Move over

Areopagus #26T

he only way for The Salvation Army to fulfill God’s mandate is for officers to relinquish their ownership of the organization to soldiers. At the 2006 ACC conference in Melbourne, Australia, Phil Wall takes on one of the ’sacred’ ideas of Army culture: that professional clergy should continue to be the ones in charge. Don’t miss the debate. To listen, click on the arrow below or click here to download the episode (runs 22:24) from the Areopagus podcast on iTunes.

Wall’s biography is available on the next page.

Phil Wall has had a rich and varied working life. He began working as Metropolitan Police Officer in London, England and specialised as a riot squad officer. It was during this time that he became a follower of Jesus. Very quickly Phil got involved in evangelism and this led to him launching an evangelistic faith ministry that over the next 13 years took him all over the world preaching and training leaders primarily within The Salvation Army. During this time numerous initiatives were launched including church plants, social justice initiatives, large renewal events and the establishing of the international AIDS Orphan Charity Hopehiv. In 1999, as a means of creating resource for this new charity, he established Signify Ltd, a leadership development and executive coaching company. This involved him in accompanying athlete Jonathan Edwards CBE to his successful Olympic gold bid in Sydney and now engages him in coaching senior corporate leaders mainly within the spheres of sport, media and financial services primarily in the UK, US and Australia.

About 75% of his working time goes to heading up Signify and the remainder is spent serving Hopehiv, that recently launched with Gordon Brown MP (now Britain’s Prime Minister), the world’s first leadership foundation for orphans called generationAFRICA. This is an initiative of Hopehiv that is focussed on raising up a whole new generation of leaders from within the orphan generation.

“I have the best job in the world,” Phil says. “I have the privilege of coaching senior leaders within some of the most successful organisations in the world as well as helping to mentor some of the most vulnerable yet most exciting young people on the face of the planet.” Phil is married to Wendy who is a speech and language therapist, they have three children and live in south west London. His hobbies are reading, endurance events and eating Indian curry with friends.

8 Comments to Move over

1. Really great points and bang on target. A former salvationist asked me yesterday what employment or voluntary service I could think of in a secular field that gives people a dozen or so classes at the beginning of their service and then leaves them at that for the rest of their working/serving lives? Between us we couldn’t think of a major voluntary organisation that puts less effort into training, mentoring, appraising and developing its members than TSA. Most voluntary organisations pride themselves on professionalism, while we seem to take an inverted pride in doing amateur church (and caring passionately about church health which includes the dimension of mission this really gets me going). We claim we ‘expect’ soldiers to function effectively in a missional way without any significant training, support, mentoring or encouragement. And the result is that most are stretched just to be able to contribute to maintanance inside a corps. The officers grumble they are left to do everything, but often feel threatened if someone trained comes along, because at the end of the day most are simply not leaders. I’ve also met wonderful officers, who are kind people and very dedicated, but while they genuinely care deeply about their congregation, there’s no coherent plan for the corps, no strategy for using people’s service, for discipling and training soldiers, often no Bible studies, no prayer meetings, just lots of socials and fund raising events - for what? For never-ending maintenance of a non-missional congregation. As a soldier, I’ve come to feel my only function is to enable the officers to live out their calling to be officers. This has to stop because it is suicidal behaviour for the army.

   Eleanor
   Sister under private vows
   Penzance, Cornwall
Eleanor Burne-Jones on August 24th, 2007

2. Phil’s message resonates with me. I have long resisted the “professional” clergy status of officership, especially when I was an officer.

   My story is an example of this issue, I think.

   I am a former officer and now a lawyer. I would like to be involved in leadership in the Army again but having trouble finding an avenue. I do not see opportunities available to non-officers (or non-employees). I would like to preach, teach and be involved in leadership issues again and I think I have some skills in this area.

   I do not need a salary any longer from the Army, as I can now support myself in my work as a lawyer. So in that sense I could be a “tentmaker”. I am also open though to being employed by the Army or becoming an officer again, if that is necessary.

   I think my legal skills fit well with the Christian mandate “to do justice”. Further, some of my legal skills could be useful in the context of the leadership needs within the Army.

   I am not interested in some aspects of officership, such as being available to move into appointments that do not suit my skills and gifts. I’m also not interested in what traditional soldiership has to offer, such as playing in a band or sitting in a pew.

   I have tried working with other ministries. But in my heart I am a salvationist and would like to be involved again.
John Norton (Canada) on August 25th, 2007

3. Yes we need to deal with the accountability issue. We will never grow while we refuse to prune away dead wood, however…

   Let’s not forget the important issue of covenant. Officers give themselves in a sacred and eternal covenant to God in the Army as an Officer. When this covenant is honoured God gives success and where it is dishonoured God withholds his blessing.

   It is the way the Officer’s covenant has been watererd down and weakened by Officers and soldiers that prevents the SA from being what God wants it to be.

   A truly covenanted Officer will always be eager to empower his/her soldiers - but then covenanted soldiers will get on with it anyway with or without the help of their Officer.

   Let’s stop knocking ‘Officership’ as a concept, let’s bring in proper accountability, support and relevant training.

   If PW is successful in his revolution all we will see is the current evils maintained but with lay leaders in control instead of Officers.

   The whole address smacks of ‘Four legs good two legs bad’ – what we need is a spiritual revolution not a political one.

   By the way for anyone who is interested, the quote from the Staff Council addresses was inaccurate I have a bound copy of the original in which WB among other things sees a future Salvation Army Training College channelling thousands of officers out into the world to win converts and empower soldiers.

   What if a lay leader from Newcastle becomes the first General of a future SA? Will he only be able to lead Geordies? Aren’t we meant (by the grace of God) to become all things to all people? Cone on Phil you can do better than that - it is such a silly illustration – even lay leaders would eventually have to move?

   The Army in America was founded by a group of cockney women who couldn’t pronounce their aitches! Most of our northern Corps were opened by uneducated Londoners. Kate Booth opened fire in France with nothing but drawing room French. What about Henry Bullard who accompanied Booth Tucker to India?

   One other thing – early Methodism had a ‘professional’ clergy from the outset and nobody was appointed anywhere without the distinct blessing of John Wesley.

   What we need is revival and that will come when we repent – officers and soldiers.

   A
Andrew Bale on August 26th, 2007

4. We’ve got room for you here at Gateway John.
   Dion
Dion Oxford on August 27th, 2007

5. Phil has just articulated one of the biggest burdens on my heart today: to bring about equality of all Soldiers (Officer/Senior Soldiers). This is brilliant and I am blessed to hear that I am not the only one with this conviction (and even more blessed that he projects the problem in a way I could never pull off). Thank you for sharing this!
Eric Himes on October 3rd, 2007

6. Apparently what I had to write was not transmitted. At the risk of being considered a mimic, I endorse heartily what John Norton has to say. I remember sitting on a bench in the foyer of one of the corps in his last division pleading with my corps officer that I find some avenue of service in the corps and was interupted by John exiting the building before I got around to finishing my coversation. As a former officer John, for over twenty years I have had to rely on the Presbyterian church to use my few skills in the pulpit, skills which I developed as a corps officer and by attending post graduate training wherever I could find it. Thanks for your posting.
Ian Carmichael on October 4th, 2007

7. Sorry John Norton. It is your father to whom I was referring. I now recall who you are from a meeting you conducted as summer supply in London, On.
Ian Carmichael on October 6th, 2007

8. Thanks, Ian, for your comment. I’m in London ON now. My father is still an active officer and currently at the DHQ in Orillia. Cheers.
John Norton on October 6th, 2007

Leave a comment