METHODIST CHAPLAINS IN THE SANDF: SOME THOUGHTS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A SERVING CHAPLAIN

INTRODUCTION

The Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) has a long history of appointing ministers to serve as chaplains to the armed forces. The relationship of the Church with the Defence Force has at times been strained and fraught with controversy, especially during the days of the apartheid regime. At the time there was a view that the Church appointing chaplains to the South African Defence Force (SADF) was a tacit legitimation of a regime which the Church viewed as sinful and illegitimate. The counter view held that Methodist conscripts needed to be served by their own ministers, and that the Church had a pastoral responsibility to bring a differing perspective to the dominant pro-regime view within the SADF. This controversy has dissipated since the formation of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in 1995. The MCSA now plays a leading role in the Christian Religious Advisory Board of the SANDF, and ministers who feel a calling to this particular form of ministry are free to be appointed as chaplains. The relationship the Church has with the SANDF is regulated by a Church-State Agreement that is ratified both by the Conference of the MCSA and the Chaplain General who signs on behalf of the SANDF.

Methodist chaplains wear the non-executive rank of “Christian Chaplain” and are by definition non-combatants and enjoy protection as such under the Geneva Convention during times of armed conflict. They serve all members and not only Methodists. The military context provides a unique opportunity for ministry in the workplace to people of all denominations and faiths. Chaplains deploy with their units on internal (mostly border protection) and external (mostly peace support) operations. The chaplain's ministry primarily encompasses proclamation of the Gospel, pastoral care and teaching. The other important role the chaplain must play within the organisation is prophetic, to be the voice of conscience within the organisation. Chaplains serve on the command structures of the SANDF in an advisory capacity. Chaplains are regarded as the specialists on spiritual and ethical matters, and their advice is sought by commanders when making command decisions.

SELECTION OF MINISTERS FOR THE CHAPLAINCY

The MCSA has a responsibility to appoint ordained ministers to the SANDF who will be the face of the Church in the organisation, who will uphold the good name of the Church and will continue to be faithful to their calling to Word and Sacrament. Ministers who are appointed must have a clear calling to work within the military context. They should be comfortable working across all racial, language, cultural, denominational and faith groups. Ministers who are appointed must be willing to be posted to any military base in the country and must be willing to be deployed with their soldiers, which is usually for a minimum period of six months. They need to be physically fit and be willing to live in situations deprived of normal home comforts, especially when on deployment. They will also need to be prepared to undergo military training that will acquaint them with the military environment and will equip them to cope with the rigours of military life, especially in war zones. The MCSA must be willing to commit a minister to the SANDF for a minimum period of ten years, as the rules of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) do not allow a withdrawal of an employee’s full actuarial benefit if the person has contributed for a period of less than ten years. For this same reason, ministers over the age of 50 should be excluded from selection as the retirement age in the SANDF is 60 and the consequent loss of pension benefits would be enormous.

A minister who is appointed to the SANDF as a chaplain is an ambassador of the MCSA. This places a responsibility on the Church to ensure that only the best and most suitable ministers are appointed. Ministers who have disciplinary charges against them should be excluded, as should those who have failed in their Circuit appointments. The Chaplaincy should not be seen as a “dumping ground” of the Church to rid itself of troublesome or incompetent ministers, nor should the Church use the Chaplaincy as a form of rehabilitation for recalcitrant ministers. Neither should ministers be allowed to seek refuge in the Chaplaincy to escape from difficulties or potential disciplinary issues in circuit. Those who fail in circuit are likely to fail in the Chaplaincy, and will cause incalculable harm to the reputation of the MCSA in the process.

The Chaplain General’s policy with regard to new appointments in the SANDF is that a denomination is entitled to appoint one minister per 500 uniform members of that denomination to the SANDF. The Chaplain General has the responsibility to inform the denomination through its Liaison Chaplain that a vacancy exists for a chaplain of that particular denomination. The denomination presents a candidate to the Chaplain General who then proceeds with the military selection process.

The following MCSA process is suggested to help those ministers who feel a calling to the Chaplaincy, and to help the Church appoint the best candidates for the job:

a.         An ordained minister who feels a calling to the Chaplaincy first approaches the Bishop of the District in which he or she is serving. The Bishop must interview the person to explore the calling the particular minister is experiencing. The Bishop must ensure that the minister is in good standing in the circuit which he or she is serving and there are no outstanding assessments or any other issues that are pressurising the minister to leave the circuit appointment. The Bishop recommends the minister to the Connexional Committee on Military Chaplaincy (CCMC).

