Military Ministry: Chaplains in the Twenty-First Century

by Paul E. Linzey, B. Keith Travis, Jeff Iorg (Foreword)

The church is called to provide clergy for the military. Seminaries educate and prepare students. But there are complexities, controversies, and criticisms. Many seminary and college professors have no experience in the military.

Understanding these dilemmas, Paul Linzey and Keith Travis created a much-needed resource. They both have mentored hundreds of chaplains, pastors, and ministerial students. The result is a comprehensive book about serving as a military chaplain in the twenty-first century.

Drawing from their experience as chaplain, professor, endorsing agent, and chief of Army chaplain recruiting, they provide a professional resource for anyone interested in ministry to people in the military. Their records, qualifications, and expertise combine to provide a comprehensive, passionate, and authoritative look at serving as a chaplain in today’s military.

The book is well-researched, true to real life, and up-to-date. It is unparalleled in scope.

364 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 19, 2022

Reviews

[Joy Kidney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a masterful comprehensive guide for military chaplains, for anyone wanting to pursue this as a career, even for the rest of us. In five sections, each with 4-6 chapters, the authors spell out the goals of a successful chaplain in today's diverse and pluralistic U.S. military. The chapters are informative, backed up by anecdotes by men and woman who've walked the walk.

Besides chapters about history, family and emotional readiness, requirements and qualifications, training, family support groups, personal life, understanding culture, self-care, diversity, and the ministry of presence, there's an extensive bibliography, a list of DOD publications, a short list of US laws, and an index. Highly recommended for military as well as lay readers.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the Chaplain Ministry from this book. Even though I’m not qualified to be a chaplain, I found it well written and informative with enough personal anecdotes and stories to keep it interesting even for a non-military layperson.