Veterans Can Find Purpose and Meaning After Military at Church: NRB President

Welcome back. The National Religious Broadcasters Association is launching an initiative to bridge the gap between veterans and the church. And joining us to discuss this is NRB President and CEO, Troy Miller. Troy, Veterans Day was just a few days ago. Very, very great that we have our veterans being taken care of because they serve this country. Now, in light of all this, can you tell us what's inspired the Veterans Ministry Initiative? Well, thanks for having me today and thanks for that. And you're right. It's very important we recognize the veterans of this country, those who have given up so much in order to protect our freedoms and they do it on a daily basis. And we remember, it's an all-volunteer service right now. So what's going on right now is the veterans have some of the highest rates in suicide, in addiction, in divorce, and in mental health. So we have to work on that as a nation and we owe these people more. Yes, that is absolutely right. Now, what can someone do if they really are just ready to help but they may not know how to contribute? So that's what this initiative is all about. We think that there, as you said, this last Veterans Day or the Sunday before, I'm sure many pastors ask the veterans to stand up and be recognized. So if you're a veteran and you're in a church, veterans, the one thing about us, we love to talk to other vets and we feel comfortable there. You can reach out now. This initiative is to bring together the multiple veterans organizations around the country as resources to help churches. So you can go to nrb.org slash veterans and we'll have a form there and it'll help you find out where's the right place, what are the right things I need to do to launch this kind of ministry in my church. Yes, and give us a little bit of insight into the initiative's mission. Yeah, look, our mission is just that, is to connect churches with veterans in their community to help curve all of these things that we just talked about. Look, if you can help a veteran's himself or herself, you're gonna help that veteran's family, you're gonna help their immediate family, and you're gonna have a better community. Plus, you're gonna have people in your congregation who, by nature, just love to serve and they love to meet people's needs. So this initiative is all about how do we curve this 17 persons a day suicide rate that we're now seeing in the veteran community. And on that note, why is it so important to bridge the gap between veterans and the state? Well, veterans in the church, I think it's, look, as a veteran myself, I can tell you one of the things that you get when you join the military is you, first of all, you get a mission, you get a purpose, you get a family, you get a place to serve, all of those things that you get in the military, that when all of a sudden you're mustered out and you come out, all of that just disappears in the culture. But the church is the ideal place to replace that. The mission of the church, the purpose of your life, the ability to serve, the ability to help others, all of theirs are in the church, and the church just makes the ideal institution to reach out to vets. And Troy, are there any veterans who feel disconnected from the church? Yeah, I think so. I think there are probably veterans out there that feel disconnected. You know, our military hasn't exactly, over the last several decades, been embracing the Christian faith or even religion. They've moved a lot of way to a lot of social issues and those things. So again, veterans coming out, I think they're looking for that home and they're gonna find that in the church. Now, there are a lot of treatments for veterans in terms of mental health. Sometimes that centers heavily on medication. What can the church offer that's different from that? Yeah, and that's where you can get a pastor who has a biblical approach to how to treat some of these illnesses and some of these mental conditions that people are dealing with. And they can bring, again, I think a lot of it stems from the loneliness that people feel. It stems from the depression you feel. Sometimes it's the guilt if you came home and your friends didn't. So there's all of those things that pastors are the best people equipped to deal that from a godly perspective to that. Plus, this initiative, we're bringing together all kinds of little ministries out there. There are fishing ministries, there are hunting ministries, there are campfire ministries, there are book club ministries. There are all of these things out there for veterans to get plugged into which are gonna help them deal with this transition back into civilian life and all of these mental problems we're dealing with. And Troy, are there any insights that you've gained from the Bible, for example, that help veterans to put everything in perspective? Yeah, first of all, I think we have to realize that just because we're out of the military now doesn't mean our mission is over. God has called us on a mission. God has a purpose for us. God loves us for who we are and what we have done and what our service. Look, the Bible says, Jesus said, no greater thing is a man who will lay down his life for others. And that's what military people do and put on the line. And it's that kind of understanding that God hasn't abandoned me. He does love