Officer Spotlight: Captain Shawn DeBaar
Captain Shawn DeBaar serves, along with his wife Aubrey, as the Corps Officer of The Salvation Army in Elkhart, IN. His leadership includes the entire service area of the Elkhart Salvation Army which encompasses Elkhart, LaGrange and Stuben Counties. Captain DeBaar has served as the Corps Officer of the Elkhart Salvation Army since June of 2017. Prior to his appointment to the Elkhart Salvation Army, Captain Shawn served for four years in Branson, MO leading the work of The Salvation Army in Taney & Stone Counties.
Captain Shawn, originally from Grand Rapids, earned his Bachelors of Ministry degree from Nazarene Bible College where he majored in Bible and Theology. He was also trained as an EMT/Firefighter following High School. The Captain is also a graduate student at Asbury Theological Seminary completing his Masters degree in Biblical Studies.
He is passionate about helping communities develop models of charity which restore dignity and hope to those in poverty. Captain Shawn has built successful ministries such as community gardens, affordable Christmas toy shops, and low-income food cooperatives. He is knowledgeable about the culture of poverty and the impacts that poverty places upon those stuck in it. In particular, Captain Shawn has been invited to address public health professionals, government leaders, and faith communities about the impact that inadequate and unsafe housing has on those in poverty, especially children.
Captain Shawn is also an experienced Emergency Disaster Services leader. He has served as the Incident Commander for various disasters with a specialty in mass care. He was appointed to the Region D Homeland Security Oversight Committee while in Branson. Following the February 2018 flooding in Elkhart County, Captain Shawn has served as the Co-Chair of the Elkhart County Flood Recovery Task Force.
