CHAPLAINS: Can you compare and contrast military vs. civilian ministry?

CH (MAJ) William Beaver — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 18:22:51 -0400

Chaplains! Can you offer some comparison and contrast between military ministry and civilian ministry? What have you found to be the rewards and challenges of both? Would you rather be a military chaplain or a civilian minister? Both?

Response by CH (MAJ) William Beaver made Apr 29 at 2015 6:22 PM

CH (MAJ) William Beaver — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 18:22:25 -0400

Chaplains: How does military ministry compare with civilian ministry?

Response by GySgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 29 at 2015 6:25 PM

GySgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 18:25:14 -0400

Ewwww this is a good one. I am interested to see the responses from these gentleman.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 29 at 2015 6:25 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 18:25:39 -0400

I am not a Chaplain, nor Chaplains assistant, but I can say this....I find Military Chaplains easier to talk to than I do civilian Chaplains. I don't know why, but I will go to a Chaplain in uniform before I will one that is not.

Response by CH (CPT) Heather Davis made Apr 29 at 2015 8:21 PM

CH (CPT) Heather Davis — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 20:21:35 -0400

CH (CPT) Beaver, all Chaplains are different, and some like myself came in the Military at 17 years old. Chaplains are to be honest brokers, and stand on what is right and not have a biased view. In my thirty years of being in the Military, my hard ships and lessons learned have shaped me to be the Chaplain that I am.

Listen to all
Be an Advocate for all

A wise Chaplain told me that at times there is one Chapel and all come to worship Let it not be about you!!

AR-165-1 provides guidance on how Chaplains are to minister to all in a pluralistic environment.

Response by CH (LTC) Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2015 2:04 PM

CH (LTC) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 06 May 2015 14:04:11 -0400

As a civilian pastor I had great difficulty ministering to the 18-25 year olds. They usually leave home for the military or college and many times drift away from God/church. Once they get married and have a couple of children they may come back to the church. I love military ministry for the fact that I'm around this demographic on a daily basis. I have the privilege of ministering to these Soldiers and their families whether in the unit or the chapel bringing God to Soldiers and Soldiers to God!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 24 at 2015 8:14 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 24 May 2015 08:14:41 -0400

This is a great question. I think it takes a very special person to be a military Chaplain. They are part in some very unique situations. I recall speaking often to my first Chaplain. I thought of him as a great man of faith. One day came to see me to tell my that my friend that was in another city in Iraq was killed in combat. It was hard to hear that. I still remember that conservation very well. As hard as it was to hear I imagine it was harder to say it. He flew from Mosul to my location knowing that he was only coming to bring the bad news. I profoundly respect the man. I have yet to see another Chaplain on his level. So many act like civilian pastors and not like Chaplains.

Response by CH (1LT) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2015 2:30 PM

CH (1LT) Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 14:30:29 -0400

The biggest difference is the people that come to my church expect me to minister within my denomination. Yet in the military, I get to minister to people from varying denominations and faiths.

Response by CH (LTC) Robert Leroe made Dec 20 at 2016 9:14 AM

CH (LTC) Robert Leroe — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 09:14:32 -0500

I would tell civilian clergy, "I do nearly all the things you do, and a whole lot more." Institutional ministry is conventional pastoral care but with additional responsibilities of advising the command and deploying with troops as a member of the team. That's the short answer. Now as a civilian pastor I bring to my church the many lessons learned in the Army, which makes me a better shepherd of souls, both in my congregation and my community.

Response by CH (1LT) Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 21 at 2017 11:13 AM

CH (1LT) Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 11:13:30 -0400

Military chaplaincy is mostly like young adult youth ministry with guns.

Response by Maj Bruce Pawlak made May 5 at 2018 8:13 AM

Maj Bruce Pawlak — Sat, 05 May 2018 08:13:53 -0400

I love the question, however I think you have to "tweek" it a little, because as the question stands, you're comparing two entirely different worlds because civilian ministry has so much wider of a scope. Civilian ministry of course has a pastoral context in a denominational institutional setting, however it also encompasses chaplaincy in many different venues.

I am a late vocations Orthodox Christian priest (post-military retirement). I have been the pastor of a church, *AND* a Level One Trauma Center night shift chaplain. Chaplains involved in a crisis ministry MUST evolve their ministry tools much like that of the combat military chaplain. To hone my ministerial toolbox for the trauma center I focused my professional reading on combat military chaplains because of my perception of the closeness of their roles. 'Ministry in the pew' is nothing like ministry in a crisis situation where there is the traumatic injury (or death) to a loved one (Police and Fire Chaplains also minister in this crisis mode).

Additionally, the Trauma Center Chaplain (like the Police and Fire Chaplains) have those moments where there is no crisis, and then the ministry takes on building ministerial trust bonds to your flock... emergency first responders and the medical support crew. Building these trust bonds are ever so important because once the trust bond is built, you are clearly 'available' to the first responders and support staff as a trusted source to deal with their emotional trauma from the emotional roller coaster they just experienced in the course of their service to the trauma victim and the family and friends of the trauma victim...

Thus I believe that military chaplaincy and civilian chaplaincy can be closely linked together... and yet be as distant as they are from the traditional ministry in the pew.

Respectfully submitted...

Response by COL Eric Ebb made May 5 at 2018 6:26 PM

COL Eric Ebb — Sat, 05 May 2018 18:26:17 -0400

When I was in seminary as a Chaplain Candidate we had an Army Chaplain (COL) come and speak to us. I'll never forget what he said: In the civilian parish your Church Board doesn't require you to step on a scale and run 2 miles every year in order to keep your 'call.'