Soldier Ministry

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Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell is a major in the United States Air Force, and the first female African-American fighter pilot in the history of that service. She flies the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and is stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy

Ministry to Soldiers

A church with a focused military ministry is one which has developed a unique and creative ministry to the military. The military ministry of a focused church goes beyond being military-friendly to the place of having a vision, plan, and strategy which actually has been worked out and put into practice by those leading the ministry. Ministry to and missions through the military is a significant aspect of the vision of a focused church. However, having a focused military ministry does not mean that this is the total emphasis of the church, but rather one important ministry and way of doing missions.

Question:

Have you ever noticed how many soldiers are highlighted in the New Testament for their noble faith and service to the Lord? In Matthew 8:10, the Lord Jesus said of a Roman soldier, “Assuredly I say to you, I have not found so great faith, not even in Israel.” In Acts 10, we read of the conversion of Cornelius, a Centurion of the Italian Regiment, who was stationed in Israel.

It is of note that the last five years of the Apostle Paul’s ministry was given mainly to the military, who protected him and afforded him access to Caesar’s household in Rome - Philippians 4:22

Average character traits of soldiers

Be tactically and technically proficient
Know yourself and seek self-improvement
Know your soldiers and look out for their welfare
Set the example
Ensure the task is understood, supervised and accomplished
Train your soldiers as a team
Make sound and timely decisions
Develop a sense of responsibility in your subordinates
Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions

The military is a forgotten mission field! We are bypassing one of the most spiritually fruitful opportunities for evangelism, and recruitment for laborers for the Lord.

Our hope is to mobilize churches, professional and lay counselors on behalf of military and their families including veterans. We invite you to reach out to military in your church and be a bridge to heal for those men and women suffering from the cost of war, the cost of our freedom.

Roughly 56 percent of all homeless veterans are African American or Hispanic, despite only accounting for 12.8 percent and 15.4 percent of the U.S. population respectively.

The most effective programs for homeless and at-risk veterans are community-based, nonprofit, “veterans helping veterans” groups. Programs that seem to work best feature transitional housing with the camaraderie of living in structured, substance-free environments with fellow veterans who are succeeding at bettering themselves.

Soldiers have a high risk of developing alcohol abuse during and after deployment, and this risk is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
Studies estimate that 1 in every 5 military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan has PTSD. An estimated 1 out of 10 women develops PTSD; women are about twice as likely as men.
The stress of deployment often uncovers problems in relationships that existed before, but had gone un-noticed. For example, after a deployment minor irritations that might have been overlooked can blow up into major conflict.