by Pat Devine, Chaplain, US Army (Retired)

Pastors and their churches provide invaluable, and unreplaceable, support to our military men and women through biblical counseling. Would you consider supporting our servicemembers with the gift of Biblical counsel?

The best Christmas gifts are thoughtful. Think back to the most memorable gifts you have received, and I imagine many were from someone who had a mind full of you[i]. The most precious and cherished things we give and receive are when the gift giver has the person, the recipient, in mind. For Christmas in 2016, our son (a studio art major at the time) gave me a pencil sketch of me and a fellow chaplain created from a photo taken in Afghanistan in 2012.  The candid photograph captured the two of us quietly praying before a memorial ceremony for two paratroopers who were killed by an enemy improvised explosive device. Receiving a thoughtful gift of my son’s time and talent which honored a deeply personal and intimate moment is the gold standard of thoughtfulness for me. The best gifts are thoughtful gifts.

The best Christmas gifts are also useful gifts. We Dads can probably remember (my Dad and I certainly can) the coffee mugs, wallets, slippers, and the like that we have received from our kids.  Indeed, they have become a bit cliché during times of gift-giving.  But what do we use nearly every day throughout the year?  Coffee mugs, wallets, and slippers certainly top of the list!

So, the best gifts are both thoughtful and useful. What if you had a thoughtful and useful gift to offer our military this year? For Biblical Counselors, you do! As we approach our celebration of Christ’s birth, would you consider giving the gift of God’s Word, in the shape of your time and counsel, to our servicemembers and their families in 2024 and beyond? Biblical counseling is often not readily available to those in uniform who perpetually move across the globe. Assigned Christian chaplains, because of the nature of the ministry and its unique context, lack the resources, community, and simply the time to engage in biblical one-anothering with those whom they serve. Fallen Soldiers March exists to help bridge the gap between trained and certified Biblical Counselors and our greatest national treasure: our servicemembers and their families. Would you consider a thoughtful and useful gift of your time and skill to serve those who serve our nation?

For this article and to provide clarity in terminology, by "biblical counseling" I mean counseling that "is conscientiously and comprehensively Bible-based, where the counselor is conscientiously and comprehensively committed to the sufficiency of Scripture for understanding and resolving all non-physical personal and interpersonal difficulties of man."[ii]

The transient nature of military service often prevents military members from having access to biblical counseling.  If you have a biblical counseling ministry in your local church, you understand how unique you are in your area.  It’s no different for military personnel.  For example, we recently moved from Fort Liberty, North Carolina, which is the largest U.S. military installation in the world.  Boasting over 50,000 assigned servicemembers with over 250,000 people living and working on the installation, you can imagine the need for biblical counseling!  Now that we have moved away, the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) lists one certified counselor within a 25 mile radius. I’ll let that sink in…one ACBC certified Biblical counselor, currently leading his church, within 25 miles of Fort Liberty. 

The gap is just as dramatic overseas, where our American military families don’t have many off post opportunities for Christian church communities.  Our previous assignment from 2020-22 was in South Korea, home to 28,000 military members, NOT including family members. During our time, there was one ACBC certified counselor on the Korean Peninsula – my wife!

Assigned Christian chaplains are not a viable resource for biblical counseling. The reasons are many and warrant their own individual discussions, which cannot be covered comprehensively here.  While I have personally encountered a growing number of Biblical counseling minded, many challenges remain.  These are five of the most significant obstacles to Biblical counseling by military chaplains:

• the military chapel system does not provide the biblical framework of Christian accountability and supervision necessary for a culture of biblical soul care.
• Chaplains, like their congregations, are highly transient which results in very dynamic changes to how congregations are led. For example, a Biblical counseling minded chaplain pastoring a service will move in 2-3 years, with little expectation they will be followed by a like-minded colleague. 
• The Army’s model for counseling and training is deeply rooted in models of therapeutic psychology, and theological integration is not religion specific, or even required. Any spiritual (not necessarily Christian) influence the chaplain brings to the counseling session is based on the individual chaplain, and the client.[iii]
• Chaplains are essentially bi-vocational. They are staff officers and religious professionals who often carry significant administrative responsibilities in addition to their spiritual leadership.  Maintaining ongoing counseling relationships for most unit chaplains is very challenging, and often impossible. 
• ACBC is currently (and wisely) reassessing Biblical counseling certification of military chaplains for many good reasons. Current Department of Defense and service policies and regulations are not compatible with Scriptural standards of soul care. More work is needed to help chaplains faithfully navigate the current environment. 

More can certainly be said about the obstacles to Biblical counseling in the military.  As you can see, true Biblical counseling soul care will likely not be widely available from assigned military chaplains. 

This Christmas, I invite you to offer both a thoughtful and useful gift to our military in 2024: the gift of hope in Christ through Biblical counsel. Considering the dire need facing our faithful miliary members, would you consider volunteering your Biblical counseling gift with those in uniform by joining the FSM Biblical Counselor Network? I can’t imagine a more thoughtful and useful treasure than your meaningful and practical support to our men and women who quietly serve us so well.  

If you would like to find out more about Fallen Soldiers March and Biblical counseling provided through the FSM network, let me extend a personal invitation to attend the 2024 Fallen Soldiers March Soul Care Conference on Saturday, April 20^th in Yorktown, Virginia.  Last year's dynamic event was very well received, and we look forward to hearing from leading thinkers and practitioners in the Biblical counseling field.  Plan to be with us for another exciting and informative event. You can find out detailed information on the FSM website. 

FSM Soul Care Conference information visit: https://fsmsoulcare.com

Pat Devine, Chaplain, US Army (Retired)

FSM Advisory Board Profile: https://fallensoldiersmarch.com/chaplain-pat-devine

by Pat Devine, Chaplain, US Army (Retired)

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[i] Miller, Paul E. "1." Love Walked among Us: Learning to Love like Jesus, NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO, 2014, pp. 15–20.

I first heard this term from Paul Miller (www.seeJesus.net) in 2002.  He described how Jesus always "had a mind full of others". He demonstrates how love looks, experiences compassion, and then acts.  Love always begins with looking intently, which means having others on our minds.

[ii] Lambert, Heath, et al. "Chapter 1 – What is Biblical Counseling." Sufficiency: Historic Essays on the Sufficiency of Scripture, Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, Kansas City, MO, 2023, pp. 5–6.

[iii] Religious Support Family Life Ministry Smart Book, United States Army Institute of Religious Leadership, Fort Jackson, SC, 2019.