Published in the Experience magazine in 2012
By Chaplain, Lt Colonel, Hugh H. Morgan, USAFR Retired
Director/Endorser of Chaplains Ministries, IPHC
The International Pentecostal Holiness Church has been endorsing ordained ministers to the Armed Forces for sixty-nine years [now 52 years]. In 1941, our church pledged its support of the United States government in war, while "decrying the evils of war." Our general officials created a National Servicemen’s Commission with a National Service Pastor by the name of Samuel J. Todd, a young evangelist from Georgia.
In 1943, a Chaplains Examining Committee composed of J. A. Synan, G. H. Montgomery, and H. T. Spence endorsed John Vinson Ellenberg to be our first chaplain to represent the Pentecostal Holiness Church in the U.S. Army. Other distinguished men followed and served in World War II, the Korean Conflict, and Vietnam like Thomas Eugene Myers, Ervin L. Shirey, Sr., Freeman Mashburn, Julius Green, and Jacob E. Till.
The Vietnam War brought a new breed of chaplains like Hugh H. Morgan, Raymond Caulder, Richard S. S. Yi, Russell Gunter, and Rodney Callahan.
Others followed like Joseph Brookshire, Michael W. Haynes, David C. Sessions, Ervin L. Shirey, Jr., Ron Hilburn, Jerry O. Henderson, Wayne Priest, Danny Paul, Bob Lynch, Harvey A. Hennington, Vince Arnold, A. D. (Doug) Beacham, Sr., Roger Heath, Jerry Jones, Xuan Ngoc Tran, Phillip Chandler, Eva Christine Beatty Sorrow (our first female chaplain in the Air Force), Lonnie Dean Brooks, Victor E. Brown, James Workman, Mark Perkins, Timothy Baer, Greg Lewis, Kenneth Godfrey, Stanton Trotter, Terry Kesling, Suk Kim, Marc McDowell, Timothy Moore, Randy Sellers, William Jamie Braswell, Chad Bellamy, Sarah Tarpley (our first female chaplain in the Army), Timothy Sessions, Shane Marley, John Kwon, Kendall Taylor, Christopher Browder, James Paul Ward, Jr., and Matthew Brown, and Randy Wilson.
Our chaplains have served during the Berlin Crisis, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Desert Shield/Storm, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom), and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom).
As of January 23, 2012, we have thirteen (13) active duty military chaplains, and four (4) guard and reserve chaplains, with four potential chaplains who have met all the requirements.
In order to become a military chaplain a person must be an ordained minister of the IPHC in good standing, have a bachelor’s degree with no less than 120 semester hours, as well as a post-baccalaureate graduate degree in the field of theological or related studies from a qualifying educational institution with a minimum of 72 semester hours. He/she must be a citizen of the United States, pass a National Agency Security Check, pass a complete commissioning physical exam, and have a minimum of two (2) years of ministry experience.
[Editor's Comment: Many things have changed since 2012 when I was the director/endorser of Chaplains Ministries. Retired Army Chaplain (Colonel) Jerry Jones is my successor and is doing a commendable job as our current director/endorser of Chaplains Ministries, IPHC. He knows what the changes are and he can help you if God is calling you to be a military chaplain. It is my recommendation that men and women who want to be military chaplains seek to earn a Master of Divinity, M. Div., to meet the educational requirements of the Department of Defense in addition to a baccalaureate degree in an accredited college or university.
To contact Chaplain Jerry Jones you may write him at: jjones@iphc.org
By Chaplain, Lt Colonel, Hugh H. Morgan, USAFR Retired
Director/Endorser of Chaplains Ministries, IPHC
The International Pentecostal Holiness Church has been endorsing ordained ministers to the Armed Forces for sixty-nine years [now 52 years]. In 1941, our church pledged its support of the United States government in war, while "decrying the evils of war." Our general officials created a National Servicemen’s Commission with a National Service Pastor by the name of Samuel J. Todd, a young evangelist from Georgia.
In 1943, a Chaplains Examining Committee composed of J. A. Synan, G. H. Montgomery, and H. T. Spence endorsed John Vinson Ellenberg to be our first chaplain to represent the Pentecostal Holiness Church in the U.S. Army. Other distinguished men followed and served in World War II, the Korean Conflict, and Vietnam like Thomas Eugene Myers, Ervin L. Shirey, Sr., Freeman Mashburn, Julius Green, and Jacob E. Till.
The Vietnam War brought a new breed of chaplains like Hugh H. Morgan, Raymond Caulder, Richard S. S. Yi, Russell Gunter, and Rodney Callahan.
Others followed like Joseph Brookshire, Michael W. Haynes, David C. Sessions, Ervin L. Shirey, Jr., Ron Hilburn, Jerry O. Henderson, Wayne Priest, Danny Paul, Bob Lynch, Harvey A. Hennington, Vince Arnold, A. D. (Doug) Beacham, Sr., Roger Heath, Jerry Jones, Xuan Ngoc Tran, Phillip Chandler, Eva Christine Beatty Sorrow (our first female chaplain in the Air Force), Lonnie Dean Brooks, Victor E. Brown, James Workman, Mark Perkins, Timothy Baer, Greg Lewis, Kenneth Godfrey, Stanton Trotter, Terry Kesling, Suk Kim, Marc McDowell, Timothy Moore, Randy Sellers, William Jamie Braswell, Chad Bellamy, Sarah Tarpley (our first female chaplain in the Army), Timothy Sessions, Shane Marley, John Kwon, Kendall Taylor, Christopher Browder, James Paul Ward, Jr., and Matthew Brown, and Randy Wilson.
Our chaplains have served during the Berlin Crisis, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Desert Shield/Storm, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom), and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom).
As of January 23, 2012, we have thirteen (13) active duty military chaplains, and four (4) guard and reserve chaplains, with four potential chaplains who have met all the requirements.
In order to become a military chaplain a person must be an ordained minister of the IPHC in good standing, have a bachelor’s degree with no less than 120 semester hours, as well as a post-baccalaureate graduate degree in the field of theological or related studies from a qualifying educational institution with a minimum of 72 semester hours. He/she must be a citizen of the United States, pass a National Agency Security Check, pass a complete commissioning physical exam, and have a minimum of two (2) years of ministry experience.
[Editor's Comment: Many things have changed since 2012 when I was the director/endorser of Chaplains Ministries. Retired Army Chaplain (Colonel) Jerry Jones is my successor and is doing a commendable job as our current director/endorser of Chaplains Ministries, IPHC. He knows what the changes are and he can help you if God is calling you to be a military chaplain. It is my recommendation that men and women who want to be military chaplains seek to earn a Master of Divinity, M. Div., to meet the educational requirements of the Department of Defense in addition to a baccalaureate degree in an accredited college or university.
To contact Chaplain Jerry Jones you may write him at: jjones@iphc.org