OVERVIEW

As an Army chaplain you will have the responsibility of caring for the spiritual well-being of Soldiers and their Families. An Army chaplain’s flock can consist of over 1,500 people.

The Army chaplaincy is a religiously diverse population reflecting the diversity of the Army, yet each chaplain ministers according to the tenets of his or her distinctive faith community. Unlike most officers in the Army, a chaplain begins serving as a staff officer immediately.

JOB DUTIES

• Providing advice in matters pertaining to religion, morals and morale
• Overseeing a full program of religious ministries, including workshops, counseling sessions, religious education and special events
• Officiate at official ceremonies such as military functions, funerals and memorials
• Provide religious ministry to a variety of armed service personnel and civilians from the U.S., foreign nations and agencies

REQUIREMENTS

To be an officer in the Army Chaplain Corps, you must obtain an ecclesiastical endorsement from your religious organization.

This endorsement should certify that you are:

• A clergy person in your religious organization
• Qualified spiritually, morally, intellectually and emotionally to serve as a chaplain in the Army
• Sensitive to religious pluralism and able to provide for the free exercise of religion for all military personnel, their family members and civilians who work for the Army
• Possessing a baccalaureate degree of not less than 120 semester hours
• Pursuing or possessing a graduate degree in theological or religious studies, plus have earned at least a total of 72 semester hours in graduate work in these fields of study

TRAINING

Chaplains do not go through Basic Combat Training.

Instead, you will attend the Chaplain Basic Officer Leadership Course, which is a 12-week course taught at Fort Jackson, S.C. This course will provide you with an introduction to the noncombatant common core skills, Army writing and chaplaincy-specific training.

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¹ From the U.S. Army recruiting website GoArmy.com, Chaplain page.

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