Army Reserve Chaplain Questions

[Hamalas]

I threw these questions out to Ben (our resident Chaplaincy expert) in a PM earlier, but I thought others might have some experience/insight to share as well.

I'm hoping to begin seminary at PRTS in the fall of 2017. My heart is for ministry in the local church, but I've also always had an interest in serving my country through the military. I was seriously considering joining back in High School/College but as God redirected me towards the ministry I set that idea to the side. I do not think that God is calling me to serve as a chaplain full-time, but the idea of doing so as a Reserve Chaplain is intriguing. I'm in the fact-finding stage at the moment, so I'd be curious to learn more about these things:

1) Deployments. Let's say I enroll in the Chaplain Candidacy Program and go through CH-BOLC when I start seminary and then go Army Reserve after graduation. Obviously I would be able to live wherever my day job was as a Pastor, but would I be deployed at some point? I'm not at all opposed to serving overseas, but I'm just wondering if I would be gone from my congregation for a year or more.

2) Pay. Not to be mercenary, but one of the appeals to pursuing this path would be the pay it could provide during seminary. How much could I reasonably expect to make during my seminary studies as a Chaplain candidate and what would be required of me beyond the CH-BOLC training? How much of the pay would be tuition assistance and how much would be through other trainings/practicums etc...?

3) Commitment. Am I obligated to join the Reserves/NG/Active once I complete the CH-BOLC training or could a man go through the Chaplain Candidate Program and then decide once he's finished seminary whether he wants to serve or not?

 

[Sylvanus]

1) Yes. You would deploy, if one came up. In a secular army, the chaplain serves the function of a morale officer; their whole purpose is to boost morale, and that would be even more important in combat. As a reservist or guardsmen the possibility is much less than active, but it would still be a possibility. Deployments (in the Army NG) are usually 9 months (but that includes 3 months pre-mobilization training).

2) I don't know much about this. But you would be paid according to the pay scale for O-2 or O-3; weekend drill pay (MUTA 4 is usually about $500 for O-2 and $575-$600 for O-3). You would probably have a sign on bonus for completing BOLC (usually $10,000, but that may have changed).

3) You have to sign a contract. I've never heard of someone signing up, completing BOLC, and then getting out immediately (except in extenuating circumstances). But BOLC itself obligates you to at least 2 additional years, I think (which only matters if your initial obligation ends before that 2 years). Most officer commitments are between 6-8 years.

I would also add that I have known Chaplains that choose to preach to their congregation on Sunday and not to the soldiers on Sunday. While I understand the dilemma, it really looks bad to the soldiers and staff officers who depend on you. Not saying right or wrong, just something to consider.

 

[SolaScriptura]

Ben,

Sorry to delay in responding to your PM. But since you posted your questions, I'll respond to them here.

1. Deployments. You would not be at risk of deploying while you are a chaplain candidate. (It is a non-deployable status.) However, once you're in... of course you risk being deployed. However, I want to note that here is where the distinctions between the Army Reserve (federal) and the National Guard (state) come in... Believe it or not, nearly half (or perhaps just over half) of the US Army's combat arms strength is in state run National Guard units. The bulk of the Army Reserve (federal)is combat support type units. Thus if you join the National Guard you are probably going to be in a combat type unit, or one that directly supports, and you are more likely to be deployed to a war zone with your troops. (Additionally, you could be called up by the governor to respond to various disasters and crises.) If you are mobilized in the Reserves, chances are you will be used to back-fill an active duty chaplain. While some reserve chaplains do indeed get deployed to the war zone, believe it or not those slots are usually snatched up by people who want to deploy. Rather than seeing tons of reserve guys in the desert, it is far more common to see them mobilized and brought in to active duty bases to hold down the fort (so to speak) while the active duty chaplains are deployed with their units.

2. Pay. You make a lot of money. The amounts listed by Jon are bare minimums that don't account for all the various pots of money that one can dip into for orders for pay. PLEASE know that for this you'd need to contact a chaplain recruiter, as the game changes from time to time. For instance, when I was in, we weren't assigned to units - we were totally IRR - except we could request orders to go to various active duty bases in between semesters for periods of time. So I'd work between Fall and Spring semesters and from after Spring semester to whenever I needed to take a summer class, and then from after the class until a few days before school started in the fall. And I got paid through the nose thanks to all the TDY per deim pays that were thrown on top of normal pay and allowances... Since my time I've heard that they started having people attach to reserve or guard units for monthly drills. But then I heard that for a period of time they were doing a hybrid of the system I was in and the newer system. But options always exist for people who want them. The military is really good about finding a way to put you to work if you want to do so.

