Cradle of Civilization

Built on the site of ancient Mesopotamia, Iraq is the cradle of biblical civilization, which Chaplain Carter says stimulates questions from soldiers and facilitates teaching opportunities for chaplains. “We see spiritual openness and searching now more than ever as young soldiers search and ask questions. Many service members do not come from faith-based homes, so they ask tons and tons of questions about Islam and Christianity. And our combat mission makes the soldiers more open, more vulnerable.”

“For some,” he continues, “deployment means spiritual openness and vulnerability to God, and to other people of God. Most of our ministry takes place throughout the streets of Baghdad ‘outside the wire,’” he says, meaning outside of the safety zone of the heavily-fortified camp.

He tells a story of a patrol convoy he rode with while in Iraq. “The last thing those soldiers did every time before they went ‘outside the wire’ was that a sergeant recited the Lord’s Prayer over the speaker in everyone’s helmet. Here are these seasoned warriors, locked and loaded and ready for action, stopping for prayer before heading out into danger. Usually, there is constant chatter on the headsets, but when he prayed, there was nothing but dead silence. It was a deeply spiritual act.”

No Gospel Lite

Chaplain Carter says that he and his fellow chaplains go as spiritually deep as possible while on deployment. “We don’t do ‘gospel lite,’” he says with a chuckle. “We really dig into the deeper theological doctrines.”

And they strive for Christian community, as well. “We tell the soldiers that it’s okay to reach out on the battlefield,” he says. “The soldiers understand that they must have a battle buddy on the battlefield, someone to watch their back. We tell them that it is the same in their spiritual lives; they need to have battle buddies there, too. So we really encourage accountability groups among the chaplains and with other spiritually mature individuals.”

Of course, military combat chaplains’ ministries are significantly different from a traditional pastor’s ministry. “Our number one priority is to provide for the free exercise of religion for all faiths among the troops,” he explains. “We don’t proselytize, as we have a great diversity of people among the service members.”

But he quickly follows that statement up with the story of one soldier who approached him in Iraq, saying, “‘Sir, I’m here. I’m looking for the truth.’ I was able to share the love of Christ with him, and see him accept that love.”

“Many of the soldiers I speak with are not seeking a congregation or chapel,” he continues, “but they do seek spiritual conversations, like in a dining facility or on patrol.

“A pastor ministering in a local church can assume that most of his congregation members are active, growing Christians. But of the soldiers I see, either in the field or in chapel, probably 30-40 percent are Christian, 20-30 percent are inquisitive or seekers, and 10-20 percent are in crisis, needing comfort in a place where there are few places to get it.”

Ministering from Home

Chaplain Carter says there are many ways individual Christians and churches can help support and minister to U.S. military personnel serving overseas, even if they don’t know anyone there personally. “It all starts with relationships, so the best thing is for people to work with their local churches,” he says.

With all of the Reserve and National Guard units involved in the Iraqi and Afghan conflicts, nearly every church in America has someone in its congregation with a relative or friend who knows someone serving there. Chaplain Carter says that those are the logical starting points for finding service personnel to befriend.

“A local church can sponsor individual service members, or a squad or platoon,” he goes on. “Get the names of the service members who would like to hear from people in the church. Write them letters … send books and supplies … flood them with birthday cards and candy that they like … and pray for them.”

If a church sponsors soldiers in a unit nearby, then congregation members can be on hand to welcome them home when they return from deployment, and to invite them and their families into their church body.

Ministering to families back home is one of Chaplain Carter’s favorite topics. “Fifty percent of our military personnel are married,” he says. “Some of these guys are on their third combat tour in five years, and half of them are on their second tour. That means that some of them have spent 27 of the past 39 months in combat [zones]. That is a major stress for those back home to have their loved ones ‘down range.’

“It is a huge relief on these guys to know that their loved ones are being cared for. Churches can make sure their spouses have what they need and that their kids get birthday and Christmas presents. These de facto single parents are the real heroes. Dad [or Mom] is deployed, so they are left caring for the kids, doing the car maintenance, keeping the grades up, and all the rest. Let them know they are loved and appreciated for their sacrifices and for what their soldier is doing. They are the ones saying, ‘I will trust my husband [or wife] with you.’”

Churches can also minister to those who were wounded. “The wounded warrior ministry is huge,” he says. Churches can invite nearby unit and base chaplains to come and speak to their congregations for a few minutes on a Sunday morning about ministering to service personnel. Invite them to bring soldiers with them who have been overseas and impacted by chaplains' ministries.

“And realize, also, that many of our chaplains are on their second tour of duty, as well,” Chaplain Carter adds. “Compassion and ministry fatigue can be very real, so it is important to minister to the ministers.” A good place for a church to start may be with its denomination’s chaplains.

A congregation’s veterans may be the perfect group to coordinate this ministry. That group can “speak the same language” as the active military personnel, allowing them to better relate to one another’s experiences.

God at Work

“Right now, we are deeply blessed,” Chaplain Carter concludes. “God is working. The battlefield is much calmer. That means that chaplains can navigate around much better. And Major General Jeff Hammond [Commanding General of the 4th Infantry Division] is committed to the chaplains’ consistency and our troops’ spiritual fitness.”

That is good news for everyone—the chaplains, the soldiers, and the families back home.

Russ Munyan is a freelance writer in Olathe, Kan. More of his interview with Chaplain Carter is available at his blog, http://russwrites.blogspot.com.