Service v. Presence: Implementation of the Ministry of Service in the Military Chaplaincy - A Receptivity and Feasibility Study

In Spring 2012, a new ministerial paradigm for the military chaplaincy was proposed in a thesis entitled “The Ministry of Service: A Critical Practico-Theological Examination of the Ministry of Presence and its Reformulation for Military Chaplains.” Known as the “ministry of service,” this new paradigm was heralded as a potential replacement for the current presence-ministry model that has guided military chaplains for decades. The purpose of the current research project is to determine the receptivity of this proposed paradigmatic shift among Army service members, analyze strengths and weaknesses of implementing a new ministry model, and verify if procedures and administrative structures presently exist to support such change. Although the research to support this thesis is conducted solely among Army service personnel, the data gleaned should be informative for other branches of service as well. Research instruments include personal interviews with high-ranking Army chaplains and confidential surveys of Army personnel of all ranks and military occupational specialties