As
an Army chaplain you will have the responsibility of caring for the
spiritual well-being of Soldiers and their Families. An Army chaplain's
parish can consist of over 1,500 people. For this reason, the Army
chaplain is crucial to the success of the Army's mission. Exercising
leadership in things that are spiritual requires a special person with a
unique calling.
The Army Chaplaincy is a religiously
diverse population reflecting the diversity of the Army, yet each
chaplain must minister in accordance to the guidelines of their distinct
faith group. Army Chaplains oversee the spiritual care of their
assigned units wherever they may train or deploy. They also assist with
the congregational care of their assigned posts performing religious
ceremonies, rituals, and rites in accordance to their respective faiths.
Unlike most officers in the Army, a
chaplain begins serving as a staff officer immediately. As a member of
the commander's special staff, the chaplain is responsible for providing
advice in matters pertaining to religion, morals, and morale. The
chaplain serves the Army with a chaplain assistant (56M) as part of a
Unit Ministry Team (UMT). As a non-combatant, chaplains do not possess a
weapon. The chaplain assistant provides security for the UMT and assist
with the administrative aspects of the UMT's ministry. Fully trained in
the technical arena of religious support and Soldier-specific tasks,
chaplain assistants are an integral part of the UMT's ministry and
mission.
Other roles and responsibilities common to the chaplaincy:
- Overseeing a full program of religious ministries, including
workshops, counseling sessions, religious education and special events.
- Officiating at official ceremonies such as military functions, funerals, and memorials.
- Providing religious ministry to a variety of armed service personnel and civilians from the US, foreign nations, and agencies.
Requirements
To be an Officer in the Army Chaplain Corps, you must obtain an
ecclesiastical endorsement from your faith group. This endorsement
should certify that you are:
- A clergy person in good standing in the Church of the Nazarene.
- Ordination is required for those seeking active duty
status. A district preacher’s license is required for those applying for
the National Guard or the reserves.
- Qualified spiritually, morally, intellectually and emotionally to serve as a Chaplain in the Army.
- Sensitive to religious pluralism and able to provide for
the free exercise of religion by all military personnel, their family
members and civilians who work for the Army.
- Possess a baccalaureate degree of not less than 120 semester hours.
- Pursuing or possess a graduate degree in theological or
religious studies, plus have earned at least a total of 72 semester
hours in graduate work in these fields of study.
Training
Chaplains do not go through Basic Training. Instead, they attend
the Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course (CBOLC), which is a
12-week course taught at Fort Jackson, S.C. It will provide you with an
introduction to the non-combatant common core skills, Army writing and
Chaplaincy-specific training.
Helpful Skills
Being a leader in the Army requires certain qualities. A leader
exhibits self-discipline, initiative, confidence and intelligence. They
are physically fit and can perform under physical and mental pressures.
Leaders make decisions quickly, always focusing on completing the
mission successfully, and show respect for their subordinates and other
military officers. Leaders lead from the front and adjust to
environments that are always changing. They are judged by their ability
to make decisions on their own and bear ultimate moral responsibility
for those decisions.
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Chaplain Candidate Program
If you're in a graduate-level seminary, you have an excellent
opportunity to explore the Army ministry and to become an officer and a
Chaplain Candidate now. You learn. You serve. Upon entering the program,
you are immediately commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army
Reserve or Army National Guard, earning pay commensurate with your rank.
Several programs are available for Army Chaplain Candidates.
- Chaplain Candidate Program for Army Reserve
In your first summer, you may attend up to 11 1/2 weeks of Chaplain
Officer Basic Course at The United States Army Chaplain Center and
School. During subsequent summers, you'll train up to 45 days by:
- Assisting an Army Chaplain at an Army post located in the United States.
- Participating in a special training program designed to
develop your pastoral skills (including special language studies and
clinical pastoral education).
- Chaplain Candidate Program for National Guard Candidates
During the first summer, you may attend up to 11 1/2 weeks of
Chaplain Officer Basic Course at The United States Army Chaplain Center
and School. After completing the Chaplain Officer Basic Course, you will
attend drills with a National Guard unit, usually one weekend a month
plus two weekends of active duty in the summer, for each year you are at
seminary. You will have the opportunity to as assist the chaplain with worship services and provide other spiritual services to soldiers and their families.
