You Are an Army Chaplain, What Does that Mean?

It is always interesting when you tell someone that you are an Army Chaplain and they look at you and ask “What does that mean?” Well, it means many things but I am going to break down the key ideas as I understand them.

First, as strange as it may sound, I am a soldier. I am a member of the United States Army and held to the same standards as every other soldier in the Army. That does not change because I wear a cross or because I do not carry a weapon. I am still a soldier.

But there is more to being a Chaplain than just being a soldier and having a seminary degree. Chaplains have to be spiritually strong. Again, you may think this is a no-brainer but it is not. A Chaplain’s flock is faced with greater challenges than most and chaplains are faced with similar challenges as well. It is not enough to be just spiritually strong, a chaplain has to grow in his or her faith and become godlier over time. A chaplain has to maintain daily spiritual disciplines of Bible study and prayer to take care of himself or herself because the soldiers need fresh “manna” as well and may not have the luxury of maintaining daily spiritual disciplines.

A chaplain also needs to be physically strong. Remember that I mentioned that Chaplains are still soldiers and held to the same standards as others? Well, fitness is the culture of the military and I need to maintain the same standards as everyone else. I need to cultivate healthy lifestyle choices and maintain good physical fitness. The upside of this is that I am not just someone else but a person who understands training and this helps build credibility and respect.

A chaplain needs to be mentally strong as well. I need to learn to never quit – no matter what happens along the way. The soldiers need to see that the Chaplain is as mentally tough as they are – if not even more because Chaplains maintain a “boots on the ground” ministry. The Soldier’s ethos says:

I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade. 

I placed emphasis on certain parts of this because that is exactly what it means to be mentally tough. I am in this for the long haul and the Soldier’s need to see that I am not going to quit.

I am sure there are other things that make a chaplain but this is just a taste of what it takes and what it means to be a chaplain in the military.