Chaplain Candidate Program

Maranatha has a Graduate School of Theology(Watertown, WI) which offers a 72 hour graduate degree that is accepted for Military Chaplaincy. The program offers a strong nouthetic counseling program which is a very important part of a Chaplains ministry. Check out www.mbbc.edu

I would strongly encourage young men and maybe not so young men to consider the Chaplaincy. The openings are many, especially in the Army.

It's not an easy life, but a very rewarding ministry. Let me know if I can be of help to anyone interested in chaplaincy.

 

I have often thought about joining to become a Chaplain, but I have just started school, and my age limit it reaching the max for the Army. I don't know if this is the direction the Lord is taking me or not, but I trust in his guidence.

I wish there are an OTJ training program in the military for a Chaplaincy program, but my search has found no such a program.

Jamie

 

I just finished the MDiv requirements at BMA Theological Seminary www.bmats.edu and will be going active duty Army this Jan/Feb, Lord willing. My packet is before the board this very day. I've already completed the Chaplain Basic Officer Leaders Course at Ft. Jackson, SC this past summer. I'm chompin' at the bit to serve our Lord Jesus by serving our servicemembers.

1LT (Bro.) Tim Gresham
US Army Chaplain Candidate
Philippians 3:10

 

Finance

I have all but submitted my packet. I am active duty army in Hawaii, and am trying to make the math make sense. How does one support their family by working part time while going to seminary and being an assistant pastor (non-salary) on the side? I have looked for hours for scholarships, grants or fellowships that may help with this.

Thoughts?
Bill

 

If you are active duty now... You should be able to use your GI bill. That will be a big help. I would strongly recommend Maranatha. There is Government family housing in Watertown that Maranatha students have been able to use while studying at Maranatha. Rent is based on Income. There may be the possibility of being a Graduate assistant which would help with the cost of grad school as well. Check out www.mbbc.edu for more information on that. If you like, send me a private message and we can chat! Want to help out as much as possible. As an active duty chaplain, I may be able to answer some of your questions!

 

hey redbelt! Did you graduate from Marantha? I graduated from MBBC in '07 and am currently at TEDS. I'm applying to the Chaplain Candidate Program as well.

What branch do you serve in?

 

When I was in seminary I was a Chaplain Candidate in the Army National Guard. I simply went from being a platoon leader to working under the direct supervision of an Army Chaplain. When I graduated seminary I had to wait for the State Chaplain to assign me to assign me to a unit as a Chaplain. Then I was given an appointment as a Chaplain. Being in the National Guard, at that time, was no longer one weekend a month and two weeks a year. It was mulitple weekends with three week and even four week camps, etc. I could not pastor a church full-time and serve in the unit I was assigned to. But, I must say that it was the best three years, out of eleven, I ever spent in the National Guard. God used me many times to preach His word and to minister to the needs of soldiers. In many ways I miss it but it was no longer where God wanted me to be.

There is a great need for men and women who can serve as Chaplains both in reserves and in the active service. The point: Once in seminary, there does not have to be a special program at the seminary (unless things have changed). One can join the National Guard and serve as a Chaplain Candidate with a commission as a 2nd Lt. or if you already hold a commission, generally you keep your rank, and transfer to the Chaplain Corps. as a Chaplain Candidate until you complete seminary training. There are a few other hoops to jump through (endorsement, etc.) but none were hard.

 

My last Active Duty post as a Staff Sergeant, was as an Army National Guard Recruiting & Retention NCO after I left the Marine Corps. I did that from 2003-2004. I left Active Duty to pursue the ministry and also seriously considered the chaplains candidate program as a reservist; I decided against it as it really seemed time, after 10 years in, to move on for the sake of my family and the local church pastoral ministry I felt such a strong tug toward.

To my knowledge, and I could check it out with a close friend who is still a Guard recruiter in Minnesota and has been for a LONG time, the Guard is still doing the chaplains candidate program.

It is a great program. For the entire time one is in seminary, you are commissioned as a 2LT, perform your drill as a reservist (at least in Minnesota) one Saturday a month at a unit and then one Monday evening as a dinner with the other chaplains candidates along with the state chaplain or other unit chaplains who conduct training. You are non-deployable during that of candidacy and the states are even willing to work denominational seminaries that may require a 4 year seminary program; such as a Lutheran school that requires an internship for a full year as the third year of seminary. State tuition assistance is also available at a rate of up to 100% tuition reimbursement in many states.

Bottom line is that this is a great program if a person senses the call to that area of ministry and is available for it.

 

My Masters from Maranatha is from 1994. I also worked at Maranatha before I went active duty in January 2005. I'm an Army Chaplain. If you have questions about an endorser.... Please contact me! Have a great day!

 

I currently serve in the 3rd US Infantry Regiment The Old Guard, United States Army. I have had the privilege of working alongside many chaplains here due to a unique detail that I was on for the first seven months of this year. I was the drive for the chaplains assigned to conducting funerals at Arlington National Cemetery.

90% of the chaplains that I encountered were compromisers to the extreme. Please don't join the chaplaincy if you are not prepared to stand for what you believe in. There is great potential to reach out to soldiers. We need good chaplains. But we don't need more spiritual wimps who are going to do everything except bring soldiers to Christ!