Retooning the Nativity (Video)

Operation Christmas!

Yes, its that time again. Last year, with only having been in appointment here at Torry a few months, Christmas came too fast, and before we knew it, Christmas arrived. This year we've had a longer run at it.

We're still a relatively small Salvo community here, but we're going good guns. I just wanted to share a few things we've got going on really as a request for prayer for us over these next two weeks or so.

On Sunday 6th, we have our regular monthly celebration which includes the dedication to God of the daughter of one of our former Junior Soldiers, Sara. We're delighted to be able to make a fuss of little Tearra on Sunday and look forward to sharing with all the family. We'd appreciate your prayers for that event, that the message of advent will shine through.

On Tuesday 8th, we have a family night at our usual Blast! kids drop-in. We're inviting parents to hang around, play some games with the kids, get into some Christmas Karaoke and munch on a few Christmas pies or two! We're hoping for a really fun evening and that parents will come and join us.

On Wednesday 16th, we have our community carol service with Peterhead SA band and Aberdeen Citadel Singing Company with contributions from children from the dancing classes which meet in our hall every week. Last years event was really fun, and we're hoping for more of the same this year. Again, we're praying for a good time and that we'll be able to celebrate the Christmas message. We'll also be inviting folks to come along to an Alpha course we're starting in January, so thats key.

On Thursday 17th, I am speaking at and part-organising the carol service at HMP Aberdeen, where I'm on the chaplaincy team. We're hoping that around 60 prisoners will join us as well as some staff and local guests. We're again, praying for a clear message! We, again, are inviting the men to take up an Alpha course in January. Please pray for this, that men will feel led to respond to the invitation

On Saturday 19th, between 2pm and 5pm we are hoping to bless our community by offering free Christmas wrapping! We're trying to do small things with great love to bless all that we can.

On top of all this, we are taking part in the carolling programme with Aberdeen Citadel band...the main times for that are each Thursday evening and each Saturday morning. And on top of that, the usual toys, christmas meals, christmas parcels and the like.

Desperate to show God's love. Thanks for praying for us!!

Eight Myths of Primitive Salvationism

Eight Myths of Primitive Salvationism
 - Major Stephen Court (from armybarmy blog)

Though it is the oldest of Salvo traditions, the recent re-emergence of Primitive Salvationism and its relative grassroots press has given rise to some misconceptions of the movement. I thought I'd try to dispel eight of the myths of PS.




MYTH
1. PS is all about bonnets and bass drums.

This isn't exactly true. Yes, high collars are back in style, but it's not about what's on the outside. As far as bass drums are concerned, I HID the bass drum in my closet at my first appointment! It has so little to do with music, for example, that you could easily have turntable worship at one place and brass band at another.

PS is NOT about superficials.



2. PS is flaky charismata.

This isn't exactly true. Yes, it sometimes gets flaky, and is often fairly charismatic (by definition, PS is charismatic-flavoured, mission-focused heroism). That said, we're not nearly as charismatic as some salvos I know or have read- there has been no dead-raising in any meeting I've attended, yet; there has been no levitation, yet; there has been no transporting, yet, and so on.

Glory fits, yes, glory to God. 



3. PS is revisionist history.

This isn't exactly true. Nearly every salvo 'school' tries to base itself in the founders and early days. We're no different. But, I suspect that we're on solid ground because we know the history as well as almost anyone. Booths, Railton, Booth-Tucker, Cadman, Pearson, Lee, Dowdle, Brengle, and the gang all fit our description of PS. There is good evidence of the charismatics in the early days. There is good evidence of mission focus back then. And there is ample evidence of heroism.

It is pretty difficult to dispute the basic tenets of PS.



4. PS is narrow-minded.

This isn't exactly true. Sure, we're unpopular because we believe certain things that might be untrendy these days. We believe in the doctrines of The Salvation Army- even 10, and, yes, 11 (i.e. we believe in holiness; we believe in hell). We believe that covenant is a powerful means of releasing the trust of God on the world. We believe that The Salvation Army is a revolutionary movement of covenanted warriors exercising hole passion to win the world for Jesus. And we believe Catherine's prophecy;

"The decree has gone forth that the kingdoms of this earth shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and that He shall reign whose right it is from the River to the ends of the earth. We shall win. It is only a matter of time. I believe that this Movement shall inaugurate the great final conquest of our Lord Jesus Christ."



