Aiming to counter trend, UCC seminary will train military chaplains

A military chaplain serves as both a religious leader and a
listener—ideally one who can assist military personnel of all faiths. A
frequent refrain among chaplains is that one is a "chaplain to all,
pastor to some." But government statistics show that the nation's corps
of chaplains leans heavily toward evangelical Christianity, failing to
mirror the military it serves.

Even though just 3 percent of the
military's enlisted personnel and officers call themselves Southern
Baptist, Pentecostal or some form of evangelical, 33 percent of military
chaplains are members of one of those groups, according to the
Pentagon.

The disparity could soon widen: data from the air force
indicate that 87 percent of those seeking to become chaplains are
enrolled at evangelical divinity schools. Liberty Baptist Theological
Seminary, part of the Jerry Falwell–founded Liberty University, started
its chaplaincy degree program in 2007 with two students and has more
than 1,000 today—all but about 30 students taking the M.Div. courses
online.