 

b.        The minister who is recommended by the District Bishop is interviewed by the CCMC. If the CCMC is satisfied that the minister is a suitable candidate, the minister’s name is forwarded to the Chaplain General when a vacancy for a MCSA minister has been communicated to the CCMC through the MCSA Liaison Chaplain. The CCMC must be aware that the Chaplain General has to meet certain SANDF criteria when appointing new chaplains, viz. age, gender, race and medical fitness. The Chaplain General may also be looking for a candidate with a particular set of skills, depending on the vacancy that exists. It is suggested that the Liaison Chaplain obtain from the Chaplain General a profile of the candidate for a particular vacancy in the Chaplaincy so that the CCMC can present the MCSA’s best candidate for that vacancy to the Chaplain General.

 

c.         The Chaplain General does not have the right to recruit MCSA ministers directly without the knowledge of the CCMC, neither may ministers apply directly to the Chaplain General.

 

 

MINISTERS SERVING AS CHAPLAINS

 

Ministers serving in the SANDF are currently stationed in Circuit Number 1413 and appear in the list of Stations as an “N.B.” in the circuits in which they reside. They remain in full connexion and their Supernumerary Fund accounts are regarded as being paid-up for the time they will spend serving as chaplains. Ministers appointed as chaplains are expected to keep strong links with the Church through the circuits in which they reside. This means that chaplains can be utilised for pastoral, preaching, sacramental and other duties in a part-time capacity, but with the understanding that official chaplain’s duties always take precedence over any Circuit involvement or duty.

 

In practical terms this means that chaplains must become full members of the circuit staff in which they reside. Chaplains perform pastoral and other duties under the direction of the Circuit Superintendent. Chaplains are primarily accountable to the Superintendent Minister and then to the District Bishop for the execution of their pastoral duties within the circuit. Chaplains are required to attend staff meetings, Circuit Quarterly Meetings, synods and retreats (up to a maximum of ten days special leave per annum is allowed by the Chaplain General for chaplains to attend synods and retreats.) Circuits are not assessed for the chaplains residing within their boundaries but are expected to fund the attendance of chaplains at synods and retreats. Circuits that cannot afford to pay synod and retreat fees must make this known to the chaplain and to the Bishop so that an arrangement can be made. Any allowances paid to chaplains for services rendered must be negotiated at Circuit level and must be declared to the Methodist Connexional Office so that the necessary tax administration can be done.

 

Chaplains are accountable for their work in the SANDF primarily to the Chaplain General, but also to the Church. Chaplains are required to submit an annual report on their work within the SANDF and circuit to the Synod to which they belong. Chaplains are primarily responsible to the Circuit Superintendent and accountable to the local Circuit Quarterly Meeting (CQM) for the ministry they exercise in the circuit. The following procedure is suggested as a way to keep chaplains accountable to the Church:

 

a.          Ministers are invited to serve as chaplains by the CCMC in the same way that any other minister is invited to labour by a Circuit Quarterly Meeting. The only difference is that ministers are invited for an initial period of 10 years, so that the minister does not suffer a loss of GEPF benefits. After the initial 10 year invitation has lapsed, invitations must be renewed annually in line with invitations in the rest of the Connexion. Ministers who wish to extend their invitations as chaplains shall indicate this to the CCMC through the Liaison Chaplain. The Bishop of the District in which the chaplain resides shall make a recommendation to the CCMC after having conducted an interview with the minister, and in consultation with the chaplain’s local Superintendent Minister. The CCMC has the right to conduct its own interview when considering the continued invitation of a minister to labour as a chaplain. Those ministers who enter the Chaplaincy with the intention not to serve a full 10 years will be invited for the period they wish to serve, but not less than 5 years. These ministers must be encouraged to make ad hoc contributions to the Supernumerary Fund to offset the loss of the full GEPF actuarial benefit on resignation from the SANDF.

 

b.          Ministers appointed as chaplains shall be required to attend all Circuit Staff Meetings, CQMs, District Synods and District Retreats.

 

c.          Ministers appointed as chaplains shall exercise some form of circuit ministry but with the understanding that the SANDF always has first call on the services of its chaplains. Chaplains shall be available to serve on District and Connexional structures, and shall also be considered to superintend a circuit should the need arise.

 

d.          Ministers appointed as chaplains shall submit reports on their ministry in the SANDF and in the local circuit both to the Synod and to the CCMC through the Liaison Chaplain.

 

e.         The Superintendent Minister of the circuit in which a chaplain resides shall submit a brief report on the ministry exercised by the chaplain in the circuit to the District Bishop and to the CCMC. It is suggested that the CCMC draft a standard template for this purpose.

 

f.          The Bishop of the District in which a minister appointed as a chaplain shall conduct an annual Review of Ministry with that minister, the report of which to be forwarded to the CCMC. At the discretion of the Bishop, this function may be delegated to the Superintendent Minister of the circuit in which the chaplain resides.

