From the Battlefield to Belonging: A Ministry Guide Reconnecting African American Veterans Faith, Purpose, and Community

From the Battlefield to Belonging presents a guide for churches, leaders, and community builders who want to understand and reconnect with one of the most overlooked groups in the pews: African American veterans. Many return from military service carrying invisible wounds, deep questions about identity, and a longing to belong again. Yet they often feel unsure about how to reenter a church community that may not fully grasp their story. Here, author Dr. Dennis A. Rose Jr., himself a veteran, offers a clear path forward. Blending pastoral insight, lived military experience, and years of ministry research, he explains why African American veterans experience church differently and what congregations can do to meet them with compassion, wisdom, and intentionality. Learn how trauma, moral injury, racial identity, and spiritual hunger intersect in the lives of returning veterans. They will also discover the Urban Neotribalism Integration Technique. This practical, culturally aware ministry model helps churches create shared rituals, healthy small groups, and meaningful opportunities for veterans to reconnect with their faith and community. Blending real veteran stories with practical church guidance, this handbook provides a clear, compassionate path back to belonging for African American veterans.