Instructions -- Military and Federal Chaplain Positions

BSASFM INST 1.0/2011
7 March 2011

BSASFM INSTRUCTION 01.2011

From: Bishop Suffragan for Armed Services and Federal Ministries, The Episcopal Church

Subj: APPLICATIONS FOR ENDORSEMENT FOR ARMED SERVICES AND FEDERAL MINISTRIES OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Ref: (a) U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs Guidelines for Employment of February 2010 (NOTAL)
(b) DoD Instruction
(c) Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons

1. PURPOSE. To establish guidelines for application for Ecclesiastical Endorsement for federal chaplaincies by The Episcopal Church.

2. CANCELLATION. All previous documents pertaining to ecclesiastical endorsement by The Episcopal Church.

3. APPLICABILITY. This instruction applies to all persons who request ecclesiastical endorsement from The Episcopal Church for chaplaincy in The US Department of Veterans Affairs; The US Department of Defense; and The Federal Bureau of Prisons.

4. APPLICATION TIMELINE: Applicants for ecclesiastical endorsement from the Bishop Suffragan for Armed Services and Federal Ministries should expect that the process will take from 90 to 120 days from the initial contact with the Bishop Suffragan until an ecclesiastical endorsement is issued.

5. APPLICATION PROCEDURES.

US DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
Federal chaplains for this department are appointed in the excepted civil service. Excepted service employees are not eligible to transfer to positions in the competitive civil service. Newly appointed chaplains serve a one year trial period. Applicants must possess ecclesiastical endorsement, dated within the past 12 months, from the designated national endorsing official of his/her faith group or denomination. Ecclesiastical endorsement is the written official statement of the endorsing body certifying that the applicant is in good standing with the faith group or denomination and that the individual is, in the opinion of the endorsing body, qualified to perform the full range of ministry required in the VA pluralistic setting.

Application steps.
Prior to submitting an application for employment as an Episcopal Staff Chaplain United States Department of Veterans Affairs the applicant must first contact The Bishop Suffragan for Armed Services and Federal Ministries for ecclesiastical guidance and consent regarding the federal ministries of The Episcopal Church. Upon granting of consent from the Bishop Suffragan for Armed Services and Federal Ministries the applicant may proceed taking the following steps:

1. Complete an online request an ecclesiastical endorsement from the Bishop Suffragan for Armed Services and Federal Ministries for ministry in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

2. Request a letter of concurrence from the Bishop of your canonical residency to the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries.

3. Arrange to have three letters of reference (two from clergy and one from a lay person) sent to the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries.

4. Request that official transcripts for all under graduate and graduate education are sent to the Office of the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries.

5. Provide an extensive essay on your spiritual journey leading to your discernment of a call to serve the Department of Veterans Affairs as an Episcopal Chaplain.

6. Provide a recent photograph of yourself along with an updated Transition Ministries Office profile to the Office of the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries.

7. Complete the packet which will be sent to you from Oxford Documents as part of the background check that is required of all applicants. Once you have returned the paper-work from Oxford Documents the background check normally takes 5 weeks to be completed.

8. Interview with the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries and his advisory committee at a time to be determined by the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries. Your travel and lodging costs will be paid for by the Office of the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries and normally includes an overnight stay in Washington, D.C.

9. The Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries will notify you by telephone within 24 hours following the interview indicating whether or not you have been granted an ecclesiastical endorsement.

FEDERAL BUREAU OF PRISONS.
Chaplains administer, supervise, and perform work involved in a program of spiritual welfare and religious guidance for inmates in a correctional setting. Chaplain applicants must have successfully completed an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university and a Master of Divinity degree or the equivalent (20 graduate hours of theology, 20 graduate hours of sacred writings, 20 graduate hours of church history or comparative religions, and 20 graduate hours of ministry courses) from an American Theological School (ATS) accredited residential seminary or school of theology; ordination or membership in an ecclesiastically recognized religious institute of vowed men or women; at least 2 years of autonomous experience as a religious/spiritual leader in a parish or specialized ministry setting; current ecclesiastical endorsement by the recognized endorsing body of the faith tradition; willingness to provide and coordinate programs for inmates of all faiths; and the necessary credentials and the ability to provide worship services in his/her faith tradition.

