Membership

Statement of Identity
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) is an organization gathered in the reconciling love of God, identified with Jesus of Nazareth and led by the Spirit. Renouncing violence and dominative power, CPT seeks the Gospel liberation of all people through the power of forgiveness and nonviolence. This Gospel identity is embodied in our struggle to build an organizational culture of justice, inclusion, mutual respect and welcome. We are committed to building organizational structures that reflect the rich diversity of the human family in ability, age, class, ethnicity, gender identity, language, national origin, race and sexual orientation.
On project sites, CPT works with local partners from a variety of faith traditions. CPT encourages the formation and development of other faith-based, nonviolent peace teams and desires to work cooperatively with them.

Membership Policy
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) welcomes peacemakers who are committed to the nonviolent community of Christ and seek God's will in their work, worship, and decision-making. CPT seeks individuals who are capable, responsible and rooted in faith to work for peace in lethal conflict zones as members of violence-reduction teams trained in the disciplines of nonviolence. We are committed to building a Peacemaker Corps that reflect the rich diversity of the human family in ability, age, class, ethnicity, gender identity, language, national origin, race and sexual orientation. Those who have experienced systemic marginalization bring essential perspectives and distinctive gifts to the work of peacemaking. Associate members abide by the values and commitments above, but adhere to other faiths/spiritualities.