Military Chaplain

[kb1275]

I see this has been posted before, but I wanted to hear some more insight on being a chaplain in the military.

I’m looking to start seminary this January for a 5 year MDiv program. I’m looking at the chaplain candidate program at a few branches since I don’t have my degree.

I desire to get into full-time ministry, become licensed and ordained with the PCA, and possibly church plan at some point in the future.

That being said, someone mentioned to me to look into serving as a chaplain in a purely reserve capacity. That’s one weekend a month, two weeks a year. If I did the chaplain candidate program, I’d be in that reserve status, and then have to serve as a chaplain (still as a reserve) for at least two years.

They would pay for my tuition, of which my program would be about $40k in total.

I’m hesitant mainly because from some of the stories I’m reading online chaplains seem to have to affirm those of other faiths/religions in providing them with resources and direction within the military. I have reservations about that. The reasons I’m considering doing this are that I would be able to preach and teach the Word when I am serving, supporting people through biblical counseling, and having my tuition taken care of.

I may be naive in the time commitment this will take from me, of which I’m open to input on as it’s more than I’d be bargaining for. Since my program is 5 years and I’d have to serve as a chaplain reserve for 2 after, that’s $40k tuition across 7 years which is just under a $6k per year support, along with my pay as a reservist when I’m drilling. I think it’d be conservative to say it’s about $12k per year in total I’d be getting throughout that time.

I do not want to only look at the finances, though, as I’m realizing that might be a long time to commit to something which could then inhibit my serving locally.

Thank you for any and all input.

 

[Edward]

Pinging @SolaScriptura

Want to glance at this thread when you get back from fishing?

 

[SolaScriptura]

Pinging @SolaScriptura

Want to glance at this thread when you get back from fishing?

Great time out on the water!

Feel free to PM me… I’ll chat with you - im a retired army chaplain - and perhaps I’ll even put you in touch with my intern who is himself a Chaplain candidate.

The military is one of the best ways to get just about anything paid for. Pick the field - in this case ministry - the experience you receive in terms of breadth and depth is invaluable and will put you so far ahead of your civilian peers in any field. So worth it.

 

[RSM]

I have a few things to chime in on brother.

Pluralism
First the Army preaches a "Perform or provide" moto for the Chaplaincy. This really means if you cannot perform the religious need of the soldier than you should provide it, does that mean you need to believe and/or accept another faith, absolutely not. If a Muslim soldier asks for a prayer rug, you can ask the supply sergeant to order one for them, doesn't mean I support it. We ultimately are the last line of defense for the Religious Freedom (1st Amendment) of our service members. A tip if you still feel against this, we are assigned a Religious Affairs Specialist (formerly a chaplain's assistant). I encourage you to push them to be a subject matter expert on religion in general and task them to support service members' religious needs in ways you don't feel comfortable with. They can counsel screen and hand out religious things without you while you do your ministry.

Can you pray in Jesus name? Yes and I always will. Even in invocations and benedictions in front of Generals and the Govenor, I do and always will. Can you preach without limitation on Sunday with you soldiers? Yes, but I offer you this, they are not going to be theologians or even layman (maybe some). Your crowd will be a mixed bag of Catholics, Pentecostals, and luke warm hearts. I suggest you preach from the word, through the deepest place of your heart directly to theirs. You will be touching the hearts of soldiers that hardly understand what prayer is and hardly walk the straight path. You will be counseling soldiers with addiction, marital problems, and PTSD. They will have light understandings of who God truly is. I dont say this to turn you away. Its a beautiful thing to put on the uniform of your country, shoulder to shoulder with those that sacrifice so much with the opportunity to tell them of the one true Christ that sacrificed ALL for them. I love being the light in their problems and in every interaction before/during their missions. Its a beautiful thing to speak at their funerals, memorials and family. We honor the fallen, nurture the living and care for the wounded.

Guard/Reserves/Active Duty
I cant speak too much to active duty minus my combat deployment time. I could imagine its great in the sense of pay, receiving a chapel on post to conduct ministry and to be well integrated with a unit. Minuses are they move you where ever they want without your approval: Alaska, Texas, Kentucky or Florida (hopefully). Deployments are on a 4 year rotation and they are hard on your family... and your self. Please consider that. Your family needs to be ready for whatever could happen.

Guard/Reserves are great. Positives hold down a fulltime job while doing ministry for a weekend a month/ 2 week training a year. Easy if you want a 20 year retirement. Lots of incentives for that weekend a month: Tricare Insurance, monthly income, training/resume, ministry experience, VA Home loan, school waivers and POST 9/11 GI and Montgomery GI Bill. You can also go on extended orders when you need extra money: strong bonds, marriage retreats, respond to emergencies. Don't forget Guard has the opportunity for full time orders as well (active duty status) while you are still Guard at the location you want to live and stay in. There is a lot you can do for your soldiers outside of drill as well: pastoral counseling, family events, bible studies at your home. Maybe I'm just biased but I love my unit and I offer myself for them in uniform and out of it 24/7.

Please reach out or ask me anything.

 

[Edward]

Just keep in mind that both the Reserve and the National Guard can be called to active duty and deployed.

 

[Grant Van Leuven]

I just took the "Intro to Chaplaincy" class online this August with the seminary where I earned my M.Div., Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh (rpts.edu). It was extremely helpful to navigate all the issues involved in the overlap and distinctions of each chaplaincy sector. It also helped me get very excited about the possibility of chaplaincy service and develop a sense of a call with conviction toward hospital or corporate chaplaincy for "tent maker" employment while continuing to minister at our church. There are some real sobering issues to navigate but I think it's correct to look at it as a missionary/evangelist calling with some really amazing possibilities. The professor is someone I'm sure would be very happy to chat with you and advise (if you haven't already), Dr. Michael Stewart: https://2022.pcamna.org/staff/michael-stewart/.

