Twenty Years Since 2004 DODI 1304.28

The Department of Defense (DoD), in 2004, published a revision of DoD Instruction (DODI) 1304.28, “The Appointment and Service of Chaplains.” There were two major revisions to the DODI, the qualifying graduation degree was lowered from a ninety-hour master’s degree to a seventy-two-hour degree and the need for the school to be accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) was removed. Appointment criteria for military chaplains, twice in the past century, impacted quality of both chaplains, and also more broadly, theological education in the United States. In the 1900s, mass mobilization created a need for more military chaplains. Religious bodies along with the War Department established appointment criteria for chaplains. These criteria, in turn, helped shape the Master of Divinity degree and a theological education accreditation association. Department of Defense Instruction (DODI) 1304.28, changed, in 2004, qualifying graduate education appointment standards without the collaboration of endorsers and theological schools. Changes to appointment standards significantly impacted quality chaplain accessions as well as theological education and formation. I contend that the Armed Forces receive the best possible religious ministry professionals when appointment criteria are developed in concert with endorsers and theological educators.

Standards Develop: Early Twentieth Century – 1990s

During the Civil War there were complaints to Congress about the lack of quality among chaplains.^[1] President Lincoln’s assistant private secretary, William O. Stoddard recalled Lincoln saying “I do believe that our army chaplains, take them as a class, are the worst men we have in the service.”^[2] After the Civil War there was a push to ensure clergy had the proper ecclesiastical credentials and moral character to serve as a chaplain. Civil War chaplain, Reverend Orville Nave, a biblical scholar and renowned author, recognized several areas in which chaplains could professionalize. Nave advocated for a higher standard of appointment. He also recommended the creation of an officer’s branch for consolidated administration.^[3]

The Secretaries of the Army and Navy, in 1915, asked the Federal Council of Churches for clergy to serve as chaplains.^[4] Catholics, Episcopalians, Methodists, and Presbyterians had already formed commissions within their ecclesiastical organizations to select clergy for service in the military. The Federal Council of Churches established a War-Time Commission which included the National Catholic War Council and the Jewish Welfare Board:

As a temporary and emergency body, brought into existence to help in meeting the needs of a national crisis, it is free to deal with each situation which may arise in such ways as best to fulfill the purposes of its appointment…those who serve on its committees remain directly responsible to the bodies to which they belong, and it is distinctly understood that this primary responsibility is in no way compromised by their membership on the commission…[it aims] to render the largest service to the nation and to the world in this great and critical time.^[5]

This War Time Commission marks one of the first meetings of its kind in the United States, bringing together these religious bodies for the purpose of supplying quality clergy to the Armed Services.

The Defense Act of 1920 authorized the Office of the Chief of Chaplains.^[6] The duties included “investigation into the qualifications of candidates for appointment as chaplain, and general coordination and supervision of the work of chaplains.”^[7] Another authorization in 1918 established a school.^[8]

By World War II, religious leaders and theological schools were considering standardizing by way of accreditation:

The Second World War, which required the standardization of everything from airplane parts to qualifications for the officer corps, would elevate all accredited institutions. This was particularly true of the chaplains, where the military’s task of finding officers qualified to serve as both ministers and leaders was complicated by the seemingly endless array of qualifications for ordination. Graduation from an accredited institution was an easy way to cut through the confusion and enable quick appointments.^[9]

Following World War II, ATS was firmly in place, accrediting theological schools who maintained a prescribed set of academic standards.

The military’s need for quality clergy during World War I acted as a catalyst for ecumenism and what would eventually become an accrediting association for theological study and training. ‘The organization that became The American Association of Theological Schools (AATS), later The Association of Theological Schools (ATS), was born in the shadow of this crisis.’^[10]

The Chaplain Corps of U.S. Armed Forces benefited from several decades of clergy with a standardized Master of Divinity serving soldiers and their families.^[11] While law and medicine have state and federal standards to practice in their professional fields, there is no equivalent standard for clergy. For religious ministry professionals to serve as chaplains, DODI 1304.28 serves as the plumb line.

Standards Revised, 2000-2004

In 2000, the Army Chaplain Corps considered ways to diversify the religious representation of chaplains to support an increase of religions represented in the Army. In 2001, the Army Chaplain Corps also needed to increase the number of chaplains to support the war effort. Chaplain historian John W. Brinsfield writes, “Force structure gains allowed the Army to reach a high of 1,323 authorized positions for active duty chaplains, the most since the drawdown began in 1991 after Operation Desert Storm.”^[12] At the same time, the Armed Forces Chaplain Board recommended lowering the credit hour requirement from ninety graduate credit hours to seventy-two hours to provide an educational path for religious groups, like Islam, which did not have formalized degree programs for their religious leaders in the U.S.^[13]

