Tom Hudson ⋅ Oakland , MD Rocky Gap Casino Resort ⋅ 40 years experience

Dale,

Thank you for your service! I will pray for your discernment.

It's not clear whether you are currently ordained or not. If you are ordained, then you might look into an organization called Marketplace Chaplains USA (mchapusa.com). They are a bit conservative (no divorced clergy accepted), but they are fairly main-stream in the rest of their beliefs. One thing in your favor: they love to hire ex-military chaplains, but they only take people with experience in the work-world and the ministry.

If you are not yet ordained, it's going to be a bit harder. If you are associated with a denomination, you should be pursuing their process of ordination and placement. If you are free-lance (so to speak), then you might consider locating in a town or city that is under-served and starting your own congregation. You will not make much money, and the odds of founding a mega-church are tiny, but you will be doing God's work and fulfilling your calling in a place where you are needed and appreciated.

I would be glad to discuss this further with you or review your situation. I am an ordained minister working in a secular job (IT training) and also serving a tiny rural parish.

God bless you!
Tom

Liz Campanelli ⋅ East Brunswick , NJ Johnson & Johnson ⋅ 25 years experience

Hi Dale --
Many thanks for your service and happy holidays!
As for networking, you could reach out to your local parishes in the areas you are wanting to live and work in.. Also, reach out to the diocese in those areas for networking and help with resources. Ask for meeting to explore opportunities. Also, go on line and look at the various web sites. They too have on line job opportunities. If you have a resume, I would be happy to take look at it for you. Hope this helps.

Regards and well wishes for 2015!

Liz Campanelli