Spiritual Development of the Commissioned Officer

Senior Field Grade Officer

Captain John Hoyman, U.S. Army

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Part three in a series of five articles The purpose of this series is to provide a glimpse of what Christian military officers may face as they span the years of their careers, thus proving a tool to equip younger officers before they reach these stages.

Fifty-nine local OCF leaders responded to questions like these:
- Are there spiritual challenges that officers face at certain career milestones?
- Are there distinct opportunities, spiritually speaking, at certain stages along the way?
- If so, what are they and how can someone make the best use of those opportunities?

Senior field grade officers—lieutenant colonels, Navy commanders, and all full colonels/Navy captains—have unique spiritual challenges. First of all, like all other officers, their time in God’s Word and in prayer is critical for spiritual growth.

Time demands for senior field grade officers are immense as the job challenges are very complex. Colonel Al Shine, USA (Ret.) said, “More people than ever require your input for their output.” Since the breadth of their decisions affect the lives of many people, senior officers may consider this work more important than the less “urgent” matters of Bible study, prayer, going out on a date with their spouse, or talking with their children. This is a costly mistake—one that has sidelined many from the work of Christ, and left broken families in its wake.

A unique challenge for senior field grade officers is the delicacy that they must use in the public display of their faith. Subordinates who discover the faith orientation of the senior officer may sometimes use faith to seek special favors.

Oftentimes, the connection between senior Christian officers and the success of junior Christian officers is not related to special favors, but accusations still happen. At this level of rank, it may be necessary to question the motivation behind people seeking friendships. Some will feign reciprocal relationships while actually making political advances to promote

themselves. This could leave the senior officer isolated from genuine, intimate peer relationships, thus highlighting the Christian senior officer’s need to seek at least one small fellowship group in which the individuals do not use the relationship for its utility in enhancing career.

A common trap for the senior field grade officer is falling into one of two extremes, either that of the “secret service Christian” or of the overly vocal Christian. The “secret service Christian” emphasizes the importance of professionalism as the primary source of being a good witness. This is a necessary aspect of a strong witness, but it is insufficient since there are also professional officers who do not love the Lord. The opposite approach is just as harmful for the cause of Christ because overly vocal Christian officers can be accused of misusing their position, making it harder for other Christians in the unit and, ultimately, discrediting Christ.

In Professional Perspectives for Senior Officers2 Colonel Dick Kail, USA (Ret.), poses these two extremes as two ditches on either side of the road. Either is harmful, but he states, “History and experience reveal that there is much discussion about the left ditch [abusing authority] but very, very few senior officers fall into it. Too many officers stray into the right ditch [secret service Christian], either through a lack of proper understanding of God’s will for them, or through a lack of faith.”

Senior officers would be wise to heed the words of Jesus when He sent out the twelve in Matthew 10:16, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

The Retired Officer
Retirement spans the greatest time period of any single stage of the career officer’s life. Some retire at forty-two, others beyond age fifty. With people living longer, it is not unheard of to retire from the military and then live another fifty years. These years could be the most effective years of ministry in a person’s life.

One of the greatest challenges for the retired officer is to overcome feelings of apathy. For those retiring in their early forties, a new career is likely ahead. In his books Halftime and Stuck in Halftime3 Bob Buford states how critical it is for a working person to retool his life at midlife for significance rather than success. His model is appropriate for military officers as the military has a highly visible measure for success—it’s called rank! However, judging officers’ contributions to the armed services and to the kingdom of God by their rank is a trap. Buford calls people “in halftime” to the hard work of recalibrating goals, refocusing primary efforts, and integrating life with purpose.

Active officers who spent much of their lives seeing retired officers as “has-beens,” relegated to wearing the rank they held before they were passed over for the rest of their lives, find themselves in a quandary when they retire. The reality is that retired officers have much to offer in terms of wisdom and experience, but finding the right venue can be a challenge. A good model is to involve oneself in another career or ministry while keeping in touch with younger officers who may need encouragement or advice.

Some retirees take themselves out of the game because of disappointment in the first half of life. If retired officers feel too far behind starting the second half, they have a tendency to give up. What these retirees do not realize is that success in the second half is not as important as significance.

According to Buford, many people “fear that as soon as they stop doing what has made them successful, they will lose their significance. It’s that huge, unspoken fear we all have of being a ‘nobody.’”4

Many retirees feel that they must achieve success in a second career. However, in the call to significance—a slower pace, a focus on relationships above achievement, and a call to spiritual leadership—the retired officer can change the culture for Christ. Serving, teaching, and mentoring are all tasks of significance, but they require a different frame of mind for the person who has been living off the buzz of competition, high optempo, and accelerated promotions.

Stepping into this new arena of life does not mean that every retired officer should go to seminary and take a pastoring position. For many, the skills developed as an officer are needed in other areas of ministry. One case in point is Hank Barber.

Colonel Hank Barber went to work for World Vision after retiring from the Army. His experience, both as a commander and working with the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon, prepared him to lead a new division within this growing charity organization. His gifts and experiences in a successful career were instrumental in a ministry of great significance. However, he did not pull away completely from his dedication to growing younger officers in the military. He wrote articles and spoke at retreats and seminars. Colonel Barber is just one of many retired officers who have invested their lives in the second half to make significant contributions to the Lord’s work.5 This is the kind of legacy to which all retired officers should aspire.

COL Alexander Shine, USA (Retired). Telephone interview by author, 29 October 2006.

2 Colonel Dick Kail, US Army (Ret.), Professional Perspectives for Senior Officers, (Englewood, Colorado: Officers’ Christian Fellowship, 1992).

3Buford, Bob. Halftime: Changing Your Game Plan from Success to Significance. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994.

4 Buford, Bob. Stuck in Halftime: Reinvesting Your One and Only Life. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2001.

5 Colonel Hank Barber, US Army (Retired), telephone interview with author, 3 November 2006.

As printed in COMMAND magazine, November 2007.