In 2002, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) removed the requirement that chaplains earn their degree from an ATS accredited graduate school.^[14] The new degree requirement only stipulated that chaplains earn their degrees from a school accredited by regional accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, such as Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), which has no interest per se or specialized requirements for the training of clergy. The Department of Education does not require Federal regional accreditation and there is no specification for “in-residence” schooling so all graduate courses could be completed via distance education. The OSD also changed the degree requirement for chaplains from a three-year resident master’s degree to a seventy-two-hour master’s degree. Before 2002, the three-year theological master’s degree was a Master of Divinity, which included theology, doctrine, ecclesiastical history, scripture study, ministerial skills, internships/field practicums, ethics, biblical languages, and polity. The seventy-two-hour degree included recommendations for some courses of study to be included. Many of the unique requirements for a Master of Divinity which ATS maintained for nearly sixty years were lost when DoD shifted from ATS accreditation to regional federal accreditation.^[15]

The following excerpts from the Code of Federal Regulations and the Department of Defense show the policy shifts. The Federal Register from December 5, 1988 lists education requirements as:

Have completed 3 resident years of graduate professional study in theology or related subjects (normally validated by the possession of a Master of Divinity degree, an equivalent degree, or 90 semester hours) that lead to ecclesiastical certification as a member of the clergy fully qualified to perform the ministering functions of a chaplain.^[16]

Whereas the 1993 Department of Defense Directive (DODD) 1304.19 allowed either a government accreditation or accreditation by ATS:

Have completed 3 resident years of graduate professional study in theology or related subjects at an accredited graduate school (normally validated by the possession of a Master of Divinity degree or an equivalent degree) that leads to ecclesiastical certification as a member of the clergy fully qualified to perform the functions of a chaplain. That study shall be completed at an accredited graduate school listed in reference (f) “Accredited Institutions of Post Secondary Education,” current edition or (g) Directory, Association of Theological Schools (ATS) Bulletin, Part, current edition.^[17]

The 2004 DODI 1304.28 removes the requirement for ATS accreditation and lowers credit hour requirements:

The RMP [Religious Ministry Professional] is educationally qualified for appointment as a chaplain. . . . A qualifying graduate degree program shall require no fewer than seventy-two semester hours (108 quarter hours) of graduate-level work. Related studies may include graduate courses in pastoral counseling, social work, religious administration, and similar disciplines when one-half of the earned credits include topics in general religion, world religions, the practice of religion, theology, religious philosophy, religious ethics, and/or foundational writings from the applicant’s religious tradition.^[18]

Some religious bodies required a seventy-two-hour Master of Arts degree, which is typically a two-year degree program.^[19] This requirement also allowed applicants to submit a masters of less than seventy-two hours by adding other graduate credits to reach seventy-two hours. Further changes in the DODI 1304.28 published in 2014 reflected slight revisions to the language:

an educationally qualified applicant shall also possess a post-baccalaureate graduate degree in the field of theological or related studies from a qualifying educational institution. . . . Related studies may include graduate courses in [same as listed above from 2004].^[20]

The 2004 language was broad enough to include social work. Ten years later, the 2014 DODI returned to the language “in the field of theological or related studies.” The new standards meant more RMPs could apply for the Chaplain Corps and meet war-time requirements. The new standards, however, did not immediately translate into increased religious diversity. They did contribute to a significant change in theological education.

Degrees Designed Around the DODI

A sizable theological school seized the initiative by designing a new Master of Divinity (MDiv) around the standards set by the 2004 DODI 1304.28. With no requirement for residency, the MDiv could be completed entirely online. With no three-year requirement, the seventy-two hour degree could be completed in two years or less. Academic practices not permitted under ATS standards could now be liberally applied. Schools began awarding graduate credits for life experience, and doctor of ministry credits for masters degrees, and accepted undergraduate credits as graduate credits. Schools began awarding graduate credits for military schools and experiences. One applicant for the Army Chaplain Corps presented a seventy-two hour masters of divinity which was completed in sixteen months, which included the three months the applicant was attending the Chaplain Basic Officer and Leader Course (CHBOLC) at what was then called the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School (USACHCS) at Fort Jackson, South Carolina now the United States Army Institute for Religious Leadership (USA-IRL). The school awarded the student nine credit hours for CHBOLC. The applicant presented a degree, minus the military school, that was sixty-three credit hours completed in a year. The educational experience of this applicant was by no means unique at the time and underscores the significant shift that had taken place in the wake of the 2002 OSD memorandum and 2004 DODI.

The large theological school soon had several hundred students enrolled. Other schools also designed similar graduate degrees and likewise attracted students: Regent, Columbia International, Ashland Theological School, Denver Seminary, Multnomah, Brigham Young University, Dallas Baptist, Grace College and Seminary, and Baptist Bible Seminary of Summit University. Religious groups such as the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and Buddhist Churches of America (BCA)—which before had no formalized graduate education programs in the U.S.—were now building degree programs based on the 2004 DODI 1304.28. For example, Hartford Seminary created a seventy-two hour program for students who were preparing for military chaplaincy.

