VILLAS – Pastor Tim West, of Seashore Community Church of the Nazarene, in Erma, has heard the call more than once in his life.
After having served in the U.S. Marine Corps as an enlisted man, he received the call to ministry and was ordained in the Church of the Nazarene. He took over as pastor at Seashore Community Church in 2018, and several years ago, feeling a call to do chaplain work, he answered the call to be a part of the newly formed police chaplain unit, serving the 50 members of the Lower Township Police Department.
Lower Township Mayor Frank Sippel announced Feb. 6 that West, 47, is entering active military duty as a chaplain for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. He will hold the rank of lieutenant junior grade until December, when he will be promoted to lieutenant.
West’s first assignment will be Paris Island, South Carolina, one of only two basic training sites for the Marine Corps. West said they chose him and a prior Marine officer to go to Paris Island and work with “recruits who want to become Marines.” West made the distinction because Marines must earn the name, which they then carry for the rest of their lives.
West said their titles would be battalion training chaplains.
He said he was actually praying to go overseas, but the “detailer” – the officer who sets the assignments – decided West would be a good fit to work with new recruits considering that he had spent a good number of years outside the Marine Corps.
“It’s an honor, but truthfully not what I wanted,” he said. “I imagined myself someplace exotic. Well, I did get an island.”
West called a friend who had served as a chaplain at Paris Island, and his friend described the work as the second-hardest assignment he ever had. West said he then realized he was not transitioning to a military desk job but would actually have an increased time commitment and responsibilities.
West was born and raised in Springfield, Ohio, and he joined the Marine Corps in 1997. After basic training, he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines Division – the “2-2” – at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, where he met his wife, Amanda.
“We met on base and got married in six weeks,” he said, “We are getting ready to celebrate 24 years of marriage.”
West was honorably discharged from the Marines in 2005, after having served in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other overseas areas. He said they owned a real estate company until the market collapsed in 2008, when he went to work for a friend.
During that time, he started getting more engaged in the church, and in 2009, started to work as a youth pastor. In 2010, he took over his first church and has been senior pastoring ever since.
He also became the senior chaplain with the Lower Township Police Department (LTPD) Police Chaplains Program, a job he has turned over to the Rev. Leo Dodd, also a member of the LTPD chaplains unit.
West was instrumental in getting the chaplain program off the ground, setting up a training session that drew about 20 people from South Jersey. LTPD issued their uniforms and swore in its members, including West, Dodd, the Rev. Glenn Sheyhing, and the Rev. Scott Durbin.
As the senior chaplain, West had to organize the Christmas activities, which included presenting a gift to every officer. On the more mundane level, the senior chaplain prepares the “on-call” roster each week, scheduling which chaplain is on duty for the week. Chaplains sometimes ride along with officers, so they can get the feel of the job.
West said being a military chaplain is something he wanted to do ever since he was discharged from active duty. He spent time completing a 72-credit-hour master’s program to qualify for the position. He said the church graciously allowed him to get away for training.
He attended the Officer Development School (ODS) and Chaplain Candidate Orientation Course in Newport, Rhode Island. ODS was designed for certain people who are coming to military service generally from a professional background, such as medicine, the law, or ministry. From there, he had six weeks of on-the-job training (OJT) in Norfolk, Virginia, which he started in November 2022.
West was then asked to have an interview, after which he was asked if he would consider going on active duty.
“My family prayed and ultimately said yes,” he said.
West said he found out later he had made a good impression during his OJT. He said he was talking to a Navy chaplain, a lieutenant commander, who told him that, at the Pentagon, they were talking about one chaplain candidate who interviewed so positively, and they wished all the candidates came through as prepared. It turned out he was that chaplain candidate.
West said he was very honored to get the opportunity to be a military chaplain at age 47. He said military recruitment is down across the branches, and that includes the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps.
He said the Navy typically assigns new chaplains to shore duty for the first three years, and from there, he could be assigned overseas or on a ship.
West will pastor his last service at Seashore Community Church Feb. 12, and is leaving for Paris Island Feb. 26. He said he and his wife have a great love for the community and the people of the church, whom he said welcomed them with open arms when they arrived.
West said he can retire from the Navy after 10 years, and he and his wife would like to return to the area, find a piece of land and build a house.
Until then, if you see him, you may call him lieutenant, or simply, “Chaps,” a colloquial Navy term for a chaplain.
Thoughts? Questions? Contact the author, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
