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Providing chaplaincy endorsements for military and civilian chaplains.

The light of the gospel is needed in challenging places.

Chaplains are an integral part of both the United States military and civilian institutions, providing spiritual guidance and ministering to uniformed men and women and civilians. Chaplains provide one-on-one interaction, counseling, and emotional support to those in their area of service, receive unique opportunities to share the gospel with those in their area of service, and minister to those in crisis situations when they may be most aware of their spiritual needs.

Chaplaincy can be a great next step for pastors and ministry workers who want to minister to others in a new context. Become a chaplain endorsed by the GARBC today!

Become a Chaplain

Most chaplains need an endorsement from a faith group in order to become a chaplain. Endorsement is a professional credential that affirms to the military or civilian employer that a chaplain has met the basic requirements of his faith group (in our case, the GARBC) to provide ministry in a specialized setting. It represents a level of mutual accountability and support between the chaplain and the GARBC and a standard of excellence for the using agency.

Types of Chaplaincy

Military

Military chaplains are religious professionals brought into the military as noncombatant officers in order to provide for the free exercise of religion for all troops. Military chaplains minister to Active Duty, Reserve, National Guard, Air Guard, or Civil Air Patrol personnel.

They must be endorsed by their faith group, verifying that they are thoroughly trained and experienced as clergy members and must remain true to the doctrines and practices of their endorsing body. They must be able to minister cooperatively without compromise within the military religious community. Though noncombatants, they deploy with the military to bases and combat zones to minister to our uniformed men and women.

Military Chaplain Requirements

  • You must submit an application, along with a copy of your ordination certificate, to the Chaplaincy Commission.
  • You must be a United States citizen.
  • You must be less than 40 years of age at the time of commissioning. (Waivers may be granted based on the needs of the military.)
  • You must have a bachelor’s degree and a 72-hour graduate degree in theology or religious studies from an institution regionally accredited or accredited by the Association of Theological Schools.
  • You must be ordained and a member in good standing of a church that is in fellowship with the GARBC.
  • You must have a minimum of two years of full-time professional experience after receiving your graduate degree.
  • You must be endorsed by the GARBC Chaplaincy Commission.
  • You must pass a military physical.
  • You must pass a military background investigation.

Institutional

Institutional chaplains (also known as vocational chaplains) serve in nonmilitary settings, such as hospitals, veterans affairs offices, police, fire, and emergency services, corporate offices, and other areas. Qualifications typically vary depending on the setting, and prospective applicants should refer to their particular business or agency for specific requirements.

Institutional Chaplain Requirements

  • You must be a born-again, active member of a church in fellowship with the GARBC.
  • You must be in full agreement with the doctrinal statement of the GARBC.
  • You must submit an application, along with a copy of your ordination certificate, to the Chaplaincy Commission.

Community

Community chaplains typically conduct their ministry in a volunteer capacity, such as with police, fire, or emergency services, athletic organizations, or other community organizations that require endorsement.

Community Chaplain Requirements

  • You must be a born-again, active member of a church in fellowship with the GARBC.
  • You must be in full agreement with the doctrinal statement of the GARBC.
  • You must submit an application, along with a copy of your ordination certificate, to the Chaplaincy Commission.

Endorsement for Laypeople

Some institutional and community service chaplaincy ministries do not require ordination. Laymen and laywomen who evidence a growing understanding of Scripture and an ability to minister to the people within the particular institution are encouraged to work with their pastor to seek GARBC endorsement. All endorsement requirements listed above must be met with one exception: In lieu of ordination, applicants should request a commissioning service by their church and a letter from their pastor affirming their demonstrated fitness for this particular chaplaincy position. This process will need to be repeated if the applicant moves to a different church.

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About the GARBC

The GARBC is built on the Word of God and is an association of churches, the very institution that Christ Himself promised to build. Founded in 1932, we remain steadfast in the belief and practice of the teaching of the Scriptures. Manning Brown currently serves as the RBM Chaplaincy Director and Endorser of the chaplaincy ministry for the GARBC.

Our Beliefs

Manning Brown

Manning Brown graduated from Michigan State University with a B.A. in telecommunications. In addition, he holds an M.Ed. from Pennsylvania State University and M.A. from Air Command and Staff College.

Manning and his wife, Jennifer, were married in 1988 and left for active duty with the Air Force. In nearly 22 years of service, they moved multiple times, including two tours in Germany. Manning spent four years on missile combat crew in the Minuteman III ICBM, before a career broadening into Air Force Recruiting Service and later as a public affairs officer. In that time he served as a squadron commander, and when he retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2010, he was the deputy director of public affairs for U.S. Air Forces Europe. In addition, he had three deployments in the course of his career, one in Turkey and two in Iraq.

While in the military, Manning had numerous opportunities to serve the Lord in churches and chapels around the country and the world. Licensed and ordained while on active duty, he has taught and preached the gospel in a variety of environments. After retirement from the Air Force, he worked at Baptist Bible College (now Clarks Summit University) where he served as the human resources director and later as the executive director to the president. In 2013, Manning joined Regular Baptist Ministries as director of marketing and communications before becoming director of Regular Baptist Chaplaincy Ministries in 2015. His responsibilities include recruiting prospective chaplains as well as ministering to the needs of our chaplaincy families. He also communicates to the churches of our fellowship the opportunity for outreach through military, institutional, and community service chaplaincy. Manning and Jennifer have two grown sons and three grandchildren.

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