The possibility of a shorter, online qualifying graduate degree for prospective military chaplains created opportunities for both students and schools. Other factors were in play for many mainline seminaries at the time, but the change created in the 2004 DODI 1304.28 was a significant factor in sweeping changes in theological education across the United States. Some students of mainline denominations switched endorsers who adopted the new standard because they could go through the endorsement and accessions processes more quickly and cheaply. They did not need to leave jobs or move to a seminary campus. This accelerated declining enrollment and rising costs to several mainline seminaries that over time have adapted to online and hybrid education. In 2010, Dr. Daniel Aleshire, the ATS Executive Director at the time, said, “I think that we are on the cusp of a lot change. . . . In 20 years, the whole theological training landscape could be quite different.”^[21]

Decline in Readiness 2008–2010

During Operation Enduring Freedom (2008–2010), senior commanders and chaplains began receiving reports of poor-quality chaplain support from the field of operations. There were reports of chaplains who were deployed who had never conducted a wedding ceremony or a funeral. Not that there are wedding ceremonies being officiated in combat; there is, however, plenty of marriage counseling which would assume the chaplain has conducted pre-marital and marital counseling under the close supervision and mentorship of their faith group prior to entering military service. There were reports of chaplains who were not sure how to conduct a memorial ceremony because they had never conducted a funeral before entering the military.^[22] Just as one would assume a fully qualified physician has completed his or her residency under the close supervision of qualified medical professionals, the same would be expected of a chaplain to conduct religious rites, rituals, and ceremonies.^[23]

Reversing the Decline 2010-Present

The Army Chaplain Corps identified the need for further training and development in areas of basic pastoral skills. CHBOLC curriculum was supplemented in counseling and preaching to help incoming religious ministry professionals. Chaplain Corps Professional Reinforcement Training (CPRT) was developed by the Training Directorate (at the then USACHCS) as a follow on to the Basic Course to augment ministerial skills, especially around counseling. Supervisory chaplains also stepped in to provide additional mentorship and training to overcome these gaps. In the short term, this improved the level of religious support to the troops and their families. However, in the long term, this approach would prove problematic for the DoD. The responsibility for educating, training, and developing religious ministry professionals belongs to the religious organization that endorses them. A religious ministry professional with a DoD endorsement is expected to perform basic pastoral functions. The responsibility of the Army Chaplain Corps is to provide the unique and additional skills, education, and supervision to become a professional military chaplain. RMPs who enter military service need to have a well-formed identity as a religious leader with skills and experience to then be further trained, developed, and certified as military chaplains.

The Army Chaplain Corps took steps between 2010 and 2011 to implement policy while revisions of DODI 1304.28 were staffed with the Armed Forces Chaplaincy Board (AFCB). The Army Chaplain Corps would not count credit hours awarded for CHBOLC toward the qualifying seventy-two hours graduate degree for the Chaplain Corps. The Army Chaplain Corps understood this to be an appropriate separation of church and state. CHOBLC acculturates RMPs into the Army and develops skills unique to the Army Chaplain Corps. In addition, the Army Chaplain Corps recommended several revisions to the DODI to the AFCB. It recommended specifying that the qualifying graduate degree must be in theological or religious studies and that half of the seventy-two-hour degree must include religious studies rather than “related” studies. The Army Chaplain Corps also recommended that undergraduate credits transferred as graduate credits should not count toward the seventy-two hours and neither should life experience credits, military evaluation credits, and credits for a Doctor of Ministry. The Army also required the master’s to be one degree and not a combination of degrees and/or graduate credits of seventy-two hours. And, finally, the Army Chaplain Corps implemented a policy requiring applicants to have conducted at least one wedding and one funeral.

In 2010, the Director of Personnel and the Accessions Officer from the Army Office of the Chief of Chaplains visited with officials at the largest evangelical Christian school in the world with 46,000 students.^[24] In 2010, there were about 700 students enrolled in their military chaplaincy degree program. This school was one of the first and arguably the most influential theological school in the U.S. to design a Master of Divinity according to the 2004 DODI 1304.28. Since the school provided many chaplains for the Army with hundreds enrolled in their program, the Army Chaplain Corps shared concerns about the quality of incoming chaplains. The Army needed chaplains—fit in every way—for the rigors of combat and this school had young, smart, service-oriented students and alumni. As a result of the collaboration, the school increased their academic requirements for the Master of Divinity and began a ninety-three-hour military chaplaincy degree program in the Fall of 2010. This school is also now accredited by the Association of Theological Schools and produces high-caliber chaplains for all branches of the military.

Conclusion

The Armed Forces receive the best possible religious ministry professionals when appointment criteria are developed in concert with endorsers and theological educators. Military chaplaincy is predicated on a unique and necessary civilian-military (civ-mil) relationship. This relationship was once described by Chaplain Charles W. Hedrick as a “dialectical ambiguity”:

That dialectic has always belonged to the basic character of the Army Chaplain Corps and it was clearly recognized by the Provincial Congress in the Revolutionary War who accepted chaplains for the Army only when they had received the ‘leave of their congregations.’ The Provincial Congress accepted the service of chaplains as a ‘loan’ from the churches.^[25]

When this civ-mil relationship is working well, the noble mission of supplying America’s best religious ministry professionals to care for the souls of its service members and families is best achieved. It is our sacred honor.