3. Service obligation. If you join the candidate program and do NOT accept any bonuses or tuition assistance, at the end of it you will have no obligation should you decide not to proceed. However, if you accept so much as one penny of tuition assistance or accept a bonus, you'll incur a service obligation.

4. If you are interested I cannot understate the importance of contacting a chaplain recruiter and getting the ball rolling. Your time in grade (for promotions, pay, and even service for retirement) starts the day you sign up into the candidate program. About 18 months later you'll automatically get a promotion, which leads to a significant jump in pay. And about 18 months after that you'll get another one. The sooner you start, the sooner you can start getting time credited to you and the sooner you can start making bank.

5. Re: preaching on Sundays. Actually, it is VERY common for those who are pastors to drill on Fri-Sat rather than Sat-Sun. Or to work two Saturdays.

 

[Hamalas]

Super helpful guys! I appreciate the info. It sounds like the next step would be to talk to a Chaplain recruiter. Before I do that though here are a few follow ups:

1) If I went Army Reserve after seminary how long is the usual term of service? How about if I went straight to full time Active Duty Chaplaincy?

2) I guess part of my question with deployment has less to do with how it would work for me and more for how it would work for my church. If I graduate from seminary and accept a call (or am working to plant a church) and get called up for Active Duty (whether for deployment or for back-fill on base) how does that work from their end? Do they just have to deal with it?

3) What are the differences between Army and Air Force in regards to chaplaincy stuff? Would the questions asked above be answered differently in that case?

4) Finally, if I went Army Reserve would that affect or limit where I could take a call? Does the Army place me somewhere or could I move wherever the Lord was calling?

 

[Sylvanus]

Ben's is definitely more informative for specifics. I figure there are other ways you'll get paid; not sure how GI Bill works in, or if there are certain waivers/assistance given to chaplains.

Basically, if the Army gives you something, it wasn't for free.

And if you get in, move to the Oklahoma NG; we need some better chaplains around here

 

[Sylvanus]

4) Finally, if I went Army Reserve would that affect or limit where I could take a call? Does the Army place me somewhere or could I move wherever the Lord was calling?

Not sure on Reserve side, but I assume it's similar to Guard, and you would basically join the unit in the state that you reside, unless you choose to drill elsewhere.

I defer to Ben on the rest.

 

[Pergamum]

We need good chaplains.

I would research the politically correct changes the army is instituting. At some point, we might not be able to, in good conscience, serve in the army.

Much army chaplain work is like counseling without Christ mentioned. I was asked to pray at a big commencement by a chaplain, for instance, but he specified that I should not pray in the name of Jesus. He was surprised and offended when I declined and seemed untroubled to do this himself.

Counseling homosexuals about repenting might be banned already. In the future, there might be pressure to perform same-sex marriages on base. We had Wiccans on our base that the chaplain had to accommodate (only to provide a space and a time at that time, but this might change in the future).

The army seems to see your duty as providing "religious services" in the generic - not in advancing a particular creeed, etc. If your creed gets in the way of providing any desired religious services to any segment of the army, then I would expect you to be penalized from advancement in the future.

I did 5 years active duty and saw mostly bad chaplains. But of course, this may reflect proportionally on the number of bad churches in the USA.

During our deployment overseas, our chaplain cancelled bible study to do movie nights, instead (showing some r-rated movies even). I ended up running the bible studies so that they would not be cancelled. We went through Philippians, Ephesians and Romans entirely. Yet the professing Christian from those studies was baptized by the chaplain with barely any questions and without even a word with me (since I wasn't a chaplain, I guess...what do I know, after all?).

So I have mixed feelings about good solid men going into the chaplain corps. But, we need them.

About the money aspect: I believe it is unethical to serve in a military primarily for the benefits. It should be for defense or patriotism. Mercenaries - if you fight or support an army for pay - are sinning, I believe. Having said that...if you already want to serve due to patriotism, there ARE, indeed, many financial advantages.

I did the Army ROTC program and they completely paid for 3 of my 4 years of college plus 75 a month and 400 a semester in books, if I remember right. Then I had a guaranteed job upon graduation and commissioning. Then, I had pretty good pay raises and tax-free income when deployed. Living on base we spent about 20% of our pay only and saved the other 80% for preparing for the mission field. The PX and Commissary had good food for cheap prices.

