This is something that i'm heavily considering at the present moment.  i'm about halfway through a bachelor's degree in aerospace right now.  i know that you need a master's degree in theology to do it.

I know nothing about them other than what is on goarmy.com.  

Also- in reading thier profiles on the army site a lot of them talk about being able to better relate because they were once soldiers themselves- so i'd probably be looking at enlisting as a chaplain's assistant- i'd be 21 by the time i got in there......

alright- i know i haven't given you all enough, but what can you tell me?

thanks.

I'm not an expert, but Chaplins do not start out as Chaplins Assistants.

Chaplains are brought into the Army as officers.  Chaplains Assistants are usually enlisted men.

Talk to a recruiter.  He will be able to get the facts.

got you there.  i was talking about enlisting so that as a chaplain i could better relate to soldiers.  i could also get the required master's degree on the GI bill that way....

ask and you shal recieve!!

http://www.goarmy.com/chaplain/requirements.jsp

Quoted: This is something that i'm heavily considering at the present moment.  i'm about halfway through a bachelor's degree in aerospace right now.  i know that you need a master's degree in theology to do it. I know nothing about them other than what is on goarmy.com.   Also- in reading thier profiles on the army site a lot of them talk about being able to better relate because they were once soldiers themselves- so i'd probably be looking at enlisting as a chaplain's assistant- i'd be 21 by the time i got in there...... alright- i know i haven't given you all enough, but what can you tell me? thanks.

You must either have or  be in the process of getting a Master of Divinity degree from a seminary AND be under the umbrella of a sending agency (mission board that oversees army chaplains) and be a member of a local sending church if you are protestant.  I am not sure about Catholics or other religions.  There are interviews and tests and other things that must occur on the military level to be approved as a candidate for Army Chaplain.  If you make it, you end up going to officers training.

I considered this for awhile and did all the research but now I am 38 and right on the edge of being too old to do this.  I only have a bachelor's in Music and Biblical Studies and with a 7 year old, I just don't want to put him through not having a daddy with school and job at the same time.

From chaplains who have visited my church, it is an extremely rewarding job, and lots of the old rules that used to be in place that sometimes forced chaplains to compromise thier personal doctrinal positions are no longer in force and you don't have to do anything any longer that would cause you to do anything that you don't agree with personally.  

patsue

thanks.  i should have included that i'm a United Methodist.  

An old friend of mine finished CHOBC a few months ago, and is now with the 101st Airborne.

Quoted: This is something that i'm heavily considering at the present moment.  i'm about halfway through a bachelor's degree in aerospace right now.  i know that you need a master's degree in theology to do it.

I know you also need to be an ordained minister, which means you need an M.Div., certification by your state, stuff from your "faith group" (not all chaplains are Christian).

I know nothing about them other than what is on goarmy.com.   Also- in reading thier profiles on the army site a lot of them talk about being able to better relate because they were once soldiers themselves- so i'd probably be looking at enlisting as a chaplain's assistant- i'd be 21 by the time i got in there......

From what my friend has seen, it's not so much that a chaplain was a soldier, it's that he is a soldier (except that he's a noncombatant).  They go through essentially the same training as everyone else.  Not sure about chaplain's assistants, though I believe they are usually NCOs.

alright- i know i haven't given you all enough, but what can you tell me? thanks.

Let me see if I can put you in touch with him.  Might take a little while to hear back from him.