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Commentary
REFLECTIONS: Having a pastor’s heart Bishop Woodie W. White, Dec 3, 2009
Bishop Woodie White
By Bishop Woodie W. White UMR Columnist
Military chaplains are pastors in uniform. They are pastors, above all else, whatever rank they hold.
The U.S. military requires those who want to be chaplains to have had pastoral experience in a congregation. Those who become chaplains will experience extraordinary pastoral tasks, needs and circumstances not typical of civilian life. All will require a pastor’s heart and pastoral skill.
The unique “congregation” of the chaplain is diverse and demands unusual sensitivity, openness and flexibility. The “congregation” will most often be comprised of persons who do not share the pastor’s denomination, theological perspective or even faith. Sometimes there are those who hold no faith at all.
Some chaplains are pastors of a base chapel, which runs much like a congregation in civilian life. Chaplains hold regular weekly meetings, activities and religious education programming, including a youth group and a women’s organization.
Other chaplains are assigned to a particular unit of military personnel, and their unit becomes their congregation. When the unit is deployed into battle, the chaplain goes along, though he or she carries no weapon.
One chaplain who was assigned to a unit of paratroopers recently told me he had more “jumps” than many in his unit! When a submarine or ship is engaged, so is the chaplain. Theirs is a unique congregation indeed!
Over the past 20 years, I have had the privilege of relating to military chaplains here in the U.S.; most often when they were assigned “overseas.” I have learned much from them and about them. I have nothing but the most profound respect for them.
So when I learned of the recent tragedy at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas—which resulted in multiple deaths and injuries—I immediately reacted with disbelief. The tragedy seemed more inexplicable when we learned the alleged perpetrator was a U.S. officer whose assignment was to help those struggling with emotional stress.
For a pastor, death requires a most sensitive and caring response. The pastor must comfort a grieving family whose loved ones may still be in utter shock. That awful day at Fort Hood, so many families, loved ones, colleagues and friends were needing comfort, answers and healing. I can only imagine the tasks of the pastors in uniform there.
In the face of death—especially random, senseless and tragic circumstances—there are typically two categories of the question “Why?” There is the factual “Why?” We seek to know how the death occurred, the circumstances, the cause, the reason. Then there is the spiritual “Why?” We are less able to discover an answer for the latter, yet every pastor has to deal with this at some point.
Chaplain-pastors must also deal with the rage, anger and frustration that follows violent and random death. I suspect that at Fort Hood, all of these responses presented themselves to chaplains and pastors in the greater community.
I began to pray for them all: for God to give them the right word, the right touch and the gift of silence as they listened. Sometimes just our presence is needed. At other times, grieving people desperately need some word of hope to make sense of the senseless.
I have learned a few things about God in the face of death. God can handle our rage and anger, even against God! God understands the depth of our loss, grief and sense of futility. God expects that we will learn faith lessons, even from the horrific.
Oh, the gift of a caring pastor, when your heart is breaking and the tears will not stop, when emotions flood the spirit, especially the feelings that one does not want to share: the anger, rage and desire for revenge.
Oh, for a caring pastor, when facing the next hour is a challenge, not to mention the whole day and the longer night ahead.
Oh, for the caring pastor, when it appears the future is closed and dreams have vanished. Oh, for the caring pastor, when your questions yield only more questions.
Oh, for a caring pastor!
Thank God for those pastors in uniform at Fort Hood!
Retired Bishop White is the denomination’s Endorsing Agent for Chaplain Ministries and bishop-in-residence at Candler School of Theology.
Bishop Woodie White
