Protecting the 1st Amendment

While You Protect Our Country

National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces

Our Mission


NCMAF connects member faith groups with military and VA chaplaincies, and celebrates the religious diversity of the United States of America.

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Our Vision


NCMAF will advocate for the First Amendment and provide a unified voice on religious freedom and religious diversity.

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What We Offer


Distinctive

We are Protestant and Roman Catholic, Jewish and Orthodox, Buddhist and Islamic and span the total theological spectrum of religious life in the United States. As such, we are a uniquely American organization, sustained by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and found nowhere else in the world. Our members represent all major faith communities in America in a mutually supportive relationship.

The Endorsers Conference for Veterans Affairs Chaplaincy (ECVAC) is a standing committee of NCMAF. ECVAC’s focus is endorsing clergy-persons for service as chaplains in VA hospitals. ECVAC serves as a liaison between American religious communities and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

We began in 1982 as a private, non-profit, organization, but our roots go back to 1901 when the War Department decided to require ecclesiastical endorsement for clergy-persons as a prerequisite for service as chaplains in the Armed Forces.

Support

Most of our support comes from our member religious organizations but it is donations from individuals, offerings from faith communities, and grants from foundations that allow us to accomplish our mission. If you believe in chaplaincy in the Armed Forces and VA hospitals, or support religious freedom in America, please donate to NCMAF today using the button below. Alternatively, you may send a check to NCMAF, P.O. Box 7572, Arlington, VA 22207-9998. All gifts are tax-deductible. 

Who We Are


Our members endorse chaplains for service in the Armed Forces on behalf of their respective religious organizations. They are the point of contact between the Department of Defense and over 150 religious denominations and faith groups. We recruit, endorse and provide oversight for clergy-persons who desire to serve as chaplains in any one of the branches of our Armed Forces. Our common vision is clergy-persons who are credible, committed to their faith, open to all persons, able to meet all military standards, and who represent the highest standards of their faith communities. 

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Listen to Our Chaplains

This video was featured at the NCMAF conference reminding attendees how this organization is sustained by the first amendment of the constitution, which protects the free exercise of religion, showing the representatives of each religion to display the highest standards of their religious community.

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Our Team


Staff

Executive Director
Jack Lea, ED @ NCMAF.com

Executive Assistant

Admin @ NCMAF.com



Executive Committee

Chair

Gary Carr, The Wesleyan Church

Chair-Elect

Bill Bartz,  Greek Orthodox Church

Treasurer

Renee Owen, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

Secretary

Robert Cannon, Roman Catholic Church

Members at Large

Sam Lee, North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention

Jim Denley, Assemblies of God

Washington Johnson, Seventh Day Adventists

Mark Penfold, Charis Fellowship

Jim Carter, Presbyterian Reformed Chaplains Commission

Gary Clore, Global Methodist Church

ECVAC Representative

Patricia Murphy, ABHM /American Baptist Churches, USA
Chair Emeritus

Klon Kitchen, Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches


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