The army also matures you and teaches you discipline and duty and responsibility. Plus, most pastors in the US are fat. The army will keep the belly off you for a few years at least.

About deployments: Everybody I know who served more than 2-3 years got deployed for at least 3-6 months overseas. So, you WILL get deployed. Or be assigned some place you might not like. I live in Missouri, and so Fort Leonard Wood (Fort "Lost in the Woods") was not liked by many of my fellow soldiers, but loved by me, so I was mostly able to serve here in my own neck of the woods for most of my 5 years.

Also, the VA stinks for most people. Lots of paperwork and hassle...not much good service. At Walter Reed when I served, the walls grew mold and while the care was good, the amenities in the patients' rooms were not top class.


About the Army reserve: We had lots of National Guard units stationed next to us overseas. Many of them did not expect to be deployed and several suffered extremely because of this due to job factors and displacement.

 

[Hamalas]

We need good chaplains.

I would research the politically correct changes the army is instituting. At some point, we might not be able to, in good conscience, serve in the army.

Much army chaplain work is like counseling without Christ mentioned. I was asked to pray at a big commencement by a chaplain, for instance, but he specified that I should not pray in the name of Jesus. He was surprised and offended when I declined and seemed untroubled to do this himself.

Counseling homosexuals about repenting might be banned already. In the future, there might be pressure to perform same-sex marriages on base. We had Wiccans on our base that the chaplain had to accommodate (only to provide a space and a time at that time, but this might change in the future).

The army seems to see your duty as providing "religious services" in the generic - not in advancing a particular creeed, etc. If your creed gets in the way of providing any desired religious services to any segment of the army, then I would expect you to be penalized from advancement in the future.

I did 5 years active duty and saw mostly bad chaplains. But of course, this may reflect proportionally on the number of bad churches in the USA.

During our deployment overseas, our chaplain cancelled bible study to do movie nights, instead (showing some r-rated movies even). I ended up running the bible studies so that they would not be cancelled. We went through Philippians, Ephesians and Romans entirely. Yet the professing Christian from those studies was baptized by the chaplain with barely any questions and without even a word with me (since I wasn't a chaplain, I guess...what do I know, after all?).

So I have mixed feelings about good solid men going into the chaplain corps. But, we need them.

About the money aspect: I believe it is unethical to serve in a military primarily for the benefits. It should be for defense or patriotism. Mercenaries - if you fight or support an army for pay - are sinning, I believe. Having said that...if you already want to serve due to patriotism, there ARE, indeed, many financial advantages.

I did the Army ROTC program and they completely paid for 3 of my 4 years of college plus 75 a month and 400 a semester in books, if I remember right. Then I had a guaranteed job upon graduation and commissioning. Then, I had pretty good pay raises and tax-free income when deployed. Living on base we spent about 20% of our pay only and saved the other 80% for preparing for the mission field. The PX and Commissary had good food for cheap prices.

The army also matures you and teaches you discipline and duty and responsibility. Plus, most pastors in the US are fat. The army will keep the belly off you for a few years at least.

About deployments: Everybody I know who served more than 2-3 years got deployed for at least 3-6 months overseas. So, you WILL get deployed. Or be assigned some place you might not like. I live in Missouri, and so Fort Leonard Wood (Fort "Lost in the Woods") was not liked by many of my fellow soldiers, but loved by me, so I was mostly able to serve here in my own neck of the woods for most of my 5 years.

Also, the VA stinks for most people. Lots of paperwork and hassle...not much good service. At Walter Reed when I served, the walls grew mold and while the care was good, the amenities in the patients' rooms were not top class.


About the Army reserve: We had lots of National Guard units stationed next to us overseas. Many of them did not expect to be deployed and several suffered extremely because of this due to job factors and displacement.

Good points Pergy. And just to clarify (I've said some of this in my correspondence with Ben, but I haven't said it here), I've always had a tug towards serving in the military. I came very close to enlisting in the Army coming out of High School and I would have done Air Force ROTC had my college offered it. In the end, God redirected my path towards ministry during college and I let the military idea go to the side. I had not, however, considered working as a chaplain. My heart is still for the local church so I wouldn't see myself serving more than one term of service, but I would love to be able to serve my country and my God in this way. Honestly, as I said to Ben in a message, I'd be tempted to just go active duty chaplain after seminary, but one of the things that my wife and I are praying about would be returning to the mission field to plant churches in England (and I assume it would be hard to do that while being in the US military!) Because of that I'm leaning more towards turning down all bonuses and tuition assistance so that I could pursue the program (and get the pay) for being part of the program but defer any commitment until I finish seminary and am looking for a call. That way if God is calling us to stay Stateside we could do a season with the Army or if He isn't we are free to go overseas.

