By contributing writer Greg Warner

“God has made me very good at saying ‘yes.’”

That gift has allowed Army chaplain Jim King to excel at empowering other people for ministry. And that, King said, is the best way for him to be the presence of Christ to the soldiers and families among whom he ministers at Fort Bevoir, Va., in the shadow of the Pentagon.

When he started in chaplaincy 25 years ago, King spent most of his time in direct one-on-one ministry to soldiers.

“We wear the same clothes, eat the same food and sleep in the same tent, becoming one with them,” he said.

Now, as deputy garrison command chaplain overseeing the work of a staff of chaplains, one-on-one ministry has to share time with administrative and supervisory duties. But, King said, that means he is more effective, not less.

“I am the presence of Christ most when I am encouraging others in their practice and leadership of ministry,” said King, a CBF-endorsed chaplain.

That could be giving spiritual direction to a senior Army leader from the Pentagon or empowering a staff member to revamp a failed children’s ministry.

“Being the presence of Christ means assuming risk so others can become what God envisions for them,” said King. “As their leader, I encourage their ideas, resource their ministries and underwrite their mistakes. The results are amazing.”

King serves as senior Protestant chaplain at Fort Belvoir, which ‒ 15 miles south of Washington, D.C. ‒ is home to approximately 46,000 soldiers and their family members.

One of five sons of a Marine, King said he always envisioned a military career.

“When as a teenager I sensed God calling me to the ministry, I automatically interpreted that in terms of the military chaplaincy,” King said.

King’s current position as deputy garrison command chaplain is “like a senior pastor of a vibrant church with robust ministries on multiple campuses,” he said. “I lead four [weekly] Protestant services in three locations, preaching in at least two of them each week. Our average worship attendance is about 1,000 weekly.”

Additionally, the Protestant chapel sponsors ministries for men, women, youth and children, conducts small groups for various ages, provides pastoral counseling and offers graduate-level training.

Still, like most pastors, King is never far removed from one-one-one ministry because of what military chaplains call “insider ministry” ‒ living and working side by side with other soldiers.

“The uniform we wear immediately says that we belong with the soldiers. The cross on our uniform immediately identifies that we belong to Christ,” King said. “Individuals come to me as their pastor seeking help with family issues, medical problems, addictions, and many other challenges, and leave with assurance that they are not alone — that God is walking with them.”

That kind of credibility translates all the way up and down the chain of command, as demonstrated by a midnight encounter.

“In the middle of the night, a brigade commander and I visited with a soldier in the hospital room of his dying wife,” King said. “I prayed with them. Afterward, the commander and I spoke into the wee hours of the morning about challenges he was facing with his teenage child.”

Sometimes the impact is obvious, as when a young woman recently approached King to say that a women’s group hosted by the Protestant chapel “literally saved my life!”

“I was not on active duty for three months before I discovered that we are working with people that, a lot of times, the local church doesn’t have the opportunity to reach,” King said. “Everybody in life certainly has their share of challenges, but soldiers and their families experience an intensity and frequency of challenges usually not faced in the civilian world.”

Stresses result from combat deployments, redeployments, extended months of training, time away from home and family, or a spouse who is gone a long time. Those unique factors make those in the military, in some ways, harder to reach than civilians.

“Soldiers have a pretty good malarkey meter,” King said. “They are not looking for cookie-cutter answers or pre-determined solutions. They see through that. They want someone who’s going to be authentic. If you try to bring Christ to them before you spend time with them, it is hard for them to hear you.”

What military chaplains call the “ministry of presence” means being present in the lives of soldiers and families without imposing their own agenda.

“It is the opportunity to listen, to love, and to help them find what God offers them at the point where they are in their lives,” King said.