Derek Jones (bishop)

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Bishop Derek Jones

Bishop of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy

The Right Reverend Derek LS Jones, Bishop of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy, is a bishop with the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) serving in the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) and in the College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). Bishop Jones trains, educates, ordains and directs the activities of all Anglican Chaplains who require formal ecclesiastical endorsement for CANA and the ACNA.

Responsibilities

Chaplains under Bishop Jones' oversight serve in the United States Armed Forces, Veteran’s Administration, Department of Justice, and other Federal and State agencies; as well as chaplains serving Hospitals, Hospices, Industry, Education, Law Enforcement and as Community Chaplains. Bishop Jones works with and through a variety of professional organizations such as the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC), the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education, and the Professional Chaplains Association. Bishop Jones has served as an endorsing official since his consecration in January 2007 and is the founding bishop for the Deanery for the Chaplaincy (CANA) and the Office of Chaplain Ministry (ACNA); a joint office - soon to become the Diocese of the Armed Forces and Chaplaincy; a diocese of both the CANA (Church of Nigeria) and the ACNA in 2013. Bishop Jones is the founding Bishop of the Chaplain ministry for CANA and the ACNA.

Military Career

Bishop Jones is a retired combat veteran fighter pilot with more than 4000 hours in the F-111 and F-16 fighter aircraft and the T-37 trainer as an Instructor Pilot. His awards include the Combat Air Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, and many other individual and unit citations. Bishop Jones has also won numerous “Top Gun” awards. He was one of the last Top Gun award winners in the F-111 before its retirement in 1996. Bishop Jones was the pictorial subject for the book Superbase 11: RAF Upper Heyford by Jon Davison. He also was the Wing Top Gun for the 27th Fighter Wing while a member of the 524 Fighter Squadron in the last year of his time in the F-16. From 1998 to 2005, he served as an Instructor Pilot with the Air Force Reserve. His final assignment before retiring in 2009 was as the Reserve Advisor to the Commander and Director of Staff for the Air Force Doctrine Center, collocated at Maxwell AFB and the Pentagon. In this role, he directed the activities of over 100 geographically separated military personnel in the writing of Air Force and Joint Military Doctrine to include work on Joint Publication 1-05 on Religious Affairs in the DoD.

Civic and National Organization Membership

Bishop Jones was elected by his peers to serve on the Executive Committee for the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces (NCMAF) in 2012. He is also a charter member and serves on the Executive Board of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. In civic areas, Bishop Jones is also an adjudicator for the United States Pony Club (USPC) and serves on the National Quiz Committee for that organization. In January of 2010, he was awarded a Presidential Service Citation for his community service and volunteer endeavors; and in 2012, he was named a Distinguished Honorary Alumni of Nashotah House Seminary in Wisconsin. In his off-time, Bishop Jones enjoys working with his horses and outdoor activities. An accomplished musician and a member of Phi Mu Alpha, he also enjoys vocal performance and little theater. He is an 'in demand' speaker and teacher of Eucharistic and Covenantal Theology.