NCMAF connects member faith groups with military and VA chaplaincies, and celebrates the religious diversity of the United States of America.
NCMAF will advocate for the First Amendment and provide a unified voice on religious freedom and religious diversity.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
The Reverend Dr. James R. “Jim” Carter serves as the Presbyterian & Reformed Commission on Chaplains and Military Personnel Executive Director and Ecclesiastical Endorser (PRCC). He also serves as the Chaplain Ministries Coordinator for the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) which oversees the Civilian and Armed Services Chaplaincy Ministry. The PRCC is made up of seven Reformed Presbyterian denominations. Dr. Carter returned to the PRCC Commission after serving in a local pastorate for six years following his retirement from many years of active service in the Army Chaplaincy reaching the rank of Colonel. He held a number of ministry leadership positions and was deployed twice to combat during his years of service.
Dr. Carter is a native of Monroeville, Alabama. After attending Belhaven College and Reformed Theological Seminary and receiving his ordination as a Presbyterian Minister (PCA), Jim entered the Army Chaplain Corps in 1988. He previously served in the Army Reserves as a Second Lieutenant Chaplain Candidate from 1986-1988. Chaplain Carter’s degrees include a Bachelors of Art from Belhaven College, Jackson, Mississippi; a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi and a Doctor of Ministry from Erskine Theological Seminary, Due West, South Carolina. Chaplain Carter’s military education includes the U.S. Army Chaplain Basic Course and Advanced Courses, Combined Arms Service Staff School (CAS3), the Command and General Staff College, and the Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Course.
His previous military assignments included: 24th Infantry Division, 3rd Engineer Battalion (Combat), Fort Stewart, Georgia; 2-7 Infantry Battalion, Fort Stewart, Georgia with a combat tour in Saudi Arabia-Iraq (Operation Desert Shield and Storm); 59th Ordnance Brigade, Sogel, Germany; 409th Base Support Battalion, Grafenwoehr, Germany; 4-5 Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas and 4-1 Field Artillery Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas, and 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Riley, Kansas; Area III Installation Chaplain, Camp Humphrey’s, Korea; Brigade Combat Training Religious Support Observer Controller (BCTP), Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; 3rd Regiment and Senior Pastor of the West Point Cadet Chapel, United States Corps of Cadets, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York; Deputy Installation Chaplain and Chief of Religious Support Operations, Fort Bliss, Texas; 4th Infantry Division Chaplain, Fort Hood, Texas and Multi-National Division Baghdad Command Chaplain, (MND-B) Baghdad, Iraq (Operational Iraqi Freedom (OIF 07-09); Senior Pastor of the Protestant Congregation and Deputy Installation Chaplain, United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Carter’s awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with two Stars, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and the Overseas Service Ribbon.
Dr. Carter is married to the former Terri Ganey of Mullins, South Carolina. They have two children (Sarah) married to Michael O’Brien and son Chaplain (CPT) David Carter is married to Emily Wenrick Carter and grandsons James Haddon Carter and Reggie Taylor Carter. He enjoys sports, tennis, traveling, reading and serving his local community. Jim and Terri live in Mullins, South Carolina.
"It is a hardship upon the Regiment I think, to be denied a Chaplain."
SOURCE: George Washington to Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia, 4/29/1757, The Writings of George Washington, 2:33
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