Vale Bexley North
By David Woodbury
Having just attended the final closing ceremony at The
Salvation Army School for Officer Training at Bexley North in Sydney, I found
myself coming away with a disturbing sense of disquiet and uneasiness, and have
spent some time reflecting on the decision to move training for officers
nationally, to Melbourne.
Among much of the paraphernalia circulating around the
merger of the two territories was a logo entitled; Inclusive Australia. My understanding is that it refers to The Salvation
Army’s Multicultural Department which is focussed on making migrants and
refugees welcome among us and part of our mission and ministry; a ministry,
that I personally know, is highly beneficial and effective in some parts of
Sydney. I would commend those participating in such ministry for their
dedication, love and understanding.
However, if we were to apply the same logo to recent amalgamations
and the merger of the two Australian territories, we may well have a different
perspective. The reality is that in the final analysis, The Salvation Army is
highly authoritarian and undemocratic, and no manner of consultative committees
and groups can alter the structure of the organisation and its decision-making
processes. The Salvation Army is, in the end, an authoritarian, military
structure which enables it to move quickly and decisively when the need arises.
A structure I understand and with which I basically agree, but a structure that
has serious, and perhaps long-term, detrimental flaws, if not used wisely.
Within the last few years Salvationists and friends who call
The Salvation Army their spiritual home have been confronted with such authoritarian
decision making in the:
·
The merger of divisions
·
The merger of corps
·
The merger of the two Australian territories.
The reality is that human beings are not wired to handle
change well, and too much change, too quickly, will not only unsettle people
and make them feel insecure, but also make them feel excluded and
isolated. And I suspect that is
happening in areas where I have personal contact.
I must confess I find, given this comprehension of human
nature, whether some of the decision making has not compounded the problem.
Case in point: Most Salvation Army territories around the world have two
significant establishments; Territorial Headquarters and The Officer Training
College. These two establishments are more than just land holdings; in many
ways provide not only a presence but
also a sense of a spiritual anchor to
those who see The Salvation Army as their spiritual home.
To arbitrarily relocate both entities to Melbourne, I feel,
was an ill-advised and unwise move and did not seem to take into account some
of the factors I have noted. It would seem to me, that the Bexley North College
in Sydney was far better located geographically to meet the needs of a national
territory. Within 10 minutes of an international airport and with 25 minutes of
the CBD. Far different from the Ringwood campus chosen which is the best part
of an hour's drive across heavy city traffic.
Common sense would seem to dictate that in an effort to be
inclusive and accountable, the wise move would have been to have either the Territorial
Headquarters, or the School for Officer Training, left in Sydney. I know there
will be arguments put forward about the amount of prayer and seeking of divine
guidance that went into these decisions, but the reality is that someone as
wise as Solomon countered divine guidance with human wisdom.
Now that the merger has taken place some hard decisions will
have to be made, particularly in relation to land holdings in Sydney. Whether
we like it or not, the reality is that some land holdings have provided a presence and also a sense of a spiritual anchor. I suspect when these
are finally stripped away The Salvation Army in The Sydney area and will be but
a pale expression of what it once was.
In my years as an officer in the erstwhile Eastern Territory,
I never experienced any great appetite among Salvationists for the merging of
the two territories. My only experience came from a concerted effort by
leadership in the Southern Territory to spring it on as an unlisted agenda item
at a high-level meeting of the leadership of both territories in Melbourne. I
am left wondering who really drove this impetus for a merger.
In today’s world, change management is an important and
crucial factor for corporations and business seeking to restructure. To my way
of thinking this has not been a high agenda item and much more needs to be done
urgently in this area if we are to try and restore equilibrium and a sense of
genuine inclusiveness. Many Salvationists and friends that I know personally
have simply resigned themselves to a process in which they felt they had no
input and didn’t support. Others, some of them 3rd and 4th
generation Salvationists, have simply walked away, some disillusioned, some
disgusted.
I work at the Bexley North campus and have also been impacted by a corps amalgamation, the sense of betrayal is effecting people all around me and in many cases with very good reason.
ReplyDeleteI agree that from a purely logical point of view Bexley North is a well situated campus.
Workmen who come to the site comment on it's sense of serenity. Oasis is another term I have heard. I hope there is good consideration given to the future of the site because it can still be an anchoring land holding if we allow it.
I'm relieved that God works even where the people are misguided, luke warm or self serving. He's got a plan and it's a good one
It is rather tragic the way the whole merger unfolded. I keep hearing the word betrayal .
ReplyDeleteSadly, Salvationists across all ages and experiences are still reeling from the blow and are struggling to move forward.
It may take time and we do not want to become embittered, but the reality is that is that the A1 seems to be just pushing forward as if nothing has happened and that we are all of one accord.
We do need to see some strong spiritual direction taking place. Not slogans, not corporate jargon but sincere, honest encouragement.
It is sad that we are loosing identity as you have mentioned in the College closure, THQ and it is being felt in Regional centres where DHQs and other expressions of service have been closed and signage removed.
We can take heart that there are corps around where the Spirit is bringing life.
The joining of the two Australian Territories has been a take-over by Melbourne more than a union of both. I recall receiving an email from Commissioner James Condon advising the agreement for the two to be brought into one and that discussions had been going on over a 15 year period. That being the case why was Melbourne permitted to proceed to building a new Training College and why was Sydney permitted to purchasing a new THQ building both of which, I imagine, at substantial outlays of finance. Surely the prudent course of progress would have been to wait until everything was settled down, assess what was then required then move to necessary action.
ReplyDeleteWhen I recall the early years of planned giving being introduced and the emphasis placed on our stewardship in giving, all of which I freely embraced, I took it as a given
that equal stewardship would be applied to the spending. I feel I have been badly let down.
One argument put forward for the union was that governments were confused in trying to deal with one Army, 2 leadership centres. That being so it's obvious to me, that Canberra being the seat of our national government, should also be the site for our national HQ.
My personal view is that, sadly, there is a widening gap between those in positions of leadership and the soldiery as a result of poor handling of the move and the soldiery
has stopped listening. I hope I'm wrong.
Catching up on some back issues here. "Divide and multiply" is our command. From a business/financial point of view, institutionally, it makes sense to consolidate. From a missional point of view, the only way forward is to divide and multiply. We are not a business/institution; we are a mission, and mission by its nature is sometimes messy and costly. The bottom line is souls, not a balanced financial sheet. Have been agonizing with you through this process.
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