Why I am a Salvation Army officer | 2

Recently theRubicon sent out a general call to officers on our mailing list asking them to tell us why they are Salvation Army clergy. The responses were pithy, profound, provocative and, in some cases, troubling. But most of all they were genuine and honest reflections on a career and calling that can both uplift and crush. This is the second of two parts.

Major, male, Australia: I have been an Officer for over 50 years and have spent almost 10 years in post-retirement service. The reason I became and am an officer is related to a personal calling, but before accepting that calling I rejected it and left my homeland - Australia - running from that calling. It was similar to Jonah. I was later asked by a very close friend of mine, a retired commissioner, what I was doing in England. I tried to answer but he stopped me with one word: Officership.

So I returned and commenced all over again to fulfill that calling. Over the years came marriage, 3 sons and almost 12 years in third-world settings. These have all enriched my life in so many ways that are very hard to describe. To share with a family in the death of a new-born infant, to enjoy the sharing of wedding vows, and to stand by the casket of a faithful Soldier being laid to rest are all part of that calling.

There were other things I could have done with my life, but they could not compare to the joy brought to me in His Service. The old question of “would I do it again?” is answered by a resounding YES. Why? Because of the calling of His Spirit. He has blessed, used and given me so many opportunities for service that they are too many to count.

My prayer is in the words of John Gowans, “May others see Jesus in me.”

Captain, male, Canada: I feel called to a full-time ministry role. To say it’s a “calling” is somewhat elitist; all Christians are called to serve and are called to ministry. Not all Christians will enter Salvation Army officership. That’s not an evaluative statement, just a fact. We need teachers and bus drivers; doctors and janitors; pilots and city employees; day-care professionals and lawyers (actually… do we need lawyers?).

I guess I still haven’t answered the question, though. I grew up in The Salvation Army my whole life, so that plays a role. I like The Salvation Army, so that plays a role. I love our focus on spiritual needs and practical needs. We have church buildings and worship meetings; we have food banks and shelters; we have thrift stores and a Bible college.

Captain, female, USA: Right now that seems like a question as dangerous as asking a married couple in a “valley” if they’re happy … I can’t really say that I became an officer to be a faceless bureaucrat stuck in middle management offering virtually no resources, guidance or structure to corps officers and flailing against a micro-managing THQ that is culturally clueless…. I’d like to think that being in a corps or social work ministry would give enough reality to deal with bureaucracy, just didn’t want to have to be bureaucracy - especially without power or resources to make decisions or deal with consequences… but not a reason to give up on officership.

Captain, male, Canada: No matter how cliché it might sound, I would love to answer this question by simply saying: “Because I am called!” While I believe this is true, it would not create an accurate portrait of why I entered this occupation, vocation, and/or ministry.

1. It’s what I know! My parents are officers; I grew up observing them every single day of my life. I witnessed the stress of church conflict, unapproved budgets, and dealing with death and tragedy, but I also took part in the joys of new converts, new building projects, and the wonderful gift of new life. I guess you can say Officership has been engrained in my life and is part of who I am.

2. The Confirmation! Another reason is the number of doors that opened since my saying “yes” to ministry. When I began this journey I was a single lumber salesman who gave little thought to active service. Now I am a married father, who is actively engaged in the fight of my life - the fight against sin.

3. The Rewards! There are many days that bring about stressful and negative situations, but when I look back at each year of ministry, the benefits, rewards, and blessings far outweigh the days that seem like too much!

Major, female, UK: During my training with CAPE, the supervisor asked me why I was a Salvation Army officer. Wow, much food for thought.

I answered that when I was 6 years old I committed my life to serve God in full-time work. I said that if I had been raised a Catholic then I would have been a nun. I did not necessarily have to serve God in The Salvation Army, but I knew that I was born to serve and it did not occur to me to serve in any other denomination. The Salvation Army was all that I knew. No other denomination could have given me the same opportunities that I have experienced. I have never appreciated the control that another officer can have over my life decisions, but God has worked me through the times when I felt I was “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
My officership has been a career with a calling to ministry and service. That is what God called me to do.