5. PS is the latest Third Wave trend dressed up in uniform.

This isn't exactly true. Yes, we're into the prophetic, but not because of TW. We're into it because PSers were. Catherine's Salvo DNA prophecy (see #4) is the driving force behind the SA Movement. William Booth's VISIONS, has been described by General Brown (PtG) as 'Booth at his best'. Yes, we're into apostolic, but not because of TW. William Booth wrote an article in 1859 called 'Apostolic Ministry' predating, by nearly seven score years, the TW apostolic movement. More importantly, he filled the Ephesians 4 office. Yes, we're into cells, but not because of TW.

The original PSers started the Ward System (the latest O+R for WS was 1914, to my knowledge), which is what we call a cell system.



6. PS is theologically shallow.

This isn't exactly true. Those who think this way suspect that we're all about souls at the expense of justice and caring for poor people. Yet, it was the original PSers who went for souls AND went for the worst. And it is some of the current ones who are living as slum brothers, starting justice wings, experimenting with common purses, reaching out to the widow and orphan, and trade marking simplicity and humility. But, yes, we're looking for people to repent and follow Jesus.

We're looking for them to 'get saved, keep saved, and get someone else saved'.



7. PS is one of many salvo options.

This isn't exactly true. It is the only proven option for accomplishing our mission. Nothing else we've tried - from church growth to emergent/missional churches, from big bands to Sunday School buses, from drop-ins to rehabs, from adherency to musicals, from donuts to radio shows - separated from the PS philosophy, has worked.

So, yes, you can enjoy another version of Salvationism, but unless it is a part of PS (and most or all of the examples I've suggested can be, so please don't take this as a criticism of any of them) it has proven that it hasn't worked in winning the world.



8. PS is a fad that will not last.

This is not exactly true. I know some true believers, warriors who already drank the cool-aid. My guess is that either we see Catherine's prophecy fulfilled or we'll all die fighting. 

I hope this doesn't come across as arrogant.

It is merely a dispelling of myths by a confident assertion of the truths of PS on its best days.



Much grace to you all,

Stephen Court

Songbook

You may or may not have heard that the Army are planning a new Salvation Army songbook. I'm sick at the moment, so had time to respond to Stephen Courts request for suggested songs for deletion from the current songbook. I came up with around 250 songs that we probably wouldn't miss from the current edition.

Just thought that since Stephen went ahead and published my whole list on his blog, that I'd give some clarification on them before I get stoned for heresy! LOL.

Most of them are ones which I've never sung in 14 years in the Army, so there is the popularity issue. Then there is the antiquated language, then there is the unsingablity of the tunes, then there is the issue of relevance.

Finally, most of them were from non-Salvo writers, so therefore can be found elsewhere so no great loss. In this digital day and age, there can be little real need for an SA songbook, unless of course its to promote salvo songs which don't really have a wider platform like the other songs do. Most corps have easy access to alternative sources for songs from the wider church...no point re-inventing the wheel. I reckon you could EASILY find 250 good salvo songs to take their place, no problem. Thats my reasoning.

I could have gone further and suggested we take out the christmas carol section on the same premise as above, especially since we have another book for carols.

Bear in mind that this is the English speaking songbook we're talking of, used in a whole lot of countries. Also, I re-iterate that there is absolutely no point in inserting the most popular current worship songs in our songbook...thats the way to go in making it irrelevant as soon as you've published it.

:)

Articles of War

As soldiers we cut a pretty big covenant (read it here). Covenant is becoming pretty big these days in the wider church...there are neo-monastic missional orders springing up all over the place. For example, the Order of the Mustard Seed originally began by the great Moravian prayer warrior, Count Zinzendorff and more recently revived through the 24/7 prayer movement, of which The Salvation Army has been a big part. This is all great stuff...its a great emphasis on the fact that God calls us to sign up to live our lives missionally where God has placed us.

The difference between the Army and both the ancient and the new monastic orders, I guess, is that we go on to provide a place that people can continue call their spiritual home when they've got saved through the mission we carry out. In that sense, we become the place where people live out their Christian lives as part of the body, or where they journey with us to explore Christian life and faith. Thats fine.

The Articles of War are a rule of life, a covenant. This is not the document we say that one must be able to sign in order to become a Christian. The path for that is simple repentance and faith in Jesus...no document necessary! This is a document that all who sense the call to live as covenanted soldiers of The Salvation Army sign. Clear distinction.

As a Salvation Army in the UK, we've largely lost sense of the radical call of soldiership because we've confused it with being a part of the body of Christ. In trying to be inclusive, we've concluded that the standards of soldiership must be lowered, and thus we have a soldiers covenant which can mean everything and nothing at the same time.