Application Steps:

1. Episcopal Priests who are interested in a career as a Chaplain in the Federal Bureau of Prisons must initiate contact with the Bishop Suffragan for Armed Services and Federal Ministries prior to submitting an application to the Chaplaincy Services Branch of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

2. Complete an online request an ecclesiastical endorsement from the Bishop Suffragan for Armed Services and Federal Ministries for ministry in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

3. Request a letter of concurrence from the Bishop of your canonical residency to the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries.

4. Arrange to have three letters of reference (two from clergy and one from a lay person) sent to the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries.

5. Request that all official transcripts for under graduate and graduate education are sent to the Office of the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries.

6. Provide an extensive essay on your spiritual journey leading to your discernment of a call to serve the Department of Veterans Affairs as an Episcopal Chaplain.

7. Provide a recent photograph of yourself along with an updated Transition Ministries Office profile to the Office of the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries.

8. Complete the packet which will be sent to you from Oxford Documents as part of the background check that is required of all applicants. Once you have returned the paper-work from Oxford Documents the background check normally takes 5 weeks to be completed.

9. Interview with the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries and his advisory committee at a time to be determined by the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries. Your travel and lodging costs will be paid for by the Office of the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries and normally includes an overnight stay in Washington, D.C.

10. The Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries will notify you by telephone within 24 hours following the interview indicating whether or not you have been granted an ecclesiastical endorsement.

11. The Chaplaincy Services Branch is in the process of automating its new hire application process. The Chaplaincy Office is not taking applications at this time. Please check back for updates when the automation process will be complete and instructions for the new hiring process.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE:
Military Chaplaincy provides opportunity for a challenging institutional ministry in a broadly pluralistic environment around the world. Military chaplains serve in the active duty and reserve components of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Additionally, Priests may serve military chaplains in the National Guard, and the Air Guard. The Civil Air Patrol program also provides for a volunteer program to assist in search and rescue operations and other such service as may be asked of the Air Force Auxiliary. Generally, to serve as an Episcopal military chaplain one must be an ordained priest in good standing with a minimum of 2 years experience as a priest, no more than 39 years of age, a U.S. citizen with a Master of Divinity Degree from an accredited seminary or divinity school, and able to meet the physical fitness standards of the military component. Military requirements and application procedures vary depending upon the branch of service. It is essential that an applicant contact a Military Chaplain Corps Officer recruiter to determine the specific application requirements.

Application Steps:

1. Prior to submitting an application for ecclesiastical endorsement the potential applicant must contact the Bishop Suffragan for Armed Service and Federal Ministries to obtain consent to submit the application.

2. Contact a Chaplain Corps Officer recruiter for the specific military component in which the applicant is seeking a commission.

3. Complete an online request an ecclesiastical endorsement from the Bishop Suffragan for Armed Services and Federal Ministries for ministry as a military chaplain.

4. Request a letter of concurrence from the Bishop of canonical residency to the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries.

5. Arrange to have three letters of reference (two from clergy and one from a lay person) sent to the Office of the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries.

6. Request that all official transcripts for under graduate and graduate education are sent to the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries.

7. Provide an extensive essay on your spiritual journey leading to your discernment of a call to in the military as an Episcopal Chaplain.

8. Provide a recent photograph of yourself along with an updated Transition Ministries Office profile to the Office of the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries.

9. Complete the packet which will be sent to you from Oxford Documents as part of the background check that is required of all applicants. Once you have returned the paper-work from Oxford Documents the background check normally takes 5 weeks to be completed.

10. Interview with the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries and his advisory committee at a time to be determined by the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries. Your travel and lodging costs will be paid for by the Office of the Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries and normally includes an overnight stay in Washington, D.C.

11. The Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal Ministries will notify you by telephone within 24 hours following the interview indicating whether or not you have been granted an ecclesiastical endorsement.


JAMES B. MAGNESS
Bishop Suffragan for Armed Services and Federal Ministries