The Call to Military Chaplaincy

By Matthew Saunders

Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed Nomine tuo da gloriam.

“Not unto us, oh Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy Name give glory.”

This was the motto of the medieval military order of the church. The Knights Templar, as they were called, adopted the first part of Psalm 115:1 from Jerome’s Latin translation as their motto, partly as a means of remembering whom they served.

As a student of history and theology at Welch College, I always had an interest in church history, including the history of the Crusades and Knights Templar. Though I do not endorse the notion of a “conquering Christendom” in which the Messianic kingdom goes forth in military might rather than through missional and educational endeavors, God certainly used my interests in medieval Christianity and my experiences at Welch College to promote His call to military chaplaincy. Is this not how God often works? As Kevin Hester reminds his readers in a blog post, “The radical call of Christ is a call to love as He loved…This is something John knew and Augustine pointed out in his reflection on 1 John 1: ‘Once for all, then, a short precept is given you: Love, and do what you will.’”

Thus, I first sensed the call to military service as an intellectual prodding of the Spirit, and I enlisted into the Army Reserves between my junior and senior years of college. After nine months of training, I returned to Welch to finish my B.A. degree and continue into the newly established Master’s degree program in theology and ministry. Soon after, I began studies in Old Testament and archaeology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School while continuing to serve in the reserves. Since moving to Chicago, I’ve met several good friends and colleagues who are also working on their M.Div. degrees to pursue active duty chaplaincy. This was, I sensed, the second stage in the Spirit’s prodding—personal relationships.

After some time in prayer, I made the decision to transfer from my enlisted duties to military chaplaincy, and through a somewhat lengthy process of paperwork, the Department of the Army Chaplains recently approved my packet for Army chaplain candidacy. (Let me briefly express my thanks to North American Ministries for denominational endorsement and all their help in this regard.)

At this stage in my military career, I’m unsure whether I’ll ever spend time as an active duty chaplain or remain in the reserves. I plan to continue my civilian education through a Ph.D. program while waiting to see what further plans God unfolds for my life. What I do know is God’s call is not always and altogether radical. God simply used my intellectual interests and personal relationships to slowly nudge me toward the chaplaincy over the last three years.

Again, to reference Hester, what makes God’s call radical is its call to love in an often unloving world—love for God first then love for others as ourselves: “You see, sometimes love looks very ordinary… God’s will is not only about the future. It is about the now. I wasn’t waiting for God’s will, I was in it even then, even in the ordinary.”
May we all learn to love God more and live pro Deo et Patria (for God and Country).

About the Writer: Matthew Saunders is a graduate of Welch College, and currently studies Old Testament and Near Eastern archaeology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has served in the Army Reserves since February of 2016. Learn more about the ministry of Free Will Baptist Chaplains: www.FWBNAM.com.