Lt-Colonel, male, Canada: I have been a Salvation Army officer for fifty-seven years (commissioned in l952) - forty-three years as an active officer, and fourteen years as a retired officer. Margaret, my wife, served with me as a partner in ministry for fifty-three years.

I am an officer in The Salvation Army for three good reasons:

First, I had two very good parents who believed so intensely in the ministry of the Salvation Army that they prayed and pleaded with God that their children would follow in their footsteps. When I was very young, I often woke early in the morning to hear my father crying out to God for the salvation of his children. What I have become in life, I owe in a large measure to the influence and passion of my parents.

Secondly, when I was twelve years old, during the visit of a specialling officer to our home, I heard God calling me to be an officer. It buzzed around in my mind for almost ten years, without anyone knowing my hidden secret, and then at the age of twenty, one month before my twenty-first birthday, I rose from my seat in a youth council and said: “Yes, whatever you are asking me to do, I will do it.” I took the leap, not into the dark, but into the arms of a God who had already planned from eternity the destiny of my pilgrimage.

Thirdly, I now can look back on almost six decades and stand in awe of the way he has blessed my life, far beyond anything I could have dreamt or imagined. The thought of committing my life to an organization whose foundational principles were sacrifice and obedience seems unimaginable, but at eighty, with life nearing the end, it seems a very reasonable thing to do (Romans 12:1). If I could have written my own biography, I doubt if I could done it any better.

Life as an officer is not easy, but never dull; not purely selfish, but submissive to the way of Jesus; not “I’ll do it my way” but “not my way Father, but thy will be done.” I never asked for an appointment, nor refused to go where I was sent.

Officership is more about eternity than it is about time, and I believe time is only preparation for eternity. Today I see the journey has been crammed full of challenges, privileges, surprises, opportunities and much more. But the incomparable surprise is in the future: when, by God’s grace I entered into the inheritance which God has prepared for those who love and serve him (1 Peter 1:4, 5). Then we will know that life is not about success in terms of this world’s values but about faithfulness to the known will of God.

Lt. Colonel, male, Congo: Why I am a Salvation Army Officer? What an interesting question! I suppose the first answer is that I felt called to Salvation Army Service. I was in the military during the Korean Conflict at the time of my calling, and I had an overwhelming sense that God wanted me to serve Him. I had little talent to offer and was a first-generation Salvationist, but I felt that service in The Salvation Army was the best thing I could do with my life.

After I was discharged from the Air Force, I entered the “Faithful” Session in 1956 in San Francisco.

I met my wife in training, and over the years, we have had many kinds of appointments and have been privileged to travel and serve the Lord in many un-imagined places. Each appointment has only confirmed that I was just where God wanted me to be. Since retirement, we continue to serve as Coordinator of the Territorial Call to Prayer ministry, Phoenix ARC Chaplains, and the Southwest Divisional Congo Partnership in Missions Coordinator.

Oh, there have been times of disappointment and stress, but God has been faithful, and even though we are now retired we still have the joy of service and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. I used to be a bit turned off by those old “fogies” who used to totter up to the pulpit and say, “I’ve never been sorry I heeded God’s Call, etc” Well, I guess now I’m one of them! Would I do it over again? Absolutely! God is just as wonderful now, as all those many years ago. And I’m not finished yet!

2 Comments to Why I am a Salvation Army officer | 2

1. This is not really a reflection on the testimonials here, but do you all (writers and readers alike) think scripture is often spiritualized and allegorized with reference to officership? I feel like verses are taken out of context all the time!

   Dave Witthoff
David Witthoff on June 19th, 2009

2. I think sometimes a scripture will have meaning to me and a situation I may be in - simply because somehow the Holy Spirit seemed to magnify specific words or a verse in a chapter. That passage of scripture may have a completely different context or interpretation, it still has some meaning to me. It happened with the book of Hosea and my calling - it has come back to me several times in various forms over the years.

   The problem comes when people use scripture out of context in general terms. However, if someone is sharing how a scripture affected them and how the Holy Spirit spoke to them through it, then I’m ok with that.

   just my humble opinion…. Kathie
Kathie Chiu on June 21st, 2009

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