Army Chaplain
Explore the Army Chaplain career...
The position of army chaplain is as old, or older, than the country, and it's one of the most valued commissions in the military.
Military Mental Health Resources
George Washington established the military chaplaincy on July 29, 1775, just two and half months after the Continental Congress established the army. Washington said he was concerned about the morale and morals of soldiers, and he believed the army must provide paid religious leaders to support the soldiers' spiritual needs.
Since that time, approximately 25,000 army chaplains have served as religious and spiritual leaders to more than 25 million soldiers and family members.
The army calls the Army Chaplains Corps the spiritual leaders for the entire army family. Unlike other army officers, a chaplain immediately begins his or her leadership role as a staff officer after completing a 12-week training course taught at Fort Jackson, S.C. (called the Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course).
It's during this training that chaplain candidates learn the intricacies of the Army Chaplaincy Strategic Plan - or the mission of army chaplains. This mission states that chaplains help soldiers with matters of the heart, spirit - and especially the soul.
What do Army Chaplains do?
Chaplains, regardless of their religious affiliation, serve soldiers of differing faiths, and even those of no faith. In many ways, they serve as counselors, sensitive to soldiers' beliefs, and how they define spiritual fulfillment and meaning.
In addition to assisting soldiers and their families, the army chaplain, as a leader and member of the commander's special staff, provides advice in matters pertaining to religion, morals, and morale. And many travel with troops and units, often going with soldiers to combat zones.
For this reason, the chaplain travels with a chaplain assistant, who protects the chaplain because as a non-combatant, chaplains do not carry or use weapons. Trained in issues of religious support as well as soldier-specific tasks, chaplain assistants are an integral part of the chaplain's mission.
According the website Army.Mil, the Army currently has 2,700 chaplains and an equal number of assistants across the active Army, Reserve and National Guard. Yet the army reports shortages among its chaplaincy core, and is actively recruiting.
In the online ABCNews/U.S. article, "National Guard Units Strained by Chaplain Shortage," it was reported that the Army National Guard has just 6 rabbis and no imams for its 362,000 guardsmen.
A 2009 article on USAToday.com reported that a Tennessean National Guardsman from Memphis became the first Buddhist chaplain, deploying to Afghanistan in December.
The Guard is actively recruiting clergy from other Christian denominations and faiths as well. Because the parishes of Guard and Reserve chaplains find it difficult to surrender their pastors for several months - pastors who may have to re-deploy several times - the army is trying to recruit students or recent graduates, or those not yet entrenched in local congregations.
For this reason, the National Guard grants up to $40,000 in its Chaplain Loan Repayment Program to help pay off education loans, according to the NationalGuard.com website.
In addition, it offers those still in school, and interested in entering the army's chaplaincy program after graduation, up to $4,500 per academic year for tuition assistance.
To qualify for the Army Chaplaincy Corps, all candidates must be endorsed by the individual's ecclesiastical or religious denomination, and have a graduate degree that includes not less than 36 hours in theological/ministry and related studies, consistent with the respective religious tradition of the applicant.
If you are interested in joining the Army, the Army National Guard, or the Army Reserves as chaplain, request information from the schools offering degrees preparing individuals for this faith-based career.