 

[Pergamum]

We need good chaplains.

I would research the politically correct changes the army is instituting. At some point, we might not be able to, in good conscience, serve in the army.

Much army chaplain work is like counseling without Christ mentioned. I was asked to pray at a big commencement by a chaplain, for instance, but he specified that I should not pray in the name of Jesus. He was surprised and offended when I declined and seemed untroubled to do this himself.

Counseling homosexuals about repenting might be banned already. In the future, there might be pressure to perform same-sex marriages on base. We had Wiccans on our base that the chaplain had to accommodate (only to provide a space and a time at that time, but this might change in the future).

The army seems to see your duty as providing "religious services" in the generic - not in advancing a particular creeed, etc. If your creed gets in the way of providing any desired religious services to any segment of the army, then I would expect you to be penalized from advancement in the future.

I did 5 years active duty and saw mostly bad chaplains. But of course, this may reflect proportionally on the number of bad churches in the USA.

During our deployment overseas, our chaplain cancelled bible study to do movie nights, instead (showing some r-rated movies even). I ended up running the bible studies so that they would not be cancelled. We went through Philippians, Ephesians and Romans entirely. Yet the professing Christian from those studies was baptized by the chaplain with barely any questions and without even a word with me (since I wasn't a chaplain, I guess...what do I know, after all?).

So I have mixed feelings about good solid men going into the chaplain corps. But, we need them.

About the money aspect: I believe it is unethical to serve in a military primarily for the benefits. It should be for defense or patriotism. Mercenaries - if you fight or support an army for pay - are sinning, I believe. Having said that...if you already want to serve due to patriotism, there ARE, indeed, many financial advantages.

I did the Army ROTC program and they completely paid for 3 of my 4 years of college plus 75 a month and 400 a semester in books, if I remember right. Then I had a guaranteed job upon graduation and commissioning. Then, I had pretty good pay raises and tax-free income when deployed. Living on base we spent about 20% of our pay only and saved the other 80% for preparing for the mission field. The PX and Commissary had good food for cheap prices.

The army also matures you and teaches you discipline and duty and responsibility. Plus, most pastors in the US are fat. The army will keep the belly off you for a few years at least.

About deployments: Everybody I know who served more than 2-3 years got deployed for at least 3-6 months overseas. So, you WILL get deployed. Or be assigned some place you might not like. I live in Missouri, and so Fort Leonard Wood (Fort "Lost in the Woods") was not liked by many of my fellow soldiers, but loved by me, so I was mostly able to serve here in my own neck of the woods for most of my 5 years.

Also, the VA stinks for most people. Lots of paperwork and hassle...not much good service. At Walter Reed when I served, the walls grew mold and while the care was good, the amenities in the patients' rooms were not top class.


About the Army reserve: We had lots of National Guard units stationed next to us overseas. Many of them did not expect to be deployed and several suffered extremely because of this due to job factors and displacement.

Good points Pergy. And just to clarify (I've said some of this in my correspondence with Ben, but I haven't said it here), I've always had a tug towards serving in the military. I came very close to enlisting in the Army coming out of High School and I would have done Air Force ROTC had my college offered it. In the end, God redirected my path towards ministry during college and I let the military idea go to the side. I had not, however, considered working as a chaplain. My heart is still for the local church so I wouldn't see myself serving more than one term of service, but I would love to be able to serve my country and my God in this way. Honestly, as I said to Ben in a message, I'd be tempted to just go active duty chaplain after seminary, but one of the things that my wife and I are praying about would be returning to the mission field to plant churches in England (and I assume it would be hard to do that while being in the US military!) Because of that I'm leaning more towards turning down all bonuses and tuition assistance so that I could pursue the program (and get the pay) for being part of the program but defer any commitment until I finish seminary and am looking for a call. That way if God is calling us to stay Stateside we could do a season with the Army or if He isn't we are free to go overseas.