Here's the main page for the PRCC (Presbyterian and Reformed Commission on Chaplains and Military Personnel) Dr. Stewart represents (an endorsing faith group needed for part of the package with military chaplaincy that works with NAPARC denominations): https://pcamna.org/ministry/chaplain-ministries/.

One of the books required in class that would be useful for you if you haven't yet read it is Michael A. Morton's Cooperation Without Compromise: Faithful Gospel Witness in a Pluralistic Setting. It's a brief booklet from a Reformed view and military chaplaincy background. The four areas of functioning highlighted from a military model of chaplaincy (see Alan T. Baker's Foundations of Chaplaincy as a pretty good in-depth resource, also required for class and was published pretty recently) are 1) Provide (for your own faith group); 2) Facilitate (finding who can provide when you can't/won't for another faith group, and in the military you are especially forbidden to forsake your own endorsing faith group convictions/commitments); 3) Care (for all); and 4) Advise (for the institution's leadership). I found myself able to feel I could handle all this but ruled out military chaplaincy for myself due to the requirement of absolute confidentiality in all circumstances.

Don't know when RPTS would host this class again but it was recorded (maybe they might offer an audited version where you just watch all the recorded videos from the first class if you were to ask?). Dr. Stewart does an excellent job hosting guest speakers from every chaplaincy sector, including each military branch, and they speak to your concerns directly, thoroughly, and without reservation. If being able to access the RPTS class in some way wouldn't be available in your timeline, I'm sure Dr. Stewart could guide you to some of these speakers to call and get further advice.

 

[kb1275]

I just took the "Intro to Chaplaincy" class online this August with the seminary where I earned my M.Div., Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh (rpts.edu). It was extremely helpful to navigate all the issues involved in the overlap and distinctions of each chaplaincy sector. It also helped me get very excited about the possibility of chaplaincy service and develop a sense of a call with conviction toward hospital or corporate chaplaincy for "tent maker" employment while continuing to minister at our church. There are some real sobering issues to navigate but I think it's correct to look at it as a missionary/evangelist calling with some really amazing possibilities. The professor is someone I'm sure would be very happy to chat with you and advise (if you haven't already), Dr. Michael Stewart: https://2022.pcamna.org/staff/michael-stewart/.

Here's the main page for the PRCC (Presbyterian and Reformed Commission on Chaplains and Military Personnel) Dr. Stewart represents (an endorsing faith group needed for part of the package with military chaplaincy that works with NAPARC denominations): https://pcamna.org/ministry/chaplain-ministries/.

One of the books required in class that would be useful for you if you haven't yet read it is Michael A. Morton's Cooperation Without Compromise: Faithful Gospel Witness in a Pluralistic Setting. It's a brief booklet from a Reformed view and military chaplaincy background. The four areas of functioning highlighted from a military model of chaplaincy (see Alan T. Baker's Foundations of Chaplaincy as a pretty good in-depth resource, also required for class and was published pretty recently) are 1) Provide (for your own faith group); 2) Facilitate (finding who can provide when you can't/won't for another faith group, and in the military you are especially forbidden to forsake your own endorsing faith group convictions/commitments); 3) Care (for all); and 4) Advise (for the institution's leadership). I found myself able to feel I could handle all this but ruled out military chaplaincy for myself due to the requirement of absolute confidentiality in all circumstances.

Don't know when RPTS would host this class again but it was recorded (maybe they might offer an audited version where you just watch all the recorded videos from the first class if you were to ask?). Dr. Stewart does an excellent job hosting guest speakers from every chaplaincy sector, including each military branch, and they speak to your concerns directly, thoroughly, and without reservation. If being able to access the RPTS class in some way wouldn't be available in your timeline, I'm sure Dr. Stewart could guide you to some of these speakers to call and get further advice.

I appreciate this. I asked other chaplains and they were saying I would not be a good fit based on my convictions. I’m not sure myself this would be, either. I’m not looking to point others to resources supporting their rejection of God. Nor am I looking to allow those to take the sacraments in an unworthy manner. I’d want to guard and protect not only the latter, but prevent people from bringing more judgment and wrath upon themselves than they already are.

I do not want to be a part of or facilitate in that. I will continue to study through this though, as the resources you provided seem to address many of my reservations.

 

[Edward]

To follow up on an earlier post I made, I just saw in the news that in response to the extensive damage caused to that state by the hurricane, the federal government is deploying 700 members of the Tennessee National Guard to Kuwait for a year.

 

[MyCrows]

To follow up on an earlier post I made, I just saw in the news that in response to the extensive damage caused to that state by the hurricane, the federal government is deploying 700 members of the Tennessee National Guard to Kuwait for a year.

 

[RSM]

To follow up on an earlier post I made, I just saw in the news that in response to the extensive damage caused to that state by the hurricane, the federal government is deploying 700 members of the Tennessee National Guard to Kuwait for a year

From the outside looking in, it appears not to make sense. One of the things actually happening is the state receives massive amounts of money and grant funding when that states respective governor signs its state soldiers up for an active duty deployment. It reigns in federal funding for the state. National Guard Soldiers cost less to train, send and upkeep for active duty. Its kind of a fun fact that national guard units deploy more in total than active duty units do... Tenneessee is gaining soldiers coming back with mission experience, active duty training and federal funding for "volunteering" its soldiers.