Bivocational Chaplain Driven by Kingdom Mindset

On paper and over the phone, it sounded to Rev. Joe Kamphuis like Chelwood Christian Reformed Church might be the congregation God was calling him to serve.

Then, after traveling to and preaching at the church in Albuquerque, N.Mex., a few years ago, something happened that convinced him this was where he needed to be.

“During prayer time, one man got up and gave thanks for having won $50 at the casino,” said Kamphuis.

In other churches with which he was familiar, people might go to a casino, but they would never admit it like that during a service. “I appreciated his honesty. That was refreshing,” said Kamphuis, a U.S. Air Force veteran who is also a military chaplain.

As it turned out, Kamphuis received a call from Chelwood CRC. And, going in, he had no illusions. He knew the job would be challenging, given that the congregation was small and had many members with special needs such as autism.

In addition, the budget was very tight. Paying his salary alone would be difficult.

But this was where he wanted to be — to help Chelwood CRC find a new way forward from a past that had included its founding in the 1950s as an outreach of Back to God Ministries International to the Albuquerque area.

For several years, this church on the outskirts of the city had thrived, but over time it experienced a decline in membership, and today about 30 people are now regular attendees.

“We knew we had challenges, but we wanted to find a way to thrive here in God’s provision and be a blessing to others,” said Kamphuis.

Almost from the start, Kamphuis sensed that this congregation, small as it was, had what it takes to make the tough — and creative — decisions necessary in order to keep going about the business of the Lord in their section of New Mexico.

For one thing, the church body agreed right off to allow him to serve once a month and for a couple of weeks during the summer to train as a part-time chaplain in the New Mexico Air Guard.

Then, earlier this year and after being endorsed as a CRC chaplain, he was offered a full-time job with the Air Guard — and that got him thinking.

“What was it going to take for our church to have a sustainable future?” he wondered. “We have been running $25,000 in the red every year.”

The church had money in the bank to help, but that money was running out. Even though the church had no mortgage to pay and received rent from another church to use the facility on Sunday, the future continued to look uncertain.

So, after doing some research, Kamphuis approached the Chelwood council with the idea that he take the job with the Air Guard to pay his salary, and that the congregation cover the costs of other expenses such as a pension. In doing so, Kamphuis would join 147 other active Christian Reformed Church chaplains.

The council agreed and took the proposal to Classis Red Mesa, which approved it. So Chaplain Kamphuis, for the past month or so, has been working full time with the Air Guard and serving as pastor of the church.

As he looks at being a bivocational pastor, Kamphuis said it is all part of trying to help move forward the kingdom of God, both at Chelwood CRC and in the military.

“My priority even when I was at Calvin Seminary was to serve our God, who is present everywhere, because the idea that Jesus Christ has authority over everything is revolutionary,” he said. “That kingdom mindset has always driven me in who I am and in what I do.”

While serving his previous church, Kamphuis also worked as a mentor to fathers at a pregnancy resource center. And he served for several years on the board of Christian Reformed World Missions, which earlier this year united with Christian Reformed Home Missions to become Resonate Global Mission.

In fact, his connection to Resonate Global Mission enhanced and enlarged his vision for mission and how to go about it.

“I’ve learned that it isn’t only what you say that matters,” Kamphuis said. “It is also how you are connecting with people, and how you are showing them Jesus, that matters.”

As Chelwood CRC moves ahead with a more solid financial future, the pastor continues to meet with and minister to its families with many needs. He also receives help twice a month with preaching as a result of connections he has made with other pastors in other ministries.

“It has been quite a journey trying to discern what God is doing among us here at Chelwood and to see what God would want us to do,” he said.

At the same time, Kamphuis said, he thoroughly enjoys serving as a chaplain for the Air Guard, a job that means he has to coordinate all Protestant services on the base, advise leaders on matters of spiritual care, and speak with military personnel about all kinds of matters.

In fact, that is a part of his job that he likes the best — spending time getting to know people in uniform.

“I am able to go out onto the units and build relationships,” he said.

As he grows in the ministry work he is doing, facing challenges such as a church with a small budget with creativity and prayer, Kamphuis increasingly sees that what matters most is being open to where God leads.

Often these days, he said, it might mean being in the home of a church member in crisis or simply sitting in a chair next to someone in the Air Guard who wants to talk.

“Over time, as you see people and they see you, you build connections. When you show up, they want to talk about their family, their problems, their spirituality,” he said.

“I am honored that, as a representative of Christ, I can just be there and listen — and when you do that, you can hear some pretty incredible stories.”