Rev. Brad Kattelmann. Dakotas Conference file photo.

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Mathew 22:36-40, NIV 

"Our entire society is struggling with faith, spirituality, and religion. The best thing people can do to support the military is build the kingdom of God in their community. Be the hope and voice of Christ in their community. When people leave the military, they need to go back home. They need to go back to communities that are healthy, vibrant, welcoming of diversity, and centered on love of neighbor and love of God. Holding up the two most important commandments," states Rev. Brad Kattelmann, a Dakotas Conference elder who has served as a U.S. Army chaplain for 16 years.

Brad Kattelman grew up in a family that served in the United States Army. His mother was a dietitian, and his father served as an engineer.

"I understand the culture of the Army and what families go through because I grew up in the Army. Based on that and my call to ministry, being a chaplain in the Army lines up well," said Rev. Brad Kattelmann, serving in extension ministry at Fort Cavazos Army Base in Texas.

Kattelman first felt his call to ministry and the military chaplaincy as an undergraduate at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, when he attended a retreat.

"The theme of the retreat was 'Encounter with Christ.' I just had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to serve God somehow. I discerned what this feeling meant while taking a Theology class at Creighton. As a Computer Science and Pre-Med major, I took many science courses. I found my passion for discussing faith with people in this required Theology course. This sense of needing to serve God and neighbor was something that I needed to pursue," he explains.

He was involved in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps or ROTC. ROTC is a college program that trains students to become United States Armed Forces commissioned officers. The chaplaincy door just opened.

Kattelmann became a candidate for ministry in the Dakotas Conference. His mentor was Rev. Teri Johnson, serving as the lead pastor at First United Methodist Church in Brookings, South Dakota, at the time.

"Visiting with Teri, I thought I would fulfill my commitment to the Army for four years and then serve at a local church. Here I am 16 years later, still serving, the Army," said Kattelmann.

After graduating from Creighton with co-majors in Theology and Computer Science, he filed for an educational delay from the required four years of military service commitment in ROTC. Medical doctors, lawyers, and chaplains can postpone service.

"You delay your military service commitment until you complete the requirements for the profession. For military chaplains, that is a seminary degree plus three years of pastoral experience," said Kattelmann

After completing a Master of Divinity degree at Iliff Seminary in Denver, Colorado, he served the United Methodist Churches at Wall and Wasta, South Dakota, for three years.

Kattelmann shares, "That experience was very formative. I would never trade that experience. The Army is not as forgiving as churches for new clergy. The Army expected you to walk in and know how to do worship services, preach, funerals, baptisms, and weddings. Churches give you more grace if you are a new pastor."

There are several steps to becoming a U.S. Army chaplain—candidacy with the Dakotas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, endorsement by The United Methodist Church, and approval by the U.S. Army. The United Methodist Church, under the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, endorses the candidate for chaplaincy. GBHEM conducts an interview and ensures all requirements are met.

"At the same time, I was completing my interviews and requirements with the Dakotas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry to be an elder and the other reequirements," said Kattelmann. "The Board of Ordained Ministry, the bishop, and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry must bless your request. Then you apply to the Army to become a chaplain and go through an interview."

In 2008, the U.S. Army first assigned Kattelmann to Fort Lewis, Washington. He was deployed to Iraq during that time. He was then transferred to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska and deployed to Afghanistan. After three years, he went to Fort Moore, formerly  Fort Benning, in Georgia and was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq six times. Kattelman spent a year at Scott Air Force, two at Fort Carson in Colorado and then rotated back to Georgia. He is currently serving at Fort Cavazos in Texas.

He has been deployed nine times. Pastor Brad says, "In deployment, you spend time traveling to wherever your unit is. You visit with them and check on how people are doing. You provide religious services. You provide weekly services and probably two or three short services during the week as you travel around."

Similarly, weekly worship services are provided and coordinated with other units when stateside. "You do a lot of marriage and single soldier training events about healthy relationships. Events or trainings about how faith informs and shapes your life. We serve Christians and non-Christians. You travel with your battalion. Wherever the battalion goes, you go," he said.

Pastor Brad currently serves as a deputy at III Armored Corps at Fort Cavazos. As deputy, he assists in leading four divisions across four installations, helping those chaplains get trained and resourced. "We make sure religious support is aligned well."

Chaplains play a significant role in the mental health of those serving in the military.

"In every battalion, there is a chaplain. There is not a behavioral health provider in every battalion. We are often the first line for any mental, emotional, or spiritual crisis," describes Pastor Brad.

Rev. Kattelman shares this example. "I remember driving to a local hospital in Alaska because a soldier wanted to talk to me. He was sitting in the back of Sherriff's car because he had expressed some suicidal ideation. I was there sitting with him outside the hospital, in the middle of the night, talking to him. You are the first line of response. We work very closely with behavioral health professionals. There are a lot of issues that don't require a mental health professional. Maybe the person needs a little coaching or a little resiliency. A lot of issues are core faith issues. The military reflects culture. The good thing is that people always surround you. You are never alone."

Pastor Brad has been married for 23 years and has three children. He finds that moving and transitions are the biggest challenge to his role as a U.S. Army chaplain. Pastor Brad said, "Moving and being away from family in deployment are the biggest challenges. But, as long as it has felt like a calling, my family and I have felt empowered. My children are resilient and adaptable to circumstances. We are a tight-knit family because your family is what you take with you when you move. Through any of the struggles, God has supported us through it."

What fuels his soul to continue? "Mentoring and supervising really feeds my soul. Seeing newer chaplains get it and learn how to be effective in the context. In many ways, it is a missionary culture. Helping new chaplains be effective in the Army context and impact people's lives is the most rewarding," said Pastor Brad.

Kattelman enjoys returning to the Dakotas Annual Conference. He keeps connected to the Dakotas through colleagues Revs. Rebecca and Steve Trefz and his home charge conference, First UMC, in Brookings, South Dakota. 

He will continue as long as he feels called to serve as a chaplain and the Army needs him. The next transition for the Kattelmanns is a move to Colorado in the upcoming year.

"I will continue as long as my wife and family feel called to support me. Spouses are the unsung heroes of the people that serve in the military," Pastor Brad said.

Pastor Brad is grateful for the tradition and depth of The United Methodist Church. "Being with a denomination that has long-standing traditions has helped me immensely," shared Rev. Kattelmann. "Simple things like the Book of Worship that guides people through funerals, baptisms, praying during severe illness have served me well. The catholic heart of Wesley is huge in the military. It is such a diverse group. The fact that the Wesleyan tradition is to be open—if your heart is like mine, take my hand. The Covenant Prayer is a guiding principle for us. When we pray the Nicene Creed, we are living it."