Promotion ceremony for Army Reserves chaplain, former Liberty dean held in on-campus Chaplains Museum

In a Friday afternoon ceremony held within the Chaplains Museum, located in the terrace level of Liberty University’s Jerry Falwell Library, U.S. Army Reserve Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) Mark A. Tinsley was promoted to the rank of colonel, with his family and friends from his career in the military and academia present.

Tinsley has Liberty connections in multiple ways as both an alumnus with four master’s and one doctoral degree, and as a former faculty member for almost nine years. Beginning as an instructional mentor in 2008, Tinsley moved into roles with the College of General Studies and School of Health Sciences, including time as the dean of the College of General Studies, before leaving Liberty in 2017.

The ceremony was attended by multiple dignitaries, including Chaplain (Brigadier General) Charles Causey, Deputy Chief of Chaplains, Army Reserve; Liberty University President Dondi Costin; Major General (Retired) Bob Dees, former Deputy Commander of V Corps in Europe and current Associate Vice President for Military Outreach at Liberty University; the Honorable H. Cary Payne, a judge in the Lynchburg Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court; Dr. John Capps, President of Central Virginia Community College; Dr. Atul Gupta, chairman of the Lynchburg City School Board; and Chaplain (Sergeant First Class) William Henderson. Tinsley’s wife, Elizabeth (Beth), and their five children were also in attendance.

Causey served as the officiating officer and host for the ceremony, speaking from both his position in the U.S. Army Chaplains Corps and his personal friendship with Tinsley, which Causey expounded upon during his remarks.

“(Today) we’re recognizing that one of our colleagues has served faithfully for the past five years as a lieutenant colonel, and this doesn’t just mean staff work,” Causey said. “This is pastoral ministry to soldiers, and what it means is he’s not only ministering to the soldiers, but to all of their family members. He has shepherded countless lives. … He has sat with people, prayed with them, given mentoring advice to them, dealt with crisis situations, emergencies, deaths, and in all of this (he) has held (his) head so high and been an example to all of us.”

“My prayer for you, Mark and Beth, is that this day and this milestone in your career will be one of reflection on where God has taken you,” he added. “What we talk about in military chaplaincy is that we have a calling from God. We have a sacred calling to the troops we serve. I can think of no finer individual, both personally and professionally, that I would rather be displaying this honor upon, recognizing the promotion that you’re getting from the U.S. Army today.”

Causey re-administered the oath of office to Tinsley, who stood with his family beside him. Tinsley shared remarks of his own, spending most of the time thanking the many people who have impacted his faith, life, and career.

In an interview following the ceremony, he said he chose to hold the promotion ceremony on Liberty’s campus because of the convenience for his family and friends to attend.

“My children have never seen me be promoted before, since I’ve been out in the field or multiple states away for the other times, and I also wanted to have it here because I have a lot of friends here in town and at Liberty who I wanted to be here,” Tinsley said. “To have it here in the Chaplains Museum just made sense.”

Liberty President Dondi Costin, who is a retired Major General with more than 32 years of commissioned service that culminated as the 18th Air Force Chief of Chaplains, said the event was a proud moment for Liberty University as both host and alma mater for Chaplain Tinsley.

“Liberty University has always been what I’ll call a ‘God and country’ school,” Costin said. “Liberty has trained more chaplains, serving in all branches and all segments of the military, than any other school. This ceremony highlighted relationships, including the mentoring between Chaplain Causey and Chaplain Tinsley and the importance of family that Tinsley holds. In this venue, on this campus, with someone with multiple Liberty degrees being recognized and promoted, it’s really (special) to see him going on to do great things in the world.”

Donna Davis Donald, the director of the Chaplains Museum, said it was an honor to have the ceremony take place in the museum space.

This is the first time we’ve hosted something like this,” she said. “It’s the most people we’ve had gather in our space in an event, and it was honor to have President Costin, Chaplain Causey, and every one of the other special guests. It’s really an honor that we were chosen as the venue for this by Chaplain Tinsley. It was a great privilege to us.”

Tinsley currently serves on the Lynchburg City School Board and as the Associate Vice President of Arts and Sciences at Central Virginia Community College in Lynchburg, Va.

He began his military career as an infantry officer in the Virginia Army National Guard and was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during 2002-2003 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. His chaplain assignments have included multiple bases around the U.S., and he was deployed to Kuwait/Iraq in 2007-2008 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.

He holds multiple degrees from Liberty: a Master of Arts in Religion, a Master of Divinity in Church Ministries, a Master of Theology in Practical Theology, and a Doctor of Ministry from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as a Juris Master in General Law from Liberty’s School of Law. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology from James Madison University, a Master of Science in Earth Science from Emporia State University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from Drew University. He is endorsed by the Chaplaincy Full Gospel Churches. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1998 through R.O.T.C. at JMU.

Founded in 2005 as a private organization, the Chaplains Museum is now part of the Department of History at Liberty University. Its mission is to showcase the service of U.S. Military Chaplains throughout American history through historical research and the collection and preservation of related artifacts.