The Need for Gospel-Centered Veteran Ministry

The main component of every ministry must include the gospel’s progression to those we are ministering to. Satan, our enemy, wants us to believe we have fulfilled our ministry simply by clothing, feeding, or assisting with physical needs without including a gospel component. We often fall for this tactic because proper ministry requires significant work and time. If we’re honest with ourselves, we must ask: are these acts of charity truly carrying out our mission of the Great Commission if they don’t include relationship-building that leads to potential salvation? The Great Commission directs us to teach, and we can’t teach without building relationships.

This challenge is particularly prevalent in veteran ministry. It exists largely because a government agency seems to dictate what a veteran needs. However, these agencies aren’t governed by The Great Commission as we are. They focus on treating symptoms rather than addressing the core issue of the soul—which is often the source of many physical problems veterans endure.

In 2017, recognizing the need for a veteran ministry that spoke to the soul, we searched for existing ministries. We found many “veteran ministries” that would feed, clothe, counsel, provide housing, and help with addiction, but none had an obvious gospel component. While there are wonderful organizations performing these services, none spoke directly to a veteran’s soul. We knew that if we could help align a veteran’s soul with God, many of these other needs would naturally be addressed.

Why Your Church Needs a Veteran Ministry

First, no other entity is responsible for presenting the gospel—we are it by our Savior’s design. If we don’t do it, nobody will. As a result, the very people God used to protect our religious freedom might spend eternity in Hell, separated from Him, because we failed to reach them.

Second, just as your church needs children’s, youth, and senior ministries, veterans need their own ministry. It brings people with similar situations together to serve and reach others with shared life experiences. Some might say veterans already fit into existing categories. However, our target—lost veterans—often don’t fit into these categories because of their unique experiences. To truly reach the lost veterans in our community, we must create an atmosphere that is doctrinally sound yet comfortable and inviting to our target audience. If we’re truly target-motivated, we should be willing to adapt our approach to reach specific groups effectively. We should consider ministries for discipled housewives, businessmen, and construction workers, as our current age-specific groups may not be targeted enough.

Understanding the Veteran Experience

I speak for veterans because I am one, God led me to speak for them, and the commonality and opportunity are significant. Consider this: we send about 7% of the population to eight different locations across the country with the purpose of erasing their previous thought patterns. We teach them all to think differently—but uniformly. We then place them in situations where this new mindset becomes crucial for survival. Finally, we release them back into society, separated from others who think like them, with minimal reintegration training.

Furthermore, most veterans don’t want to change their thinking because it has protected them and they believe it to be superior. While this mindset once made veterans valuable to the workforce, it now creates challenges as society moves further from their trained way of thinking. This shared experience makes it easier for a saved veteran to reach a lost veteran. What an incredible opportunity for the church, which hasn’t moved so far from a veteran’s way of thinking, to open doors for them.

The Benefits of a Veteran Ministry

When you have a veteran in your church who, under your direction and with our help, can recreate that sense of unit, camaraderie, and accountability in a church setting, you enable veterans to be recruited, enlisted, trained, and deployed into God’s army. This fulfills the Great Commission within this vital section of society.

The advantages extend beyond veterans themselves. A veteran ministry brings family members who can be integrated into other church ministries. It feeds not only a greater veterans ministry but also your church’s women’s, men’s, children’s, and youth ministries. The ultimate purpose is to funnel everyone into the church body through specific life group ministries.

How We Can Help

While this may seem overwhelming, Discipled Veteran has been paving the way since 2017. We want to help your church reach the veterans in your local area with the gospel. Everything is free and available on our website. Our only request is that you utilize our lessons learned, resources, and curriculum to recruit, enlist, train, and deploy veterans and their families onto the spiritual battlefield. Please visit www.discipledveteran.com to learn more. Our contact information is also available on the website.