#77: God at Work in Foreign Militaries
This month’s note is a bit different. Instead of exploring a specific apologetics topic, I want to share a growing AoM mission—partnering with Christian ministries that serve foreign militaries. [1]
Major General (Ret.) Doug Carver recently called the military “the most unreached people group in the US.” [2] If that’s true here, it’s even more so in foreign militaries. This realization, combined with recent work alongside several international ministries, has opened new opportunities for AoM to share the gospel and apologetics with military personnel around the world.
As many of you know, I served in the U.S. Army for over 33 years including overseas in training and combat settings. During those times, I worked with foreign militaries in several countries and saw firsthand the unique environments they serve in.
Typically, military personnel are ministered to by chaplains—officers trained as clergy. In other nations, chaplains from various religious backgrounds, including Muslim and other faiths, often work alongside Christian counterparts.
U.S.-focused Christian military ministries include Officers Christian Fellowship, Navigators, and CRU-Military. Key internationally-focused ministries are:
• AMCF (Association of Military Christian Fellowships) – Active in 152 countries for nearly a century. [3]
• ACCTS (Association for Christian Conferences, Teaching, and Service) – Serving globally for over 50 years. [4]
• IAEC (International Association of Evangelical Chaplains) – Training chaplains for nearly 30 years. [5]
Over the past four years, I’ve partnered with these groups—speaking at AMCF’s global conference in Brazil, teaching and speaking with ACCTS in the US and Latin America, and leading sessions at IAEC’s International Chaplain Training course. IAEC hosts biannual training for international chaplains covering spiritual preparation, leadership, military ethics and more—all from a biblical foundation. Below are pictures from events in which AoM has participated.
AoM is now moving toward formal partnerships with ACCTS and IAEC. Our previous informal collaboration has been fruitful, but deeper cooperation offers more potential. These ministries have done great work, but apologetics training has so far been minimal. We hope to change that by integrating apologetics into their programs. In fact, ACCTS’s has already approached us about incorporating apologetics into their ethics training.
AoM has traditionally focused on working with churches. We have trained and equipped hundreds of pastoral and lay leaders in apologetics and will continue to do so. In military settings, chaplains are ideal partners—they’re already leaders embedded within the military ranks, are trained in theology, and are tasked with providing spiritual support for those in their units. Giving them apologetics tools strengthens their ministry to both believers and non-believers.
We believe this is a Spirit-led opportunity—what we often call in AoM a “God thing.” With my military and apologetics background, I expect to invest more of my time in what we’re now calling AoM-Military (AoM-M). It’s a privilege and joy to be part of this mission.
Please pray for wisdom, clarity, and humility as we move forward—especially for me—as we seek God’s will in this emerging venture.
In Christ, Doug
Academic & Military Outreach Director, AoM
“Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect . . .” 1 Peter 3:15
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[1] Recall, AoM’s focus is outside the Western world and our mantra is “Raising Christian Defenders Globally”. Our emphasis is on foreign military personnel, not the US military.
[2] General Carver, former US Army Chief of Chaplains and the current Executive Director of Chaplaincy for the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board, made this statement at the Fellowship of Christian Military Ministries annual conference in Colorado Springs, CO on March 24, 2025.
[3] AMCF: https://www.amcf-int.org/about.html
[4] ACCTS: https://accts.org/index.html
[5] IAEC: https://www.iaechap.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawKYeTlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFnbUpadTRIR05MS1ZnVERsAR5suH60T2rmxa1pXUNgTuFTUfRD4NlQssZnDHu4_wy_bZnbcoVpvbjimUt8Sg_aem_8Gk7cOrFEIM-j8POkWCKvg