ENGLEWOOD, CO – Officers’ Christian Fellowship (OCF) comes alongside Christians in military leadership roles to help them understand how to faithfully “pursue God and live out your faith while on active duty.” OCF serves our men and women in uniform at our military academies, ROTC units, and virtually every U.S. military base.
The group’s vision is to have a positive impact within the military community through the development of firmly-grounded, Christlike leaders. OCF is engaged with some 17,000 service members around the globe. Men and women who have already walked in their boots purpose to embolden, encourage, and equip new leaders for the battles that they may face in the future.
Preparation to live for Christ regardless of the circumstances is as critical as the preparation required to be a good soldier and a leader of men.
Loneliness is one of the biggest battles a Christian in the active military can face. OCF encourages its member solders to seek out fellow believers as spiritual buddies and to engage in Biblical fellowship with other believers “to equip them for Christlike service at the intersection of faith, family, and profession.”
Mobility is another issue that servicemen and women and their families often face. Two-year tours of duty can mean long periods of separation or uprooting and moving a family numerous times. Moves can be as tough on spouses and children as they are on the soldier. In some cases, the moves may be even harder on the family.
The Integrated Faith Project teaches a Biblical framework for living for Christ while serving our country at home or abroad. The project guides them through personal transformation, family matters, professional issues, and community relationships. Soldiers learn how the issues intersect and relate to each other.
Soldiers are encouraged to seek out or establish small group fellowships that the OCF considers to be the backbone of their ministry.
Even the OCF is not without its own battles. There are people and institutions actively seeking to limit the extent to which OCF may influence members of the military. One of those organizations has been a thorn in the OCF’s side for at least a decade.
In 2009, that organization prompted a change in OCF’s mission statement, which had been “Christian officers exercising Biblical leadership to raise up a godly military.”
The purpose of that opposition group is summed up in a statement by its leader. “When one proudly dons a U.S. Military uniform, there is only one religious symbol: the American flag. There is only one religious scripture: The American Constitution. Finally, there is only one religious faith: American patriotism.
Pray for the leaders of Officers’ Christian Fellowship as they fight the battle against spiritual enemies and as they encourage rising leaders to live an active faith while on active duty.
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