Use your loaf!

Just do it! says Andrew Clark

Iremember listening to General John Gowans talking about salvationist initiative. He was preaching on the little dude in the bible who offered his loaves and fishes to Jesus, bringing out the ingenuity of his initiative and then the General went on to apply that in his genuinely apostolic fashion. He spoke about conversations he’d have with some African commissioners who could only ever talk in estimations about how many corps and soldiers they had because every week he’d hear about three or four corps that had sprung up that week through every day salvationists ‘using their loaf.’

He went on to talk about ‘permission.’ So often we think that we can’t do it, we can’t start a new initiative, we just can’t. General Gowan’s response to that was ‘you have the General’s permission.’ OK then … Sweet!

I say all that because I firmly feel that Salvationism should be a creative culture in which salvationists are free to develop warfare on their own patch, in their homes, in their local communities and at work. When they ‘come to the Army’, they should be equipped and impassioned for mission in the world. Our role as leaders should be to enlarge the vision of our people for the  great commission. Unfortunately the biggest thing that stops some folks is this idea of permission. To be honest, I don’t know any officer worth his/her salt who wouldn’t be totally excited about soldiers wanting to take this sort of initiative. Sure, leaders may well be able to give good guidance if the idea seems flawed or untimely etc, but we’ve confused that function of leader’s strategic framework with a sort of “I’m the boss, and I’ll say what you can and cannot do.” The Kingdom of God can’t really be contained like that.

Take what we are trying to do where I am in Torry, Aberdeen. We have different groups made up of a whole lot of different kinds of people…that is the primary form in which we meet. We meet as ‘congregation’ only once a month. One of the reasons we do this is that it takes away passivity as each small group are encouraged to work missionally in their contexts. By this very structure we have removed the “pew-sitting culture”.

In a previous corps appointment, we’d started the transition from congregation model to cell/ward model and the transformation was visible almost overnight in the corps, certainly in terms of there being much more people actively engaged in mission. If a corps is serious in releasing soldiers for mission, it will adjust itself to the most appropriate missional shape. Personally, I’d be delighted if my soldiers came to me reporting they wanted to start a cell group in their apartment block. More than that, I’d offer to go and cook the pizza!

As for soldiers who are not necessarily in the position I’ve describe, the conditions will be harder in that support may be minimal or there may even be outright opposition. In a sense, it is that attitude I am challenging. However, even when that does exist, we must forge forward. No-one can stop you leading people to Jesus and discipling them. As for integrating them into the corps, this may be the case of waiting for the right environment or set of circumstances. Yet, in many cases, a dose of new believers is what corps need! The ultimate thing here is the Kingdom of God. I’d argue that soul saving, disciple making and serving humanity are thoroughly Army, our stated mission, and anyone would have a hard time saying “you can’t do that.”

It beats me altogether that an oppressive system like that could survive very long before being very publically exposed for the hell-sent system that it is! If it is not happening, it is time for the revolution. And, because of that, we must be willing to count the cost…in spite of previous wounds. Some may think that it is a cost that’s not worth paying and many are leaving the Army in order to do what they feel they should do. For me, that has never been a real option as a covenanted officer and soldier. I’ve always felt that it is pretty much impossible to change anything by leaving it!

The Salvation Army system we have has pretty much remained the same as it was when it was set up. It was a system of engaging new converts in active discipleship. The problem we have is that as we think we’ve grown in maturity as an organisation, we’ve taken on the trappings of ‘churchianity’ and over-developed our priesthood. The ‘Army system’ was a stroke of genius and Booth adopted it because it worked.

I’ve proved, even in small ways, that the structure can still produce effective mission and mobilisation when approached with the correct spirit. I’ve had the opportunity and joy of seeing soldiers mobilised, people saved, leaders made and empowered.

Please understand, I’m not promoting some sort of anti-leadership anarchy. Quite the opposite. My plea is as much to leaders as anything else, but I am saying that if we do come up against a stifling environment that we can’t just sit back, either as officers or as soldiers.

I remember as a very new salvationist getting completely frustrated with my corps and my corps officer. It seemed like the status quo was going to win the day, in fact, I think the victory had pretty much been secured. I explored various options with my CO, shared several ideas and schemes for the salvation of the town! His response was that I sell the War Cry in the street. I did this, dutifully, but from that moment I resolved that it was too dangerous to allow my vision, however immature, naive or idealistic to be quashed. What did I do? I gave all my ideas a go as far as I could do in myself…they soon joined in when it was working!

Salvationism must be a creative culture where individuals should be so envisioned that they believe that they have the freedom to get on and do it!

Writer: Captain Andrew Clark is a Scottish Salvation Army officer committed to
seeing the Army renewed by the Holy Spirit and effectively reaching the
lost. He currently serves as the corps officer on the front line in Torry,
an urban priority area in the city of Aberdeen. He is married to Tracy, has
two children, Benjamin and Ceitidh, and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
called Brengle. His other passion in life is VW campervans and he would love
to learn the bagpipes. He blogs regularly at armyrenewal.blogspot.com

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