I believe congratulations are in order for CH Jones and 2LT Snell who just completed CH-BOLC. May the madness of those days scar your minds forever.

Does anyone one know if they will be attending the summer class? I'll be there and it would be nice to have some company.

Aaron L.

Scholarship opportunities

During the 1920s, in a dual effort to legitimize BYU in the eyes of the nation, and integrate religious faith with worldly (read: non-mormon) learning, the church sent a few promising young scholars on stipends to seek advanced degrees in prominent centers of learning such as the University of Chicago in the expectation that they would return and bring to the Church Education System some of the credibility it was lacking (See Armond Mauss, The Angel and the Beehive p. 27, 96). Unfortunately, while an arguement can be made for church support of LDS Chaplain Candidates, there are better reasons that what probably happened on a limited basis anyway, is extinct. In place of direct financial support the church has created a two year religious education degree which most likely ends up costing the student a fraction of the total cost elsewhere.

With this said, not everyone who applies to this program will be accepted (grades/test scores, number of applicants, etc) and no doubt many (myself included) will wish to study elsewhere. Reasons for this vary among individuals but one constant that those not in BYU's program will always face is the prohibitive cost of seminary or other graduate education. I believe that concerns about cost should not drive our generation's promising scholars and future chaplains away from options that they feel called to but can't afford. The following is a list of scholarships, grants, and loans that I feel are options for LDS applicants. Some, but not all of the scholarships assume attendance at a seminary or other requirement such as a tour of active duty.

Military Chaplains Association (up to $2,000)
http://www.mca-usa.org/html/Scholarships.html

Church, State, and Industry Foundation ($5,000)
http://www.chaplain-csif.com/CSIF%20application%20packet%20(August%2014%202007)%20(2).pdf

Chaplain Samuel Grover Powell Scholarship ($900 min)
http://www.umhef.org/receive.php?id=chap_powell

http://www.umhef.org/pdf_library/PowellScholarshipApplication1.pdf

Shepherd Scholarship ($1,500 per year)
http://www.srmason-sj.org/web/scholarships/shepherd.htm

A school to which I applied, was accepted, and decided not to persue was Regent University's School of Divinity. They have a broad range of scholarship opportunities for their students including a 25% military discount on tuition for Chaplain Candidates.
http://www.regent.edu/acad/schdiv/admissions/financialaid_awards.shtml

This is a running list. I will update it as I find additional resources. Please comment if you know of any other resources for those interested in persuing this vocation.

Aaron L.

Education Options for LDS Chaplain Candidates

Its probably a good idea to answer what will undoubtedly be the most asked question by those looking into the chaplaincy: How should I complete the education requirements? Due to the creation of the chaplain track at BYU, anyone interested in multiple options should think twice before asking Frank or Rich where they think you will be most prepared for the chaplaincy as they will obviously want you to go to BYU. While I claim no particular expertise, I did my homework as I looked at the various paths before me and I'd like to share what I found.

Graduate degree already completed
For those who only lack the religion credits, the most likely route is to take distance education classes. Residence study is an option but normally those in this position already have a family and the chaplaincy is most likely an unexpected turn in one's career. Many of our number have been taking classes from Lubbuck Christian University. Those who are doing this feel free to comment on the short residence period required each semester.

http://www.lcu.edu/LCU/academics/GradBible/default.htm

I also understand that Fuller Theological Seminary is an option for online courses. Talk with Dr. Keller at BYU as he can advise more specifically in this area.

http://www.fuller.edu/

The least expensive option is going to be BYU. This also seems like a more viable option than in the past as they will probably be expecting chaplain applicants/candidates to need to take classes with the CES students. That said, the trade off here is a sacrifice of experiences in Christian plurality (albeit online ones) for cheaper tuition costs.

http://home.byu.edu/webapp/home/index.jsp

Graduate degree not completed
For those who have yet to complete a graduate degree, you have quite an adventure ahead of you. There are basically three options here.

1. If you already plan to get a degree in a helping field, get started as soon as you can taking online religion courses as described above. If you're at a university that has graduate religion classes, take one per semester if your class load permits it.
2. The second option, and the one I decided to pursue, is to attend a seminary or divinity school in residence. Even though there are many to choose from, several factors narrow the field considerably. First, the seminary must be accredited by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS). Fortunately the ATS website lists their schools alphabetically, geographically by state/province, and my personal favorite: by denominational affiliation. Next, its essential to find a school that will at least look at the application of LDS students. Some schools it goes without saying will never admit us, but you'd be surprised how close I came a couple of times. Who knows, if your grades and test scores are better than mine, and consider the fact that LDS and protestant/evangelical relationships are improving over time, you might just get in where I could not. This part is a real adventure. Don't be intimidated. Lastly, look for seminaries you can afford to attend. Tuition will range from 300 to 600 per credit hour (higher at places like Yale, University of Chicago, etc.)

http://www.ats.edu/member_schools/denom.asp

I chose to attend Emmanuel School of Religion in Johnson City, TN. I love it. I encourage this option because it requires Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) credits for its M.Div in Christian Care and Counseling, requires one year of Hebrew and two years of Greek, offers a long term experience interacting with others of various religious faiths, and ultimately, brings you to the same level as other Christian chaplains. They will not be able to dismiss you as easily because you did not go through seminary. But of course I must qualify this portion as strictly my own opinion.

3. Finally, the creation of the new and improved chaplain program at BYU offers a path for those concerned about cost, living outside of Utah, the effects of pluralism on fragile testimonies, or who don't want to hurt their chances to become a general authority. The upside is it only takes two years to complete, versus three in seminary. But I think that's the only upside. Not even a world religions class from a great professor like Dr. Keller can replace getting to experience dialogue with people of diverse religious, not to mention ideological backgrounds.

Consider all these options and others this post will hopefully inspire. Those that know of other paths please comment. Ask questions and I'll try to respond as soon as I can. For more general chaplain candidate information see:

http://armychaplaincy.com/category/chaplain-candidate-program/

Aaron L.

LDS Chaplain Candidates

Welcome!

Thanks to Nathan's (Chaplain Kline) idea about using this google blog, we've got a blog started here for LDS Chaplain Candidates (I realize that not every prospective chaplain is married) and Chaplain Candidate Couples to get to know each other, share info, and keep in touch!
I guess we'll just wait and see how useful this will be to us and others down the road.

Please feel free to share your story about where you're from etc., photos, how you became interested in pursuing the chaplaincy, what you're doing to fulfill the educational requirements, how you've dealt with or are dealing with obstacles or set-backs (financial and otherwise), etc. etc...And anything else, especially questions/concerns or helpful tips you've learned about this "becoming-a-chaplain" process -- as well as words of caution and motivation.

Couples who are already chaplains, both experienced and new, are especially welcome to share their stories/photos, answer questions, and share anything and everything they think might be helpful to us. Feel free to ask such couples to log-on and make entries etc. as often as they'd like.

If you have any ideas about how to make this blog a more useful tool, please be sure to share them!

Take care,

Tommy