News

Disciples Home Missions is pleased to announce Rev. Dr. Jonathan R. Fisher as the new Director of Chaplaincy and Specialized Ministries. After a nationwide search, Jonathan stands out as someone whose vision and experience will expand and grow the work of supporting our chaplains beyond the task of endorsing.  Upon retirement this Fall, Jonathan will officially start as the Director for Chaplaincy and Other Specialized Ministries on December 1, 2025. However, he will start offering support in the areas of pastoral care and communications on July 1, 2025. 

Jonathan is soon retiring from his 21 years’ service as a US Army chaplain and currently serves as the Director of Clinical Pastoral Education at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD. He is also a Certified Educator and National Faculty with the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education. With over 20 years of professional chaplaincy experience as a NAVAC Board Certified Chaplain, Jonathan has served in a wide range of operational and training army units, including three combat tours with the 3rd Infantry Division and 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). He completed his CPE residency at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA, and later his CEC fellowship at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX, where he also served as Director. 

Jonathan’s heart is firmly planted in the art of spiritual care and education. He is the ACPE Accreditation Commissioner for all the VA and DoD CPE programs. He has personally set up 3 CPE Programs from the ground up, including the US Army Center for Extended CPE, which serves as a model of providing CPE through remote learning. Jonathan hopes to bring this experience in adult chaplain education to his role as endorser by bringing continuing education to Disciples chaplains worldwide.

Beyond his military roles, Jonathan has served as an associate pastor and a high school educator. He is endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which formally recognized his ordination in 2010 after a period of deep personal growth, discernment, and spiritual direction. His journey through traumatic experiences in both fundamentalist education and combat has shaped a faith and set of values he now finds most fully expressed within the Disciples tradition.

Jonathan holds a Doctor of Ministry from Erskine Theological Seminary, where his work focused on ministry within a military prison context. While serving as staff chaplain at the

Military Correctional Complex in Fort Leavenworth, KS, he co-developed a program that led to a significant reduction in violence and recidivism at the facility, which includes the Joint Regional Correctional Facility and the United States Disciplinary Barracks—the Department of Defense’s only maximum-security prison.

Jonathan is married to Rev. Sara Nave-Fisher, who is the Senior Minister at University Christian Church, Hyattsville, MD. Together, they are raising three teenagers and a spirited Schnauzer named Schuyler in Rockville, MD. In his free time, Jonathan enjoys woodworking and spending time on the water.

Disciples Chaplains attending General Assembly will meet Jonathan at their pre-event on Friday, July 11, and throughout the assembly at the DHM exhibit area. The Office of Christian Vocations’ team welcomes Jonathan with excitement and invites you to join Disciples Home Missions in celebrating this much anticipated news!