OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Army National Guard Chaplain Corps welcomed new members as Capt. Stephanie Jenkins and 2nd Lt. Jesse Johnston took the Oath of Commissioned Officers during a commissioning ceremony in Oklahoma City, on Sept. 25, 2024.

Jenkins, a resident of Lawton, Oklahoma who has a Master of Divinity degree and numerous years of experience as a reverend, commissioned as the chaplain for the 545th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard.

Jenkins said chaplains play a vital role in the National Guard as they take care of the most important thing of all, the Soldiers.

“If you’re distracted you can’t do your job very well,” says Jenkins. “I think it’s best that we’re all centered and feel confident in this world.”

Johnston has started his Master of Divinity degree and will get on the job experience through the chaplain candidate program. Upon completion of his degree, he will be appointed as a chaplain.

“Serving in the military is something I’ve always wanted to do, but I also felt called to ministry,” said Johnston. “This is a good compensation for the two and I just want to be present in the lives of our nation’s Soldiers.”

Johnston is also a minister as a civilian in his local community of Broken Arrow. He spoke about how spiritual wellness is not only important in civilian life but as a Soldier as well.

“As a Guardsman you go through good and bad times but there is a hope (spirituality) that can get you through just about anything,” Johnston said.

Lt. Col. David Jordan, full-time support chaplain for the Oklahoma National Guard, explained the importance of commissioning both chaplains and why the state needs more.

“The fact we got multiple in one day is huge,” Jordan exclaimed. “It’s a very special day because we always need more chaplains and chaplain candidates. We have more hands for the job.”

Jordan emphasized the importance of chaplains in building and maintaining the spiritual readiness of National Guard Soldiers.

He explained that spiritual readiness is one of the five pillars of the Holistic Health and Wellness Program, along with mental, sleep, nutrional and physical readiness, that ensure OKARNG Soldiers are prepared to support the Guard’s state and federal missions.

He said spiritual readiness is the development of personal qualities needed to sustain a person in times of stress, hardship and tragedy.

“If you don’t have purpose, strength, peace and endurance provided by your spiritual readiness, then we will be ineffective all the way across the board,” Jordan said, explaining how poor spiritual readiness can negatively impact individual and unit readiness.

Chaplains are able to directly counter those negative impacts thanks to the training they receive before commissioning that prepares them to support Soldiers' spiritual readiness.

Before commissioning as a chaplain, a candidate must earn a Master of Divinity degree and receive an ecclesiastical endorsement for ministry from a third-party religious entity - showing they are a trusted and trained member of a religious community ready to serve Soldiers.

The chaplain candidate program is designed for religious ministry students who want to get a head start on a career in chaplaincy while still in school. By participating in the program, candidates gain valuable experience while making and impact on the lives of Soldiers and their families.

Both Johnston and Jenkins said they are looking forward to building rapport with Soldiers and serving as a spiritual advocate for them.

“I’m just excited to go out there, work with Soldiers, get to know them and be with them,” Johnston said.

If you are interested in the Chaplain Corps or chaplain candidate program, please visit: https://ok.ng.mil/Resources/Chaplain.