Witness Moment

Protecting the Religious Liberty of Those Who Serve

LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces helps America’s service members and their chaplains preserve their right to the free exercise of religion.

Story by Megan K. Mertz | Photography by Erik M. Lunsford | Winter 2025

“You leave a lot of your rights [at the door] when you join the military, but the free exercise of religion is not one of them,” said Chaplain (Navy Capt.) Craig Muehler, director of LCMS Ministry to the Armed Forces. His goal is to protect this fundamental right for America’s service members and the chaplains who serve them.

Muehler is the endorser for all LCMS military chaplains, and he also serves as president of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. This organization was started in 2011 by endorsers from several Christian denominations — with assistance from Alliance Defending Freedom — when the Defense of Marriage Act came under attack. They wanted to make sure chaplains were not forced to choose between violating their conscience or being punished for refusing to participate in a same-sex marriage.

In 2018, a Southern Baptist chaplain faced just this situation when a same-sex couple wanted to attend a marriage retreat. Ultimately, the chaplain was cleared of all wrongdoing, but not before his case made national headlines.

Since then, many more situations have arisen. Some are as simple as a serviceman who needs a minor accommodation to attend an LCMS service, either on or off base. Sometimes the commanding officer erroneously believes that any Protestant service will do, which means that the serviceman is unable to receive Communion. In these cases, Muehler said a conversation with the commanding officer usually clears up any confusion about what the regulations actually are.

Unfortunately, other cases are more complicated. During the pandemic, Muehler worked with several military personnel who did not want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine when it became known that aborted fetal tissue was used in the vaccines’ development. In another case, a member of the military was training to be a doctor, and that training included providing abortion and transgender care. The member sought counsel from an LCMS pastor, who reached out to Muehler. Thanks to assistance from one of the military lawyers that Muehler works with — he has two on speed dial — they were able to help this member work through the accommodation request process.

“I want the church to know that in these situations, we will advocate for them,” Muehler said. “Sometimes we may lose. But The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Ministry to the Armed Forces can come alongside anyone in the military to ensure that they are able to worship and live out their faith as a soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, Coast Guardsman or Guardian.”

The best way to make sure one’s faith is accommodated, said Muehler, is simply to note it on military paperwork and ask for an LCMS Divine Service by either an LCMS chaplain or local pastor. When the leaders know there are LCMS members on base, they are much more likely to seek out the services of an LCMS chaplain. Then if the LCMS members encounter a situation in the course of their duties that they feel goes against their faith, they can reach out to Muehler.

“By law, religious accommodation is still a big part of what the military stands for,” Muehler said, noting that these accommodations are the same kind already being granted to Catholic, Jewish and Muslim military members.

“We just want what we’ve always done in the past, which is to work in a pluralistic environment where, with respect and dignity, you practice your faith and I practice mine, and we serve together for an important mission.”

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Megan K. Mertz

Managing editor of Lutherans Engage the World and chief copy editor for LCMS Communications.