ncmaf

Jack Lea, Executive Director

Captain, Chaplain Corps, 

​United States Navy (Ret.)

Chaplain Jack Lea is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is appointed as the Executive Director of the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces (NCMAF).

Chaplain Lea entered active duty in the U.S. Navy in 1986 following his ordination as an Elder in the United Methodist Church. He graduated from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science. He received his Masters of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He also holds a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, Lea was an honor graduate of the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. 



Lea's duty with the Marines include Marine Aircraft Group (26) in Jacksonville, North Carolina. 

He served with Headquarters Marine Corps in the Manpower and Reserve Affairs Department in Washington, DC. He was the first chaplain assigned to the Marine Corps Recruiting Command in Quantico, Virginia.​ He later served as the Deputy Force Chaplain at Marine Forces Command, while there, he spent six months on temporary additional duty with the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, Djibouti East Africa as the Task Force Chaplain. ​



Lea's Navy assignments include duty at Naval Air Station Memphis in Millington, Tennessee. He was the command chaplain aboard USS SOUTH CAROLINA (CGN-37) in Norfolk, Virginia. Lea served as the Facilities Branch Head in the Navy Chief of Chaplains office in Washington, DC. He was the group chaplain assigned to Amphibious Group Two in Norfolk, Virginia. Lea served as regional chaplain at U. S. Naval Forces, Japan. He served as force chaplain on the staff of the Commander, Navy Installations Command in Washington, DC. He retired from the Navy in September 2014 from the Navy Chief of Chaplains in the Pentagon where he was the division director responsible for manpower, personnel, training and education.

Ken Bush, Director of Research and Training

Chaplain, Colonel, United States Army, Retired

Chaplain (Colonel-Retired) Bush completed a 35-year military career on 1 January 2014 as the Senior Chaplain, Fort Eustis, Virginia. Prior to this he served as the Director of Training and Leader Development at the US Army Chaplain Center and School from June 2009-June 2011.



Chaplain Bush was born in Ota-shi, Japan on June 25, 1955. He is a 1978 Phi Beta Kappa and Distinguished Military Graduate of the Pennsylvania State University. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant and served as a Regular Army Signal Officer with the 1st Signal Battalion in Kaiserslautern, Germany (Platoon Leader and Battalion S-1), and the Alternate National Military Command Center (USACC-Site R), Fort Ritchie, Maryland (Chief, Support Division) from May 1978 to July 1983.

In 1986 he graduated with a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies, and Master of Divinity degree with High Honors from Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. After ordination in the Philadelphia Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America (1986), he served as an Associate Pastor in a church planting work in Pennsylvania until his return to active duty as a chaplain in 1989. In 1996, Chaplain Bush was selected for advanced civilian education and completed a Master of Theology degree in ethics with a minor in historical studies at Duke University. He has a Doctor of Ministry degree from Reformed Theological Seminary focusing on worldview and a Master of Strategic Studies from the US Army War College in 2007.

His chaplain assignments include: Battalion Chaplain, 577th Engineer Battalion, Advanced Individual Training (Fort Leonard Wood, MO - April 1989 to May 1991); Battalion Chaplain, 702nd Main Support Battalion (Camp Casey, Korea - June 1991 to June 1992); Brigade Chaplain, Training Center Command and Resource Manager, Installation Chaplain’s Office (Fort Jackson, SC - January 1993 to June 1996); Instructor of Ethics and Leadership, US Army Command and General Staff College (Fort Leavenworth, KS - June 1997 to June2000); 130th Engineer Brigade (Corps Separate) Chaplain (Hanau, Germany – June 2000 to June 2001); Staff Chaplain, 411th BSB (Heidelberg Community Chaplain) and Pastor of Mark Twain Village Chapel (Heidelberg, Germany – June 2001 to June 2003); and Chief, Training Development Division, United States Army Chaplain Center and School (Fort Jackson, SC – June 2003-June 2009).

His military education includes the Signal Officer Basic Course (1978); Communications Center Operations Officer Course (1978); Planning, Programming and Budgeting Systems Course (1982); Chaplain Officer Basic Course (1989); Military Comptroller Course (1992); Chaplain Officer Advanced Course (1992); Pastoral Coordinator Course (1993); Combined Arms and Services Staff School (1994); Command and General Staff College (1996); Division-Level Chaplains Course (2003); Chaplain Colonel Course (2007); and the US Army War College (2007).

​Chaplain Bush’s military awards include the Legion of Merit (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (2 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal (4 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Achievement Medal (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), National Defense Service Medal (2 awards), Global War on Terror Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service Ribbon (2 awards). He was selected as the Center for Army Leadership instructor of the year for the 1999-2000 academic year.

Chaplain Bush is married to the former Kathryn T. Kummer of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. They have four daughters: Bethany, Susannah, Amanda, and Leah. His hobbies include hiking, military history, and stained glass making. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Evangelical Homiletics Society and a charter member of the College of Military Preaching.