Military Chaplaincy: Active Duty and Reserves 

Episcopal priests interested in serving as federal chaplains alongside active-duty U.S. service members or military reservists can explore opportunities with the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Army National Guard. Episcopal seminary students can gain chaplaincy experience with the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Army National Guard while working toward ordination.

This nontraditional form of ordained ministry often involves living in various places around the world and walking with people involved in active-duty combat. Episcopal military chaplains, grounded in our church’s commitment to inclusion, have a distinct opportunity to provide spiritual care to everyone they encounter in the armed services. This area of ministry is also The Episcopal Church’s largest young adult ministry since people between ages 18 and 26 comprise 50% of the military.

Find lists of requirements below for priests—including those who became Episcopalians after ordination—and seminarians interested in active-duty and reserve federal chaplaincy.

For Episcopal priests interested in serving as federal chaplains to the volunteer members of the Civil Air Patrol and Coast Guard Auxiliary, learn more here. 

Serve as an active-duty military chaplain

Find requirements below for Episcopal priests, converts, and seminarians.

Active duty: Requirements for Episcopal priests 

To be eligible for active-duty service as a military chaplain through The Episcopal Church, you must already:

  • Be an ordained priest in The Episcopal Church. 
  • Have completed at least two years of work in parish ministry (curacy, rector, etc.). 
  • Be younger than 42 years old (age waivers may be granted).

Please complete or submit the following. The Armed Forces and Federal Ministries (AFFM) office will work with you to schedule the required conversations and interviews:

  • Contact the AFFM office and inform them that you are interested in military chaplaincy. 
  • Initial conversation with the canon for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. 
  • Initial conversation with the bishop for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. 
  • Contact a military chaplain recruiter for the service branch(es) you are interested in (the AFFM office can assist you with this). 
  • Complete your application packet for the Chaplain Discernment Board: 
    • Completed application. 
    • Recent photo.
    • Description of your spiritual journey (4-7 pages).
    • Inform your diocesan bishop that you are interested in chaplaincy and ask them to write a letter of concurrence stating that you are a priest in good standing and that they recommend you for endorsement. 
    • Transcripts from your undergraduate and seminary institutions. 
    • Letters of recommendation from two clergy and one lay person in the church. 
    • Vocation Hub profile. 
  • Schedule an interview to appear at a Chaplain Discernment Board meeting (held quarterly).

After the Chaplain Discernment Board meets, you will either be endorsed for chaplaincy or offered recommendations for additional discernment. You will then begin the process of accession with your service branch. 

Active duty: Requirements for chaplains who are Episcopal converts

For those ordained elsewhere before becoming an Episcopalian, the following requirements should be met to be eligible for active-duty service as a military chaplain through The Episcopal Church. You must already: 

  • Be ordained and endorsed by a U.S. Department of Defense-approved endorser.  
  • Be an active-duty chaplain. 
  • Be confirmed or received in The Episcopal Church and active in an Episcopal community, if possible.

Please complete or submit the following. The Armed Forces and Federal Ministries (AFFM) office will work with you to schedule the required conversations and interviews: 

  • Contact the AFFM office and inform them that you are interested in military chaplaincy. 
  • Contact your local Episcopal church and begin attending worship, if possible. 
  • Initial conversation with the canon for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. 
  • Initial conversation with the bishop for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. 
  • Complete your application packet for the Chaplain Discernment Board: 
    • Completed application.
    • Recent photo. 
    • Description of your spiritual journey (4-7 pages). 
    • Ask the Episcopal priest where you are worshipping to write an official letter stating that you are a “communicant in good standing” and that they recommend you for the receiving/ordination process with The Episcopal Church or reception of Holy Orders. 
    • Certificate of confirmation or reception in The Episcopal Church. 
    • Transcripts from your undergraduate and seminary institutions. 
    • Three letters of recommendation:  
      • Two from clergy (at least one from an Episcopal priest, if possible). 
      • Lay leader in the church. 
    • Ordination certificate. 
  • Schedule an interview to appear at a Chaplain Discernment Board meeting (held quarterly). 

After the Chaplain Discernment Board meeting, you will either be issued a letter of ecclesiastical support to seek ordination or reception of orders in The Episcopal Church, or you will be offered recommendations for additional discernment.  

Active duty: Requirements for Episcopal seminarians

To be eligible for the Chaplain Candidate Program through The Episcopal Church, you must:

  • Be a postulant for the priesthood in an Episcopal diocese and have been accepted to seminary—or, if you are on active duty, contact the canon for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries (AFFM). 
  • Intend to serve as a chaplain in a branch of the military in a Reserve or active-duty capacity upon completing seminary.  
    • Note that you must complete two years of parish ministry before you can serve as an active-duty chaplain. You may serve as a Reserve chaplain while completing these two years.  
  • Be no more than 36 years old.

Please complete or submit the following. The staff of the AFFM office will work with you to schedule the required conversations and interviews: 

  • Contact the AFFM office and inform them that you are interested in military chaplaincy. 
  • Initial conversation with the canon for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. 
  • Initial conversation with the bishop for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. 
  • Complete your application packet for the Chaplain Discernment Board: 
    • Completed application.
    • Recent photo. 
    • Description of your spiritual journey (4-7 pages). 
    • Inform your diocesan bishop that you are interested in chaplaincy and ask them to write a letter of concurrence stating that you are a member in good standing and that they recommend you for endorsement. 
    • Transcripts from your undergraduate and seminary institutions. Three letters of recommendation from:  
      • Your presenting priest.
      • Two supervisors or church lay leaders.  
  • Schedule an interview to appear at a Chaplain Discernment Board meeting (held quarterly) 
  • Contact a military chaplain recruiter for the service branch(es) you are interested in and inform them you are interested in the Chaplain Candidate Program. The AFFM staff can assist you with this. 

After the Chaplain Discernment Board meeting, you will either be endorsed for chaplain candidacy or will be offered recommendations for additional discernment. You will then begin the process of accession with your service branch.   

Serve as a chaplain in the military reserves 

Requirements for reserve military chaplains

To be eligible for reserve service as a military chaplain through The Episcopal Church, you must already: 

  • Be an ordained priest in The Episcopal Church. 
  • Be in the process of completing two years of parish ministry.

Please complete or submit the following. The Armed Forces and Federal Ministries (AFFM) office will work with you to schedule the required conversations and interviews: 

  • Contact the AFFM office and inform them that you are interested in military chaplaincy. 
  • Initial conversation with the canon for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. 
  • Initial conversation with the bishop for Armed Forces and Federal Ministries. 
  • Contact a military chaplain recruiter for the service branch(es) you are interested in. The AFFM office can assist you with this. 
  • Complete your application packet for the Chaplain Discernment Board: 
    • Completed application.
    • Recent photo.
    • Description of your spiritual journey (4-7 pages). 
    • Inform your diocesan bishop that you are interested in chaplaincy and ask them to write a letter of concurrence stating that you are a priest in good standing and that they recommend you for endorsement. 
    • Transcripts from your undergraduate and seminary institutions. 
    • Letters of recommendation from two clergy and one lay person in the church. 
    • Vocation Hub profile. 
  • Schedule an interview to appear at a Chaplain Discernment Board (held quarterly) 

After the Chaplain Discernment Board meets, you will either be endorsed for chaplaincy or will be offered recommendations for additional discernment. You will then begin the process of accession with your service branch. 

Related

Resources for Chaplains