 

g.         The Liaison Chaplain shall maintain contact with the office of the Chaplain General regarding all possible transfers or promotions of MCSA chaplains. Similarly, the office of the Chaplain General shall inform the Liaison Chaplain regarding the under-performance or poor discipline of any MCSA chaplain. All such information is to be communicated by the Liaison Chaplain to the CCMC for information and possible action.

 

h.         The Liaison Chaplain is to be informed by the office of the Chaplain General of any MCSA chaplain who has been charged militarily under the Military Disciplinary Code. The CCMC will conduct its own investigation and will make recommendations to the Presiding Bishop with regard to the MCSA disciplinary procedures to be instituted against the minister.

 

i.          The Liaison Chaplain is to inform the office of the Chaplain General of any MCSA chaplain who is facing disciplinary action by the MCSA. When an MCSA chaplain is suspended by the Presiding Bishop, the CCMC must request the Chaplain General to place that chaplain on special leave pending the outcome of the MCSA disciplinary action instituted against that minister.

 

j.          The CCMC is to inform the Chaplain General immediately should a chaplain be discontinued by the MCSA. All MCSA chaplains are to give a written contractual undertaking that they will resign from the SANDF should they be discontinued from the ministry of the MCSA.

 

 

CHAPLAINS RETURNING TO CIRCUIT

 

Ministers serving as chaplains are under the discipline of the MCSA, which means that the Church has the right to station a minister serving as a chaplain back into a normal circuit appointment at any time. It is however desirable that a minister serving as a chaplain is left in the SANDF for a minimum period of 10 years, so that his or her full actuarial benefit accrued in the GEPF is not lost. A chaplain returning to a normal circuit appointment shall resign from the SANDF at least one month in advance of the appointment to the circuit. The minister shall transfer his or her full GEPF actuarial benefit into the Supernumerary Fund so that pension benefits remain intact and uncompromised. The only exception to this is when a chaplain has already reached pensionable age in the SANDF (55 to 60) and takes early or normal retirement. Those ministers who do not complete 10 years service in the SANDF shall transfer their reduced actuarial benefit into the Supernumerary Fund and must consult a financial planner to strategise a way to ameliorate the negative impact of the loss of their full GEPF benefit.

 

Chaplains wishing to return to a normal circuit appointment must give timeous notice of their intention to the CCMC and to the local Bishop. Such a minister then becomes eligible for invitation and stationing as any other minister in the Connexion. It must be recognised that any minister who has been out of an active circuit appointment and has become accustomed to the military with its management culture, will need some time to readjust and orientate him or herself back into normal circuit life. The following procedure is recommended:

 

a.          A chaplain returning to a normal circuit appointment will be debriefed by a senior minister in the District, preferably by a minister who previously served as a chaplain.

 

b.          A chaplain returning to circuit will be appointed a mentor for 1 year. This mentor should preferably be the same minister who deals with the debriefing of the chaplain. Issues that will need to be addressed during the mentorship include changes to procedures and structures that have occurred while the minister was serving as a chaplain. It is suggested that the CCMC in consultation with the Bishops develop a debriefing and mentorship plan for all chaplains returning to circuit appointments.

 

c.          A chaplain returning to circuit should not be appointed as a Circuit Superintendent for the first year.

 

 

RECOMMENDATIONS

 

There are a number of issues raised that require attention at a number of levels:

 

a.         The Church-State Agreement needs to be revised and approved by the Conference and the Chaplain General.

 

             b.         Laws & Discipline needs to be revised.

 

c.         The CCMC needs to revise its procedures with regard to the recruiting of ministers for the Chaplaincy and also the procedures for its relationship with serving chaplains. These procedures must be published in the Minutes of Conference.

 

d.         The Liaison Chaplain plays a critical and pivotal role in this process. His or her role must be written in the form of a Job Description and communicated to the office of the Chaplain General.

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

Methodist ministers serving as chaplains in the SANDF have the privilege to serve across denominational and faith boundaries as ambassadors of the Master who has called them and of the Church that has ordained them. They have to remain accountable to the MCSA during their time serving in the SANDF and must maintain strong links with the Church. The Church has the tremendous and careful task to ensure that suitable and appropriate ministers are appointed, that those who are appointed are held accountable, and to ensure that those returning to normal circuit appointments are reintegrated smoothly and in a manner that benefits both the minister and the Church.

 

It is hoped that these thoughts will stimulate further thought and debate. May God grant us wisdom and courage so that His Kingdom may continue to be realised amongst us.

 

 

CHAPLAIN ANDREW TREU