Jeff Spindle: I Share the Gospel More Than I Ever Thought I Would

I'd come to a crossroads with pastoral ministry. I'd been a worship pastor, an executive pastor, a church planter, a lead pastor—and I was looking for another way to fulfill my calling.

I thought about doing a military chaplaincy at some point. I talked to my wife—even back in seminary—about how that's something I would like to do someday, but I never thought I could do it. [Years later] after I spent a year as a hospital chaplain, I told my wife, 'Nikki, we're joining the Navy.' And she said, "What's plan B?" I said, "There's no plan B. This is where I believe the Word is leading us."

After much conversation and prayer, we started doing that in 2018, and we haven't looked back. Typically, I visit Marines and the places they go. They could be out on a range. They could be out in the field. Chaplains go where they go. I'm right there in their command post. I offer counsel, whether there is just a minor problem, an issue with command, or they’re having legal problems or family trouble. But it could be life or death, or they could be dealing with suicidal thoughts, in which case I work with mental health specialists, military family life counselors and medical staff to make sure they get all the aspects of help they need.

I get to share the gospel more than I ever thought I would, and many of them are receptive to the gospel, but there's a process, right? Next week, we're deploying, and we're not planning to go and take live fire, but that is what we do. This is an infantry unit. These guys will be first on the ground if something happens. Using that occasion, [I can ask] "Okay, where are you and God? What are you building your life on?"

I’ve been coming to the EFCA Theology Conference since 2019. The sessions about disabilities and AI were helpful because that's something being talked about in the military a lot. We are creatures, and there are limits. We have limitations that bring us to a place of needing to trust and to rest. These are things that that Marines wrestle with.

Please pray for the families of my Marines, because we're all going to be away from families for months. I'm very thankful to have a supportive family. My wife, Nikki, my two daughters, Sophia and Eliana, and my mom, Carol. Please also pray for no training accidents. We're going to be training hard. We're going to be in the field, and I want to bring all my Marines home safely.