Chaplain Timothy Mallard, COL (USA): “Exiles in Our Own Land: Authentic Christian Leadership Amidst Rising Secularism”

About the Topic: Have you ever felt estranged or distant from your own culture or community?  In your military profession, do you increasingly feel as if you’re somehow an outlier due to your faith in Christ?  The Bible repeatedly draws on the historical experience and theme of exile to help us understand our place within the world.  Still, understanding both the Word and our current context is vital in helping God forge in us a renewed commitment to Him, the gospel, and our neighbors.

This retreat will center on meeting both of the above aims. Drawing on exilic themes from the book of Daniel and exploring the real tensions of faithful living today, we invite you to come be renewed in your personal and professional commitment to faithful Kingdom life. Our focus will be exploring in depth Daniel’s public ministry as an exile in Babylon and letting that witness inform current tensions around issues like: maintaining allegiance to both God and our calling to the profession of arms; raising godly families amidst an increasingly secular culture; and balancing both a public and private witness to Christ. As well, we’ll explore five critical means every Christian must cultivate to help ourselves in this journey. Come join us and be renewed both body and soul for your calling as a faithful disciple in challenging times!

About the Speaker: Chaplain Mallard is a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church and holds the following degrees: the Ph.D. in Theological Ethics (the University of Wales Trinity Saint David); M.S.S. (U.S. Army War College); Th.M. (Columbia Theological Seminary); M.Div. (the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary); and the B.A. (Stetson University). A Senior Fellow of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute in Washington, DC, a member of the International Society of Military Ethics, and a Contributing Editor of the journal PROVIDENCE, he has spoken globally at over one hundred military, academic and media venues. With dozens of articles and book chapters to his credit, in 2020 he served as Senior Editor of A Persistent Fire: The Strategic Ethical Impact of World War I on the Global Profession of Arms (National Defense University Press). Raised as the son of a career Army Chaplain, since commissioning in 1988 Chaplain Mallard has deployed to combat as a Battalion, Brigade, and Division Chaplain – including with the 101st Airborne and 1st Infantry Divisions and holds the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal (two awards), and the Combat Action Badge.  With operational deployments to Bosnia and Kosovo and four tours in Germany, from 2018-2021 Chaplain Mallard served as the inaugural Command Chaplain, United States Army Europe & Africa in Wiesbaden, DE, during which he led U.S. Army religious support operations for 104 countries on two continents. He and his wife Sharon have been married for over 34 years and have three children, Thomas (27), Anna (26) and Caroline (24).

Concurrent Programs Available: All children and teens coming to White Sulphur Springs during the Christian Military Leadership Seminar may participate in the Summer R&R kids’ program throughout the weekend. If you would like your children to attend Horsemanship Day Camp, Camp Caleb, or Allegheny Outback!, please sign up for one of our eight week-long programs.