Photo By William Dodge | NEWPORT, R.I. -- The Naval Chaplaincy School’s (NCS) commanding officer, Chaplain...... read more read more
NEWPORT, R.I. – The Naval Chaplaincy School’s (NCS) commanding officer, Chaplain Capt. Charles Varsogea held a virtual professional development training with students from Fuller Theological Seminary on May 8, 2025.
The engagement offered senior Naval Chaplaincy leadership the opportunity to engage with their civilian academic counterparts and ask questions, with students from Fuller’s Living Missiologically and Theological Foundations for Chaplaincy courses tuning in from around the U.S.
“Chaplaincy is a team sport. In one way or another, Professional Naval Chaplaincy builds bridges between warfighters, families, leaders, helping professionals, religious organizations, charities, allies, and even enemies,” said Varsogea. “We each have something to offer the other.”
While sharing his vast experience with the seminary students, Chaplain Varsogea also noted the added value of networking with academia outside the Navy adds to how they continuously develop and adapt training at NCS.
“Over the last few years, we’ve built a powerful network of academic partners, both inside and outside the Navy, dedicated to supporting the delivery of religious ministry in combat at sea,” added Varsogea. “We’ve drawn on the expertise of our partners to revise our curricula and elevate our training and education.”
Chaplain Mareque Ireland, an associate professor of theology at Fuller who also serves as a chaplain and Lt. Cmdr. in the Navy Reserve, expressed her appreciation to connect with NCS and what it meant for her students to learn from Chaplain Varsogea’s experience.
“Both classes explore the ways in which our theology intersects with practices and how those practices, in turn, move others towards human flourishing,” said Ireland. “Drawing on his experience as both a senior pastor and chaplain, a range of topics were discussed, including: purpose, the importance of being rooted vertically in relationship to God and how that translates into our relationships with others, and how we can move towards healing in the aftermath of trauma.”
The engagement, while academic, also offered students some insight into what it means to serve as part of religious ministry teams in the Navy.
“We’ve always shared with our academic partners the value and meaning of serving in uniform,” said Varsogea. “Without a ready and fighting spirit, all our mental and physical readiness goes to waste. I’m proud of our partners and thankful for their teamwork in building the spiritual readiness of our warfighters and their families.”
Established in 1947 and with campuses in Pasadena, Houston, and Phoenix, Fuller Seminary is an evangelical, multidenominational graduate institution committed to providing formational education for diverse Christian leaders everywhere.
As part of Naval Education and Training Command’s (NETC) Center for Service Support (CSS), NCS trains Navy chaplains and RPs to fulfill a critical role in helping the Navy achieve and maintain a ready force. Their enduring mission is to train, develop, and inspire RMTs to pursue excellence as they strengthen the soul of the warfighter, the family, and the fleet.
CSS provides Sailors in the Naval Administration, Chaplaincy, Command Support Program Management, Human Resources, Logistics, Maintenance Coordination, Media, and Security Management communities the necessary professional skills, knowledge, and education to support the fleet’s warfighting mission.
Learn more about NCS here: https://www.netc.navy.mil/NCS/.
To learn more about CSS, follow here: https://www.netc.navy.mil/CSS/.
| Date Taken: | 05.13.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2025 14:38 |
| Story ID: | 497846 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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