Ecclesiastical Endorsement for Federal Ministries: Military Chaplain Series

The call to ministry outside of a conventional congregational setting is growing. Chaplaincy within the military is among the vocations that is attracting the attention of seminarians as well as seasoned clergy. Season 3 begins with a series of podcasts on military chaplaincy. In this episode, I have the honor of speaking with Rev. Dr. Sarah Lammert, Ministry and Faith Development co-director and Ecclesiastical Endorser at the Unitarian Universalist Association. What is an ecclesiastical endorsement? Many professional work and volunteer environments require endorsement from a denomination or faith group affirming that a member is in good standing and qualified for that ministry. Chaplains who work in federal systems: military, veteran’s administration, and federal prisons all require ecclesiastical endorsement.  Rev. Lammert brings great information on chaplaincy not only in the military but also at the Veteran’s Administration (VA), the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and auxiliary military chaplaincy with the Civil Air Patrol and Coast Guard Auxiliary. Notes from the episode:Dept of Defense Endorsers list:    https://prhome.defense.gov/M-R....A/MPP/AFCB/Endorseme on ecclesiastical endorsement from the UUA: https://www.uua.org/careers/ministers/militaryUU Military Ministry at Great Lakes https://uummgl.org/  Fantastic organization that brings UU worship services each week to trainees attending the Navy's Recruit Training Command (boot camp) at Naval Station Great Lakes.Many Windows: Conversations on Ministry is a production of Meadville Lombard Theological School. Theme music is “Destination” by Justhea. This episode is produced by Jules Taylor and as always, a special thank you to Tomo Hilbo.