When we do ministry properly, it should be targeted and unique based on who we are trying to reach, however, the goal remains the same, build relationships, give them the gospel, lead them to salvation, disciple them, and get them in the fight. A veteran ministry isn’t different, however, one of the strongest of human relationships already exists, therefore advancing the process. The Basics are proven standards that should always be in place to maintain the veteran ministry atmosphere.

  1. Set & Maintain the Ministry Standard

Discipled Veteran is not a subculture or Veteran club of the church. Discipled Veteran’s purpose is to motivate and mobilize an existing group of veterans within your church who have similar experiences to recruit, enlist, train, and join in the Great Commission Mission, with the church. Look for avenues that will cause interaction between veterans and non-veteran church members. It does not escape me that our recommended invitation cards may seem to contradict this because they read “church for veterans”, however, the focus of the card is to attract lost veterans and is not meant to make a doctrinal statement.

  1. Motivate, Encourage, & Hold Accountable

Continual motivation and encouragement with each veteran and the group is a very important aspect of the leader’s role. He sets the tone for how active or inactive the group will be in progressing the mission. Remind the group that we are in a war as literal as any war we’ve ever been in, our brothers and sisters are laying on the battlefield dying, and it’s our duty to go get them. The only difference is the ramifications of this war are eternal and we will never be friends with the enemy. Accountability is crucial, that’s how a veteran knows you care about them and that’s also how a veteran shows he cares about you. Hold them accountable in carrying out the mission.

  1. Build Comradery

Most every veteran will tell you the one thing they miss most about the military is the comradery of those they served with. Satan has been very successful at capitalizing on this tactic. He draws veterans via comradery and treats them with alcohol making their situation worse. A successful veteran ministry uses the same comradery to draw them in and treat them with the gospel. Comradery is not only an important factor in creating and progressing the mission of your team, but also an important factor in drawing in lost veterans. The leader must foster comradery by not only getting to know the veteran, but their families, for the purpose of nurturing comradery.

  1. Infiltrate The Local Veteran Community

You are not in the fight if you don’t leave headquarters and get on the battlefield. When you go on the battlefield the purpose is to search for and engage targets. Because of the existing comradery, veterans want to talk to other veterans. That’s why you often see veterans wearing branch, unit, and warfare badges on hats, shirts, and license plates, in hopes of running into someone with a similar history. Furthermore, veterans tend to go where veterans go because they often share the same interests due to their past experiences. This is the open door that makes it easy for veterans to interact with other veterans and gives them the ability to invite them for a cup of coffee during a veteran meeting at your church.

  1. Independent Church Ministry

Although this list contains tactics that have been proven to reach veterans with the gospel, your ministry is your individual church’s ministry, and what may have worked in other areas may not work in your area and vice versa. Complacency kills, so keep your head on a swivel looking for new opportunities to reach veterans. Discipled Veteran is always available to discuss any idea, and we appreciate ideas that work. Don’t recreate the wheel but do what works in your area. We are not perfect, but through the process of experience we have learned where the enemy has laid traps in the past, and can help you get around them. Please call, email, or text with any questions, concerns, ideas, or anything else that you would like a second opinion on.

  1. No Visitors

If our mission is to attract veterans to the group through comradery every veteran must be part of the team. If your team is doing it right, you will always have saved veterans and lost veterans on the team. They will have different jobs of course but they are on the team. You should track and treat every person on the team the same. Include everyone, even the lost veterans in the effort of inviting new veterans to the group. If you treat them like a part of the team, they will want to be a bigger part of the team. This gives the enemy, Satan, less opportunity to separate them from the team. Leader, your mind set should be, this is your unit and some of them may spend eternity in hell if you don’t do your job. This is very important.

  1. Satan Is the Only Enemy

Satan is the only enemy everyone else is either saved and in the fight, or a victim of the enemy. A very successful tactic of the enemy is to lead us to believe that addicts, abortionists, LGBTQ, atheists, and anyone else who doesn’t agree with our doctrine are the enemy, and we too often fall for it. This causes us to treat them like the enemy making it impossible for us to reach them, Satan retains them, and this keeps us from our objective.

  1. The Pastors Position

Sometimes pastors, especially pastors who are not veterans have hesitation about a ministry that may seem exclusive in nature. Rest assured that is not the case as it pertains to Discipled Veteran. Not every President of the United States is a veteran, but every President is the Commander in Chief of the military. That is the position the pastor should hold as it pertains to Discipled Veteran groups. Veterans understand, recognize, and respect authority and appreciate a pastor who cares enough about them to host a ministry for them. I would encourage the leader to call attention on deck when the pastor enters the room.

 

  1. Stay on Mission

The mission is to recruit, enlist, train, and deploy people for the gospel.  Anything the does not contribute to the mission is a tactic of the enemy to deter the mission.  Steer clear of topics like veteran benefits and veteran social issues.  If an individual veteran needs assistance in an area deal with it individually.  The first question of every action you consider taking should be, does it contribute significantly and immediately to our mission of recruiting, enlisting, training, or deploying people for the gospel?

 The Battle Plan

Discipled Veteran has opened doors into many state and national veteran organizations that help local Discipled Veteran Groups have access to veterans.  The Local Veterans Administration Community Engagement and Partnership Coordinators, Local Veteran Court Mentor Programs, and state VSO offices will supply you with a constant stream of veteran prospects if we build relationships with them, and we can help you do that.  However, you must know what your specific area has and create a plan to infiltrate them.  Discipled Veteran has a battle plan process that will help you do this and help put you in contact with them.

  1. The Leader

Unfortunately, this is often the most difficult area.  It’s usually because veterans are heavily dependent on training to feel they are qualified to take on a leadership role.  Discipled Veteran attempts to fill that gap by providing mentorship, training, and curriculum written specifically for veterans to help your leader get started and if followed be successful.  On the other hand, often when we are looking for a church leader, we think they must fit a specific mold.  Often your best veteran leader would be a veteran who is doctrinally sound but also rough around the edges.  Not your typical and proper church person but a biblically saved person who has been where the people he intends to reach have been.  He is not a commander but simply a ministry a leader following the pastor’s direction as any other church ministry leader.

  1. Ask Questions

As stated previously, we are not perfect, but through the process of experience we have learned where the enemy, Satan, has laid traps in the past and can help you get around them. Please call, email, or text with any questions, concerns, ideas, or anything else that you would like a second opinion on.