Your Church Member, Family Member or Friend Joined the OSMTJ Knights Templar of America, What does this mean?

The Knights Templar of America is a Christian community from all Christian faiths who have joined together to encourage one another in this spiritual battle of life. We are made up of pastors, current and retired U.S. Military personnel, current and retired police officers, first responders and just average people wanting to grow in their walk with Christ.

Let’s start by what we are:

• We are non-Masonic, focused on Christ! While there are Masonic groups of the Knights Templar, ours is not. We are about proclaiming Christ and His salvation to all.

• We are made up of Christian men and women from Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox congregations across the U.S.

• We are part of an international organization called the Ordre Souverain et Militaire du Temple de Jerusalem (www.OSMTJ.net)

• We are an organization that trains leaders in the Christian faith held to a high standard.

• We are not a religious denomination, but an ecumenical body made up of Christian individuals from most Bible believing denominations across the U.S., much like a ministerial alliance or association in your own community. Our membership consists of ministers, lay people, and families and provides an outlet for friendship, prayer support, encouragement in faith and accountability for active Christian work.

Now, what we are not:

• We are not a militia and we are not preparing for physical warfare. Our focus is preparing men and women to engage and advance in a world where spiritual warfare is a constant at a time when much of the church has gone to sleep.

• We are not a replacement for your church. To the contrary. Everything we do is geared towards empowering men and women to get off the sidelines in local ministry and become engaged. We encourage our Knights, Sergeants and Companion at Arms, Squires, Chaplains and Chaplain Assistants to mentor members of their local church and community in the love and fealty to our Lord Jesus Christ.

• We are not bogged down by issues of doctrine. We focus on Jesus Christ and who He is. There is no requirement of any member to abandon their church’s doctrine, but we are connected by what unites us as the ecumenical body of Christ.

• We are not political. While we encourage our members to engage in politics in their personal lives, our Order does not endorse candidates.

• We are not a secret society. We don’t have any secrets to keep and don’t use secret oaths. We strive to be transparent and you can read everything about our Order here on our website.

Final thoughts about our structure: We have two primary tracks within our organization.

Military Command Structure – Most follow the military command structure track that trains Knights, Sergeants, Companion at Arms and Squires. There are required readings about faith in Christ, history and mentorship. This is a place where men and women are encouraged in their faith and held accountable for their representation of Christ in this world, especially on social media where members are encouraged to connect.

Chaplains Corps- For licensed and ordained individuals serving currently in ministry positions or retired. Those licensed and ordained individuals from recognized denominations are vetted and assigned the rank of Chaplain. Those with interest in ministry calling who have attained ordination through other means are allowed to serve as Chaplain Assistants with the strong recommendation to pursue ordination in their respective denominations. Chaplains help members with prayer concerns, and hold officers to the high standard of Christian living required for a leadership in a Christian organization.

Costs
Cost of membership is a donation of $65 for the first year and $25 for subsequent years. All meetings either online or in person are optional, but also very uplifting and encouraging. Costs are purposefully low to encourage more participation as well as honoring the original “Poor Knights of Christ” mindset that was so prevalent in the early order.

Locations
We serve in Priories or Commanderies based on geographical location. Some are divided by state lines and others are more regional covering multiple states depending on the number of members in a given location.

Charitable Focus
We are focused on protecting the innocent, whether they be members of the persecuted church through Open Doors USA, or at a local level in nursing homes, senior programs, or other ministries to people in need.

To learn more about the Knights Templar of America, or for membership for yourself, please visit our website at: https://www.theknightstemplar.org