The Warrior in Your Pew: How Faith Communities Can Help Veterans Heal

Every Sunday, veterans sit in pews across America carrying wounds that no one can see.

They carry the weight of combat, moral injury, broken relationships, addiction, depression, and the quiet ache of feeling like they no longer belong anywhere — not even in the house of God. They show up. They sing the songs. They shake hands. And then they go home alone with everything they brought in.

The VA's REACH program — Reaching Out, Engaging, and Connecting Heroes — has produced a powerful toolkit specifically for faith communities. It is one of the most practical, compassionate, and actionable resources available for pastors, chaplains, small group leaders, and anyone who wants to walk alongside veterans in their congregation.

We want to share what it says — and how Peacekeepers Foundation is already living it out.

Veterans Often Carry Silent Burdens

The REACH Toolkit opens with a truth that every faith leader needs to hear: "Veterans often carry silent burdens, including within the congregations and communities you belong to and serve."

This is not a crisis happening somewhere else. It is happening in your church. According to the VA, veterans are at significantly higher risk for suicide, PTSD, depression, substance use, and isolation than the general population. And many of them will never ask for help — not because help isn't available, but because the culture of service taught them that asking for help is weakness.

Faith communities are uniquely positioned to change that narrative. Not because we have clinical training, but because we have something the clinical world often cannot offer: belonging, purpose, and the love of God.

Three Messages That Matter

The REACH Toolkit identifies three core messages that faith leaders should weave into their ministry to veterans:

• The importance of community support — Assure veterans and their families that they are not alone. No one has to struggle in silence. Faith and fellowship make people stronger.
• Overcoming barriers — Many veterans believe that asking for help is a sign of weakness. The church must actively dismantle that lie. Seeking help takes the same courage it took to serve.
• Awareness and action — Knowing the signs of struggle and being willing to start a conversation can save a life.

As the Reverend Sara Webb Phillips shared in the toolkit: "When [veterans were] seemingly reluctant or embarrassed, I would applaud their courage and commitment for serving in the military and to use that fortitude to seek help now that they were back home."

That is the posture of a peacekeeper.

Know the Signs

The REACH Toolkit outlines five warning signs that a veteran in your congregation may be struggling:

• Changes in behavior — Withdrawing from social activities, stopping things they used to enjoy, neglecting responsibilities at work or home.
• Emotional signs — Increased irritability, anger, anxiety, guilt, hopelessness, mood swings, or depression.
• Physical symptoms — Changes in eating or sleeping, poor self-care, frequent fatigue, unexplained headaches or stomach issues.
• Talking about suicide — Take any such statement seriously, even if it seems offhand. "I can't take this anymore" or "Everyone would be better off without me" are not throwaway comments.
• Substance use — Drinking more than usual or misusing drugs is often a sign of an underlying mental health struggle, not a character flaw.

The toolkit's guidance is simple and profound: "Anytime you feel that something isn't right, it's a good time to talk and offer your support." Trust your instincts. You do not need a degree to care.

How to Start the Conversation

One of the most valuable sections of the REACH Toolkit is its practical guidance on starting a conversation with a veteran who may be struggling. The advice is straightforward:

• Choose a private, comfortable setting.
• Wait for a moment when the veteran seems calm and receptive.
• Lead with your own observations and feelings: "I've been worried about you because you've seemed very stressed lately."
• Ask follow-up questions. Listen without judgment.
• Offer support and encouragement: "I'm here for you, whether you want to talk now or later."

The toolkit also gives clear guidance on what not to do: don't argue, don't lecture, don't make assumptions, and — critically — don't agree to keep secrets. If a veteran's life is in danger, you may need to connect them with a professional. Your care for them is more important than keeping a confidence.

Grammy-winning gospel artist and Army National Guard veteran Fred Hammond said it well in the toolkit: "If you're a Veteran in crisis, some people think it's weakness to ask for help, but it doesn't have to be that way. You absolutely have resources."

What Peacekeepers Foundation Does

Everything the REACH Toolkit calls faith communities to do — Peacekeepers Foundation is already doing it.

Our Peacemakers Life ReLaunch Experience creates exactly the kind of environment the VA describes: a safe, faith-centered space where veterans and first responders can lower their guard, be honest about their wounds, and encounter the healing power of Jesus Christ. We provide community, purpose, practical tools, and the truth that they are not alone and they are not forgotten.

Every event is completely free. No cost. No barriers. Just grace.

We also walk alongside veterans long after the retreat ends — through small groups, discipleship, prayer, and ongoing relationship. Because healing is not a weekend. It is a journey.

Download the Toolkit

If you are a pastor, chaplain, small group leader, or anyone who cares about the veterans in your community, we strongly encourage you to download and read the VA REACH Toolkit for the Faith Community. It is free, practical, and could help you save a life.

Download the VA REACH Toolkit for the Faith Community (PDF)

And if you know a veteran or first responder who needs more than information — who needs a community, an encounter with God, and a chance to relaunch — send them our way.

We are here. We are ready. And God is not finished with any of them.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." — Psalm 147:3