me. I am created in his image and I still have a purpose in life. And freedom is not free. And of course, we would want a strong community surrounding veterans so that people feel more comfortable going into service, enlisting and so forth. I mean, of course. Oh, veterans can do some of the best work with the younger adults out there who are looking for structure in their life and looking for that same purpose and meaning. And to hear the stories that they've, the things that they have participated in, the events that they've done, it really does help engage the younger people. Yes, now those statistics that you were mentioning are very alarming and just breathtaking. And of course, all the statistics about the PTSD that veterans have to contend with. Now, from your perspective, what are the root causes of these? Well, look, trauma is the number one root cause of those there. You know, to be in any kind of battle situation is very traumatic. I don't think people, it's not the movies, okay? It's not Hollywood out there. It has a real effect on you and your life. We worked with a number of people who've come out of combat situations. Plus again, like I said, there's this suddenly, just think about it for a second. If you were just suddenly disconnected from your family and you had this lonely, you felt isolated and all alone, that's gonna play on your mental health quite a bit. And that's the main two things that we really need to address is the loneliness out there and all of the mental health and fatigue issues just come from serving. And what makes it so difficult for veterans to go from that life of service out into normal civilian society? Well, look, civilian society is so different. We've lost that kind of family society out there. We've lost that touch. Everybody's hustle and bustle on their own. We have a lot of individualism, a lot of commercialism out there. So it's hard for sometimes in the military to move from that structure to this very chaotic society that happens to be what we call life today. Right, well, Troy, now can you give us a specific example possibly of how this faith-based support has helped to turn a veteran's life around? Oh yeah, so I just came off of speaking at a veterans event in Dallas, Texas, down at Prestonwood Baptist Church, Dr. Jack Graham's church. And look, there are a number of stories of veterans who were on the brink of suicide. And there's a great several ministries out there that have, they're doing social media posts, they're doing call-ins. The post just says, look, I'm a veteran. If you're having trouble, call this number. And they call, and there was a story about a young man. He was 22 years old, I think. He was contemplating suicide, had the gun in his hand. And he saw this pop-up ad come on social media. He called the number. It was a veteran on the other line. They were able to talk to each other. They were able to connect. And he was able to connect this young man to a veterans group there in his town. And this young man is still walking around today because of that kind of service and that kind of ministry. That's a miracle. Oh, absolutely, that's a miracle. That's a hand of God reaching in, that that ad would just pop up the very time he's holding that handgun in his lap. Just remarkable. Now, your experience as a Navy veteran, how has it shaped your actions and the work that you're doing now? Oh, look, I had a great experience. My military experience was wonderful. It helped shape a kind of troubled kid into a more disciplined environment. It did give me that sense of family and community. And of course, the Navy trained me well. I'm a IT kind of technology person by trait. And so all of those things, plus the leadership skills that you learn there as you get a chance to apply those and move up in the ranks, all of those things have helped me in my life. And I think they've helped a lot of other people if they can connect when they get out. I happened to have a great family structure when I left the Navy and had a lot of support. That's what we need to pull around people today. And being able to deal with adversity. Oh yeah, adversity, wow. That's the name of the game in the military, how to deal with adversity. What is that old saying? Adapt, overcome, and defeat. So yeah, that's a great quality to have. Yes, now for the veterans who may be watching, what message do you have for them right now? Look, people love you. There is hope out there for you. You are not alone. No matter how much you feel like it, you're not alone. Please reach out. Our website is nrb.org slash veterans. And we'll help connect you to a church, to a veterans organization. And if you're a veteran and you're a believer and you're in a church today, you should reach out as well. And think about starting a veterans ministry in your church to reach other veterans in your community. Thousands of people are coming back into the civilian life every day in communities across this country. And the biggest thing they wanna hear from, another veteran. Well, this is really great takeaways from you. And thank you for helping to bridge that gap and to strengthen all these communities and help veterans. Well, look, it's the least we can do again for the people that put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy today. Well, thank you, Troy Miller, CEO of National Religious Broadcasters. Thanks for having me.