The historically Black denomination that endorsed U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., who until last week served as the Army’s chief of chaplains, said it had “deep disappointment and serious concern” about his removal by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Green, who had served in the top military chaplaincy role since 2023, was the third Black Army chief of chaplains. He was dismissed on April 2, during Holy Week and amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
Leaders react with concern
“The removal of Major General William Green Jr. raises serious and troubling questions that deserve transparency and accountability,” said Rev. Boise Kimber, president of the National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc., in a Wednesday, April 8, statement.
“His decades of faithful service, moral leadership, and historic representation within the Army Chaplain Corps should not be overshadowed by actions that create the appearance of bias, ideological targeting, or radical political interference. Our nation must be careful not to allow partisan agendas to undermine institutions built on merit, sacrifice, and service.”
Rev. Dr. Michael Evans Sr., pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mansfield, Mansfield mayor, former president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and former Navy Reserve chaplain, commented on Green’s removal:
“[General Green] has the reputation of being a statesman, a man of high moral character. He is a decorated veteran, a man held in high esteem. His promotions were based on merit, not on any political bias. It is a bad look for him to be removed in the manner in which he was removed,” he said.
“I am very disappointed. … I think you should look at a person’s record and note the level of esteem the individual has before you surreptitiously dismiss them. It is dangerous when you toy with the spiritual well-being of the armed forces.”
Concerns amid policy and leadership changes
Green’s dismissal occurred at the same time Hegseth asked Gen. Randy George, the Army’s chief of staff, to resign and removed Gen. David Hodne, the leader of the service’s Transformation and Training Command, The Washington Post first reported.
Kimber joined others in calling for President Donald Trump and Hegseth to explain the reasons behind Green’s dismissal.
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“When leaders of this caliber are removed without public clarity, it creates concern not only about the individual decision, but about the larger climate of interference affecting trusted national institutions,” Kimber stated. “We must remain vigilant against bias and any radical disruption that threatens fairness, integrity, and the progress we have fought to achieve.”
In December 2025, Hegseth announced he was eliminating the Army spiritual fitness guide he said “alienates our war fighters of faith by pushing secular humanism.” In his video announcement on the social media platform X, Hegseth said: “In well over 100 pages, it mentions God one time. That’s it. It mentions feelings 11 times.”
Green was a leader in the Army’s efforts to promote and foster resiliency and connection to support soldiers and their families.
“A resilient soldier isn’t just physically fit,” Green said at a conference on “Holistic Health and the Resilient Soldier” in March 2025, which he noted was the 250th year of the U.S. military chaplaincy. “A resilient soldier is strong in body, mind, and spirit.”
Religion News Service’s request asking the Army and its chaplaincy officials about Green’s departure and whether it was related to the spiritual fitness guide did not receive an immediate response.
Green, a native of Savannah, Ga., first joined the Army as a high school graduate and returned to the service after pursuing ordained ministry.
Endorsed by the National Baptist Convention USA Inc. in 1994, he later supported Operation Iraqi Freedom, was a branch chief at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School in Fort Jackson, S.C., and was deputy chief of chaplains at the Pentagon before being appointed as the Army’s chief of chaplains.
Additional reporting by Faith Pratt of Baptist Standard.
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