In the fullness of time...

I’ve spent some time in the last few days thinking about the commitments I’ve gotten myself into, and where they put me in relation to the exploration of my ministry path.

Earlier this year, I applied for a PhD program at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). The results of that application should be out in about a month. If I get picked up for this program, I’ll start probably in Fall 2009, finish in Fall 2012, and I’ll be on the hook for staying in the Air Force for five years after that.

That commits me until Fall 2017, by which time either I’ll be a Major or I’ll be out of the Air Force. (My first look at Major should happen in 2013, and Fall 2017 would put me at 12 years of service.) Once I pin on Major, I’m committed to my career field and can’t switch to the chaplaincy.

Here are some possibilities:

First, the Air Force is experimenting with a new career transition program to switch from overstaffed career fields to understaffed ones. Although it’s too early to tell, this might allow the switch.

Second, there’s an interservice transfer, with the possibility of becoming a chaplain in another military service. The Air Force is more stringent with age requirements than other services, and I’ll be 44 years old in 2017.

Now, there are issues with either of these. For example, it’s pretty clear that I’ll have to drop out of active duty at some point to get the two years of ministry experience that will be required for me to become a chaplain.

Another possibility is the first idea I’d had when I began discernment, to seek ordination after finishing my military career. I’ve had some spiritual tugs toward chaplaincy, but I have to face the possibility that God was just calling me to the road toward some other vocation. To discount that possibility does an injustice against the vocation and against God. If I refuse to think about it, I’ve made a decision already.

I still intend to pursue theological education, at least to a Master of Divinity. There’s also the possibility of a Doctor of Theology degree, depending on where I’m stationed (if I’m to continue part-time study). I want to keep up and expand on what I’ve learned so far.

There are still outlets for my ministry along that path. I’ve been very happy serving as a verger in my church. I’ve been very happy devoting what little voice I have to the choir. There’s also room for my ministry to grow, especially with the recent announcement in the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio of licensure processes for Lay Preaching and Lay Catechesis, in which I’m very interested.

What I’m left with is a mess of—as I talked about before—chains of my own making. So the road to ordained ministry will be somewhat longer than I’d anticipated. Here, perhaps God is making some strides toward helping me develop patience, humility, and vigilance. Unless I’m overlooking something, which is entirely possible given my life...

Faith manages...