Tuition assistance is very helpful. And church planters should be mature. So, I wouldn't lightly turn down financial aid if it is offered. A few years active duty would be great preparation for overseas service planting churches.

 

[Hamalas]

Which loops back to my earlier question: if I went Army Reserve after seminary how long is the usual term of service? How about if I went straight to full time Active Duty Chaplaincy? From what I can see online it looks like it might be a 3 year commitment for Active Duty but I can't find any info on how long a Reserve commitment would be...

 

[Pergamum]

Obligations:

Three years of my college were paid for totally and, once I was commissioned, I was obligated to 4 years active duty and then 4 years IRR (inactive ready reserve). I had a guaranteed job, lots of free training, several pay increases, good job experience afterwards and scouts trying to hire me, the insurance and shopping benefits were also good. I saved the majority of my pay. I am glad I served.

 

[Parakaleo]

I did a total of eight years in the National Guard, six of them as a chaplain candidate in seminary. At the end of my seminary training, I had not taken assistance or bonuses, so I elected to separate from the Army to pursue a call to the church.

I am very thankful for all the leadership training and experience in ministry that I gained in the Army. It was a great environment to interact and counsel with the lost, with many opportunities to share the Gospel. I am very thankful for the financial and medical benefits I reaped while serving. I would still recommend this type of service for a seminary student or pastor who feels called to this field, but I also have some strong caveats.

There's the dual expectations from chain-of-command (who wants you to be a morale officer) and from your ecclesiastical commitment to labor faithfully for Christ. Any minister can be tempted to please men rather than the Lord, but this temptation is almost a design-feature of the chaplaincy.

There's also the matter of accommodating unbelief.

We had Wiccans on our base that the chaplain had to accommodate (only to provide a space and a time at that time, but this might change in the future).

I once believed a minister of the Gospel could, in good conscience, lend a helpful hand to those of "other faiths" in order to be a good neighbor and defender of American religious freedom. It was explained to me once that a Christian chaplain who dutifully accommodates unbelievers is doing nothing more than a friendly believer who tells a man how to get to the nearest mosque when asked on the street. "To the left and down four blocks, neighbor. God bless you!"

I don't have that view any longer. I now think providing such accommodations is laying a deadly snare in front of your neighbors. Could anyone imagine Peter or Paul comfortable with that kind of conduct? In other words, tell the man asking you for directions to the local mosque that the only thing he will find there is destruction, then tell him about the Way that leads to eternal life.

Those are my caveats. I know faithful chaplains and have great respect for the men who continue to skillfully navigate these issues. I offer these so that you may make the best-informed decision for yourself.

 

[Hamalas]

I did a total of eight years in the National Guard, six of them as a chaplain candidate in seminary. At the end of my seminary training, I had not taken assistance or bonuses, so I elected to separate from the Army to pursue a call to the church.

I am very thankful for all the leadership training and experience in ministry that I gained in the Army. It was a great environment to interact and counsel with the lost, with many opportunities to share the Gospel. I am very thankful for the financial and medical benefits I reaped while serving. I would still recommend this type of service for a seminary student or pastor who feels called to this field, but I also have some strong caveats.

There's the dual expectations from chain-of-command (who wants you to be a morale officer) and from your ecclesiastical commitment to labor faithfully for Christ. Any minister can be tempted to please men rather than the Lord, but this temptation is almost a design-feature of the chaplaincy.

There's also the matter of accommodating unbelief.

We had Wiccans on our base that the chaplain had to accommodate (only to provide a space and a time at that time, but this might change in the future).

I once believed a minister of the Gospel could, in good conscience, lend a helpful hand to those of "other faiths" in order to be a good neighbor and defender of American religious freedom. It was explained to me once that a Christian chaplain who dutifully accommodates unbelievers is doing nothing more than a friendly believer who tells a man how to get to the nearest mosque when asked on the street. "To the left and down four blocks, neighbor. God bless you!"

I don't have that view any longer. I now think providing such accommodations is laying a deadly snare in front of your neighbors. Could anyone imagine Peter or Paul comfortable with that kind of conduct? In other words, tell the man asking you for directions to the local mosque that the only thing he will find there is destruction, then tell him about the Way that leads to eternal life.

Those are my caveats. I know faithful chaplains and have great respect for the men who continue to skillfully navigate these issues. I offer these so that you may make the best-informed decision for yourself.

Thanks Blake, I just sent a PM with some follow-up questions.