The son of a career Navy chaplain, Paul Linzey pastored in Southern California, then served twenty-four years as an Army chaplain. His military career included heading up chaplain recruiting, training and supervising hundreds of chaplains, and a war-time deployment to Iraq. While serving as the Operations and Training Chaplain at CENTCOM, he led a five-person team to teach and train chaplains and chaplain trainees at the Royal Academy of Islamic Studies in Amman, Jordan. His last duty assignment was as a personnel officer in the Office of the Chief of Chaplains.
After retiring as a colonel, he taught practical ministry classes at a Christian university in Florida and still serves as a mentor in their doctor of ministry program. He was the Protestant pastor at the United States Naval Academy for one year, then he served as the professor of spiritual formation and practical ministry at a Christian college in Illinois. While there, his denomination asked him to form a team to train chaplains in Ukraine. He was there during the war with Russia, teaching in a seminary as well as meeting with groups of military, hospital, and police chaplains throughout the nation.
Linzey is an award-winning author. In addition to writing several books, he has contributed to a few collaborative works. His published writings include poetry, memoir, fiction, and nonfiction. Articles cover a broad range of themes, typically focusing on relationships, personal growth, spirituality, and leadership. He is a judge for several writing contests and has helped many people publish their writings. He speaks at conferences, churches, universities, and writers groups.
Paul completed a bachelor of arts in religious studies at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California. Graduate degrees include a master of divinity at Fuller Theological Seminary, a doctor of ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a master of fine arts in creative writing at the University of Tampa, with a dual emphasis in fiction and nonfiction.
Personal interests include music, digital photography, movies and theater, travel, sports, and family. He and his wife have three sons who are military officers, and ten grandchildren.
Ordained and endorsed as a chaplain with the Assemblies of God, his theme verse is from 1 Thessalonians 2:8: “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”
A native of Virginia, Keith Travis served as an Army Chaplain for twenty-eight years, retiring in 2007 as a Colonel. He is a graduate of Carson Newman University in Jefferson City, Tennessee, and he received a master of divinity degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina. Travis completed his doctor of ministry from Erskine Seminary in Due West, South Carolina, and a master of arts in counseling from Liberty University. He also studied at the US Army War College.
Keith is the associate faith-group endorser for Liberty Baptist Fellowship. He had been the faith-group endorser for the Southern Baptist Convention for eleven years, and he and his family were missionaries with the Foreign Mission Board in Costa Rica and Mexico for six years. In addition, he served in several churches as pastor or associate pastor roles.
He has been married to Pam Travis from Greensboro, North Carolina, for over forty-five years. They live in Clermont, Florida, (the doorstep of Disney) and have three adult children (including a son-in-law), and two grandchildren.
Keith currently serves as a professor at the John W. Rawlings Divinity School (Liberty University), where he teaches classes on chaplaincy at the MDiv and DMin levels and serves as a mentor in the DMin program. In addition to coauthoring of Military Ministry: Chaplains in the Twenty-First Century, he has also served as a contributing author for another textbook being used at Liberty University.
Christopher Linzey is a third-generation military chaplain. After more than a decade as a civilian pastor, and six years as an Army Reserve Chaplain, he felt the leading of the Lord to apply for the Active Duty Navy Chaplaincy, where he has served since 2015.
Linzey brings a wealth of ministry experience to Sailors, Marines, and their families. With a passion for communicating timeless truths in today’s world, Chris combines scholarly insight with practical wisdom to inspire and encourage people from all walks of life. A native of Southern California, Chris graduated from Vanguard University of Southern California with a bachelor of arts in biblical studies, then earned a master of arts in biblical studies from Vanguard, followed by a master of divinity in pastoral preaching from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He ordained as a minister with Calvary Christian Fellowship and endorsed for the chaplaincy by the Coalition of Spirit-Filled Churches.
Certifications and specialized training in the Navy include the Command Financial Specialist, Command Fitness Leader, and Shipley Communication Life Coach. He has been asked by several of his commanders to manage the official command social media presence, creating social media content and managing online engagement.
Personal interests include distance running, photography, movies of all genres, music, and writing. His first book is a collection of flash fiction stories titled, “Getting it Twisted.” He has been married to Tené Williams-Linzey for 23+ years and they have three children. You are welcome to connect with him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok!
Military Chaplain Guide 