Being a Christian in the military can bring some interesting challenges when making offerings and donations to the Lord’s work.  The Combined Federal Campaign, for example, has both its positives and negatives; in addition, there is simply the challenge of finding a consistent church to attend and support among a variety of moves and temporary assignments.

An additional consideration occurs when Christians in the military attend a military chapel.  While most Christian denominations support the concept of contributing financially to one’s home church, the financial situation of a military chapel is somewhat different.  Unlike a private church that depends on the funds of its members, a congregation will not be evicted from a military chapel for reasons of rent or mortgage, nor will the Chaplain be let go (or move on) because of issues with pay.

Some military Christians still support the chapel financially with whatever they would have given their civilian church.  In general, the funds are used to support the various external ministries of the chapel, like food pantries or additional children’s programs.  Others may give what they would have given to the needs of the church to another Christian ministry.  There is not explicitly a right or wrong answer.

It is worth noting, however, that contributions to military chapels do still represent the offerings of God’s people.  Several base and post chapels have recently taken offerings to contribute to the Haiti relief efforts, and the amounts have been substantial.  The Army noted that Army post chapels raised $400,000 for relief efforts following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.  Because of the way offerings work in the military chapel setting, these are generally collected through “designated offerings” during a particular set of services.

So, while the Chaplain may not depend on his congregation to pay his mortgage or feed his kids, military chapels can still make a significant impact–spiritual as well as financial–on the work of God.

As an interesting aside, an Army spokesman said chapels generally do not take collections in the combat theatre, though perhaps that did not require explanation.

Do you attend a military chapel?  If so, do you contribute an offering to it?  What do you do when you are “between” churches, as during a move?