Captains Loreita and Nate Hinzman are pastors of the Manchester Corps in Connecticut, in the Southern New England Division.

Captain Loreita Hinzman

For six years, we were the DYS (Divisional Youth Secretaries) in Massachusetts. I can’t even count how many productions of Jesus Theatre we hosted at camp in that time. Every single performance affected me in the most beautiful way. For one week, we had the opportunity to minister to kids from different backgrounds, and we poured everything into them. On the night of Jesus Theatre, when they see the life of Christ played out on stage in front of them, they realize that Jesus wants a personal connection with each of them, and nothing they’ve ever done or will do can remove them from His love and grace. As I watched the performances from a bird’s-eye view at the sound table in the back, it was a picture of Heaven on earth. Every week of Jesus Theatre was a reminder that this is why we as youth pastors do what we do: to create spaces where children can feel safe and give them opportunities to experience the love of Jesus in a tangible way.

When you’re a pastor, you go through both fruitful seasons and dry seasons. But in both, you always hear the stories of people’s lives and become a trusted confidant for them. Sometimes, it becomes a challenge to remind them that pastors are also human. I think when there’s a title like pastor or captain in front of your name, others think you achieved that because you have everything in your life figured out; meanwhile, everyone else is struggling to keep it together. The reality is that before I present my sermon on Sunday, I preach it to myself every day of the week. I need my own words first, and I need to surrender myself to Him first. Pastors need reminders and corrections in their own lives as much as anyone else.

Captain Nate Hinzman

During our first appointment together in Columbus, Ohio, we saw beautiful bridges of connections and community fostered between the Columbus Corps and the Columbus Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC). People from diverse valleys and all walks of life came together for a shared mission and purpose. It felt so encouraging in our ministry because that is what the body of Christ is supposed to reflect. We even saw our own children working with and getting to know the guys from the ARC. Those men became mentors for our kids, showing them how Christ had changed the trajectory of their lives. When ministry works effectively, you see how God rewrites people’s lives into something beautiful, no matter where they come from or what their story is.

Not everyone is called to pastoral ministry, but everyone has a ministry of where God has placed them. Scripture talks about the priesthood of all believers. That can be working in teaching, administration, or wherever it is that one’s gifts manifest. But pastoral ministry in The Salvation Army is unique. Officers put a lot of pressure on themselves to always be all things to all people. We can overextend ourselves and forget to tend to our own spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. That’s when burnout happens. It’s important to find the balance between embracing your own calling and recognizing that God has also called you to minister to your family, honor your own Sabbath, and tend to your own spiritual life before you attempt to be everything for everyone else.