ANGLICAN 
CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA

ANGLICAN 
DEFENCE FORCE CHAPLAINCY

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The Australian armed forces have employed Christian clergy to meet the spiritual and welfare needs of uniformed men and women on a full-time and part-time basis since the Boer War (1899-1902). Chaplains provided by the Church of England in Australia have served with our forces in South Africa, during the First and Second World wars and in subsequent conflicts in Korea, Malaya and South Vietnam. In recent years, the Anglican Church of Australia (ACA) has had no hesitation in making its priests available for ministry as chaplains in the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

The ADF chaplain is a ‘missionary’ sent out from the Church to minister wherever opportunities arise. It can be an adventure which tests the chaplain’s spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical resources. The chaplain can be a bridge between the Church and the enveloping society, as well as between an individual and God. Anglican ADF chaplaincy is a ministry which encompasses all aspects of sacramental, pastoral, vocational, instructional and administrative duties, in which the chaplain lives with and shares the hardships and privileges of uniformed men and women.

• Naval chaplains serve both ashore and at sea.

• Army chaplains minister both in barracks and in the field.

• Air Force chaplains generally work in multi-denominational teams at major air bases.

• All Anglican ADF chaplains are liable for operational service overseas.

Since 2000, Anglican ADF Chaplains have ministered in East Timor, Bougainville, the Solomon Islands, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and in the Persian Gulf. Chaplains have also served in naval ships deployed for border protection duties as part of Operation Relex.

Morale among chaplains is high and there is escalating enthusiasm for mission and ministry, especially evangelism and discipleship training.  The unexpectedly large number of Anglican ADF members who have offered themselves for ordination since the introduction of the Chaplaincy In-service Training Scheme in mid 2002 is an indicator of effective outreach within the ADF and the esteem in which Service chaplains are held.

Anglican ADF Chaplaincy is principally:

• a vital work among youth that is bearing good fruit;

• a significant national ministry involving clergy from most Australian dioceses; and

• an outreach to Australia’s regional neighbours with cross-cultural dimensions.

Those serving as Permanent and Reserve chaplains receive training in a range of skills that are of immediate benefit in the parishes in which they are licensed and of ultimate benefit to the whole ACA as the skills of its clergy are honed for evangelism and pastoral care.

God has enlarged his Kingdom through the individual and collective ministries of the DFB members, and the chaplains with whom they work. The Anglican Church gives thanks that God’s Word has been heard within the Defence Force at a time of unprecedented operational activity as it continues to heed the Spirit’s leading in extending the mission and ministry of Christ’s Church.