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HISTORY
The International Association of Evangelical Chaplains (IAEC) founded in 1997, is a volunteer, nonprofit ministry whose mission is “to assist worldwide in the training and encouragement of international evangelical Christian chaplains and in the establishment and growth of chaplaincies which include evangelical Christians.”
IAEC began as a result of a seed that was planted at the Military Christian Fellowship (MCF) of Brazil national conference on July 4, 1997. The Brazilian MCF invited several other countries to send delegates to the conference. Six countries, including the United States, responded by doing so. One of the attendees was a young man from Angola who was attending seminary in Brazil. His hope was to complete seminary, return to Angola, and become the first chaplain in the Angolan military. The problem was that he no had chaplain training that would enable him for ministry in a military setting. After significant prayer and discussion, it was decided that a ministry to train chaplains, or those doing military ministry, was needed.
Chaplain (Colonel) James Edgren, United States, Army (retired), who at that time was the Executive Director of the National Association of Evangelicals Commission on Chaplains was one of the delegates from the United States. He had been invited to the conference to speak to a small group of Evangelical chaplains in the Brazilian Armed Forces. Upon learning of the problem facing the young man from Angola, Chaplain Edgren expressed the need of a ministry to train chaplains to his Commission and further suggested they start such an organization. The Commission approved the idea, initially making the IAEC a ministry of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and Chaplain Edgren became the first Executive Director. IAEC has now separated from the NAE because IAEC is an international ministry while the NAE is not.
The concept and mission of IAEC was to provide an international community in which evangelical chaplains, those preparing to become chaplains, and those doing the work of chaplains could have a sense of belonging, had identity as a chaplain, didn't feel alone, would have a mechanism for sharing prayer requests and answers to prayer, and could be trained for military ministry. IAEC has been creating this community through Chaplain Training, international conferences, offering membership to the IAEC, and developing an international venue for sharing prayer requests.
Click here to download an IAEC brochure.
Click here to view an IAEC Powerpoint briefing
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