SALVATION ARMY - who are you?

The way forward – part 2

By David Woodbury

During his term as The Salvation Army international leader, General Andre Cox called Salvationists worldwide to Mobilise. In responding to his call we must clearly understand the essence of the mission to which we are called. Effective mobilisation depends on Salvationists knowing exactly what their mission is. While there is a need for The Salvation Army to clearly state its objectives in a mission statement that is relative to community understanding, there is a more fundamental necessity for Salvationists to clearly understand their role and participation within the organisation. It may well be that the new mission statements are more focused on community understanding rather than internal assimilation and motivation.

With any mission statement there are two questions to be considered:

1. Will people remember it?
2. Will it motivate them?

William Booth had a very clear focus for the mission of his fledgeling organisation. In January 1879 the Salvationist (magazine) was born and in writing The General focussed the thinking of his troops:

 “We are a salvation people – this is our speciality –

• getting saved and
• keeping saved and then
• getting someone else saved.”

 It was the bull’s eye in the centre of the target on which all other operations of his Army should aim. Unfortunately, it is the way with most human organisations to drift away, become distracted and lose focus, and the Army is no exception.

If, at this point in our history, we are to recapture our identity, it may well be that such an exercise needs a pivotal starting point. At the end of the 20^th century, as the new millennium dawned, Commissioner John Gowans focussed our thinking when he launched a new initiative in the Australia Eastern Territory, entitled Mobilise 2000. Embracing Booth’s theology of social salvation, the Commissioner travelled the territory launching the campaign and continually restating a clear and concise mission statement:

The Salvation Army exists to

• Save souls
• Grow saints and
• Serve suffering humanity  

The brevity and clarity of the mission statement was brilliant and soon caught the attention of Salvationists, not only in Australia but worldwide, following John Gowans’ election as General. Mission statements are crucial for the operation of any organisation in the 21^st century. However, they are often more for public consumption rather than internal motivation.

Many mission statements have been promoted since the Gowans trilogy but, by in large, they are too wordy, difficult to remember and lack the clear clarity and focus that the Gowans’ trilogy provided; a mission statement that was very clearly identified with the Army's traditional mission.

Both Booth and Gowans’ mission statements were:

• Precise
• Powerful
• Persuasive

There was a confrontational directedness about them which is hard to ignore. They meet the test of good mission statements. They are memorable and motivational.

With the amalgamation of the two Australian territories a new mission statement was devised which stated:

The Salvation Army Australia is a Christian movement dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus.  

We share the love of Jesus by: 

• Caring for people
• Creating faith pathway
• Building healthy communities
• Working for justice (Australia Territory)

 Another contemporary mission statement written by Commissioner Phil Needham reads:

We Salvationists are called to make radical followers of Jesus Christ

who love inclusively, serve helpfully, and disciple effectively

in all the communities where we live.

You will notice that in these two mission statements there is no direct reference to salvation. I sense a growing unwillingness within The Salvation Army to utilise that word which is part of our designation: Salvation. You will note that these contemporary mission statements do not mention the word. They may have very oblique references to it but it does not appear in the wording. To go one step further, Commissioner Phil Needham makes this rather puzzling statement: “Jesus’ ultimate purpose, as the Gospels make clear, is not to save us … but make us his disciples, to change our whole life, to make us holy.”  I am at a loss to know how one can become a disciple without first having a salvation experience.

There is a sense in which John Gowans’ mission statement is cyclical. When we serve suffering humanity we open opportunities to save souls and the process begins all over again. As we serve suffering humanity we are building bridges into the kingdom and there is a sense in which the Salvationist becomes the bridge over which suffering humanity may walk into the Kingdom lifestyle.

For William Booth and his soldiers, mission fields in which to proclaim the message of salvation were evident and abundant. To step out the door in Victorian England was to encounter great areas of depravity and human need and consequently, the early Salvation Army quickly identified vast expanses of suffering humanity that were fertile ground for their life-saving message.

In Western culture, times have changed and the welfare state has moved into to address many of those areas of need that have traditionally been very much part of Salvation Army ministry. Consequently, it may well be that Salvationists now find themselves somewhat at a loss in finding meaningful and effective areas of mission.

Three words come to mind in seeking to recover our unique identity and mission:

Salvation!

Salvation!

Salvation!

As attractive, scintillating and trendy as many contemporary Christian activities may be, the heart of the gospel is not about these things, but about the redemption of the human soul through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The salvation of a human being is at the very heart of the Gospel, all else is commentary that flows from salvation.