Indiana National Guard: Chaplain

Spiritual Leadership for Guardsmen

We nurture the living, care for the wounded, and honor the fallen.

Welcome to the Indiana National Guard Chaplain page. The Chaplain provides religious support and spiritual fitness to Guardsmen and families, and assists commanders in ensuring the right and free exercise of religion for all Guardsmen. We are specially trained to serve any spiritual need, regardless of religious affiliation and for those with no religious affiliation. Our conversations with you are strictly confidential, protected by Army Regulation AR 165-1 16-2c, Army Chaplain Corps Activities, which states, "The privilege of non-disclosure of confidential information belongs to . . . the chaplain or religious affairs specialist who receive(s) the communication." Know that we are here for you and will do our best to help you.

Chaplain Pappe pointing out a verse to soldiers in the supply room.
Chaplain Stout and religious affairs NCOs meeting with soldiers in the motor pool.
Chaplain Hilden conducting an office visit with a soldier.
Chaplain Stout talking with soldiers outside an armory.
Chaplain Mathis during an Ash Wednesday service.
A Guardsman reflecting on sacred literature.
Indiana Army National Guard soldiers take part in a worship service in the field.
Chaplain Stout leads a worship service in the field.
The Indiana Army National Guard leading a ceremony prayer.
Chaplain Lundy provides a prayer at the Grand Prix in Indianapolis.
Chaplain Lundy salutes the flag during the National Anthem during a flyover at the Grand Prix in Indianapolis.
Indiana National Guard Lt. Col. Cliff Pappe, the 38th Infantry Division chaplain monitors battlefield scenarios during Warfighter Exercise 24-4 at Camp Atterbury, near Edinburgh, Indiana, June 15, 2024. Approximately 600 soldiers with the division's headquarters battalion took part in the nine-day exercise in their next step toward an overseas deployment slated for later this year.

Spiritual Fitness

Spiritual fitness is the beliefs and practices that strengthen our connectedness with sources of hope, meaning, and purpose. Spiritual fitness is critical to developing overall wellness, and relates to our ability to develop core beliefs, principles and values, and live our lives accordingly.

Spiritual fitness for service members extends to your commitment to service and sacrifice, and to your relationships with family, comrades, community, country and society as a whole. It encompasses your willingness to learn from others and accept alternative viewpoints – in viewing the world with curiosity. How we perceive and accept people who are different from ourselves and being open to different experiences and viewpoints can provide opportunities for spiritual growth.

Spiritual Readiness
Personal Beliefs
Inner Conflict

Spiritual readiness is one of the five H2F fitness domains that are designed to optimize personal readiness, reduce injury rates, improve rehabilitation after injury and increase overall effectiveness, and is linked to physical readiness, nutritional readiness, mental readiness and sleep readiness. People enhance their spiritual readiness through reflection and practice of a lifestyle based on the personal qualities they need during times of stress, hardship and tragedy.

Spirituality can be very personal. The spiritual fitness framework does not seek to identify the “right beliefs,” but asks each individual to self-evaluate and self-assess:

Are you living up to your own standards?
Do your standards and actions bring you fulfillment?

If you are experiencing inner conflict, it may be that your actions deviate from your stated values. You may be struggling for integrity and inner harmony, which may be found after overcoming the struggle. By studying, connecting with, and understanding the value systems that mold your personality, you can become a leader of character and build the resilience necessary to navigate crises.

Chaplain Resources

Programs
Request Military Funeral Honors
Request a Prayer
Are you worried about a fellow Guardsman?
Become a Chaplain

Programs:

Building Strong and Ready Teams
Confidential counseling
Financial Peace University
Religious services
Spiritual fitness briefs
Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program event support

To request military honors at funeral services, please visit the Indiana National Guard Community Relations page or email Community Relations at ng.in.inarng.list.pao-comrel@army.mil.

Is there anything you would like to pray about? Our chaplains will pray for you and hold in confidence what is shared. You may wish to ask for a prayer of forgiveness for yourself. Perhaps you would like a prayer of praise or thanksgiving for something wonderful in your life, or a prayer of protection for a comrade or family member who is far away. Whatever your religious affiliation, we will say a prayer for you if you request it on this form:

How can we pray for you?

Are you worried about a fellow Guardsman or their family? If you are attempting to reach a family member in the military with emergency information, you may contact Red Cross Emergency Communications, 877-272-7337. The Chaplain is prohibited by the Privacy Act of 1974 from providing addresses, phone numbers or locations of any current or retired military personnel.

We highly encourage any interested individuals to reach out about joining our team.

To become a Chaplain or Chaplain Candidate, please contact us at 317-247-3300, Ext. 77099.

Requirements

Applicants must have a singular 72+ hour post-graduate religious degree similar to a Master of Divinity (MDiv) or equivalent and be ecclesiastically endorsed by an approved religious organization on the following list: Ecclesiastical Endorsing Agents (defense.gov). There are extra steps if someone seeks ecclesiastical endorsement from a religious organization that is not on the list.
Applicants must be eligible for a Secret security clearance.
Applicants will go through two boarding processes. The total average length of completion is 8-12 months.