Navy Chaplain

Explore the Navy Chaplain career...

At a November 2009 ceremony, the Naval Chaplaincy School and Center's (NCSC) top commander applauded 29 chaplains ready to deploy, trained to provide spiritual guidance to sea-service personnel and their families in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.

navy chaplain

"I'm totally excited about this crop of chaplains going to the fleet," said Capt. Michael W. Langston, NCSC's commanding officer. "They come with a variety of ministry experience. They're excited about the opportunity to minister to the fleet. More than anything else they're mature and they're bright, they have a servant's heart, and want to go out and take care of the needs of our men and women in uniform."

NCSC is located at Fort Jackson, S.C., along with the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School, and the U.S. Air Force Chaplain Service Institute. These three schools form Fort Jackson's Armed Forces Chaplaincy Center, established in 2009, to locate the military’s ministry training in one location.

Navy chaplains, serving on ships and at foreign and domestic bases, support service members, many away from home for the first time. They provide moral support, lend advice to individuals facing personal, spiritual or emotional difficulties, and conduct church or chapel services in their specific religious traditions.

One of the key requirements for navy chaplains is sensitivity toward those with beliefs that differ from their own, a necessity given that over 100 denominations and faith groups are represented in today's armed services. During the seven weeks of training, chaplain candidates learn how to adapt their civilian ministry skills to the military culture. In the navy's training course, they receive first-hand knowledge from chaplains who have already served.

To become a navy chaplain, individuals must hold a post-baccalaureate graduate degree, which includes 72 semester hours of graduate-level courses in theological or related studies. Thirty-six of these hours must include topics in general religion, theology, religious philosophy, ethics, and/or the foundational writings from one’s religious tradition.

The Navy.com website lists a number of additional learning opportunities for navy chaplains. It states that many chaplains continue their education by attending one of the military service colleges to study military strategies, tactics, and joint operations with other branches of the armed forces.

And because navy chaplains are officers, some decide to attend the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., giving them an opportunity to earn another master’s degree, or a doctoral degree while being paid full-time as a naval officer. The navy offers other career options, such as supervision in clinical pastoral education, and tuition assistance for many off-duty educational programs.

The navy calls the chaplaincy program a “call within a call.” On the Navy.com website, it states that chaplains help individuals “negotiate crucial moments of their lives,” keeping men and women in uniform spiritually ready for their service to their country. This means that the navy considers its chaplains essential to the success of its mission and goals.

If you feel a call to the navy’s chaplaincy program, to helping the nation’s warriors and their families, request information from schools offering degree programs leading you to a faith-based career.