When my son was too young to become a junior soldier, he asked me "well what can I be now, dad?" My reply was, "son, you can become a Christian, a follower of Jesus." Friends, this is the place we begin, its where we always belong, we are always followers of Jesus. And hey, you can be a great follower of Jesus without being a soldier. Yes, its true. In many ways, we are doing our job when people come into the Kingdom and become followers of Jesus. Let me clarify, this is the priority.

However, we also want to call people to soldiership. Why? because at the core of our movement should be this covenanted, missional, out-reaching, extravagangly loving, sacrificial, and disciplined people who have heard the call of God to 'sign up' to the covenant we make and keep with God. Its a path of obedience, of duty, obedience, simplicity, and sacrifice. If every soldier lived out the covenants they sign, the world truly would be a different place...it really would.

Soldiership is a set of vows we take, like the monastic friar, brother or sister wherein we chose to live the radical expression of Jesus-following I mention above. Not everyone will be called to take these, but its a fairly good thing to suppose that it may just be that those God choses to win through us would be the ones he might call to become soldiers and become part of the covenanted community.

But hey, if they don't, they already belong amongst us a) because they're saved already or b)becuase they are journeying with us as they explore faith. I'd argue, on those grounds that Adherency is yet another red herring on the landscape of The Salvation Army. Its a form of membership that we don't really need. Why? because we should be the kind of community where you belong anyway. Where your turning up instantly makes you 'one of us.' This is radical hospitality. From that position of belonging, you may hear the call to soldiership, to take on the covenant. Church membership is a legacy of Christendom which has increasing irrelvance. What is relevant, is maintaining the covenant community at the heart and mission of The Salvation Army in the form of its soldiers. Covenant is the glue of The Salvation Army as it gives us our common purpose.

I'm not naive. I know that many of our corps are far away from this model. I know that in many places, soldiership has been so operated that it has presented itself as an insiders club. Believe me, I'm as much apposed to this idea as I could possibly be.

How do we deal with this? We simply must find ways of encouraging each other and keeping each other accountable to living out our covenant individually and as a covenanted community. We need to cultivate a culture where people are open to being asked 'in what ways have you fleshed out your covenant today?' The easiest place we can do that is in the recruits class, but more than that, it needs to be build on trust with existing soldiers.

I really believe that grasping the distinct nature of our covenant will be the glue that will keep the Army from further fragmentation. Not because that by doing it we'll 'keep the numbers up' or 'halt the numbers decline' but because we'll solidify the Army at its heart...either that, or we become Samson without his hair...we will lose our inner strength and it will all come tumbling round about us!

We will remember them

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.” - Martin Luther King Jnr

Make peace, not war.

Kingdom

This week I've been re-reading 'The Provocative Church' by Graham Tomlin. I read this some years ago, but on this second reading its really come alive to me particularly with reference to much of the thinking I've been doing about the Kingdom of God and how our understanding and grasp of the Kingdom affects our understanding of mission, evangelism, social action, social justice, the shape of church and all the rest.

I came across something of a definition that is really helpful, especially in the conversation about where our priorities lie in our task in these days. I was in discussion with a cadet on facebook, I think possibly from the US, who was advocating the importance of evangelism over social action. Now in the past, I have said that evangelism is a priority and that social action, whilst admirable and a response to the call of God, is different as it doesn't quite have the same eternal consequences. To some extent, I still hold that position but I think that I, as well as the cadet, was perhaps coming at it from the wrong angle.

I think its wrong to polarise these issues. I also think its wrong to 'de-spiritualise' much of our social work and divorce it from our corps operations, but thats a differnet arguement....and its one that derives from this polarised position.

Now, if our starting point is neither evangelism or social work/action or social justice, but the Kingdom of God, we start to see things in their proper perspective.

Graham Tomlin gives something of a helpful definition. He says something like this:

mission is everything that demonstrates or recalls (read brings into the present) the Kingdom of God - this includes a whole raft of stuff...feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, standing up for those whose voice has been silenced, working for kingdom peace, kingdom economics, kingdom justice, everything that is an expression of making 'the standards of the Kingdom of God the standard of our lives (Articles of War).

evangelism is the words that explain those things and invite people into the Kingdom of God.

You will know that St Francis of Assisi is often credited as saying something like 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel, using words if you have to.' Now, it must be the most misused quote around. St Francis was, in essence, an open-air intinerant evangelist but also someone who cared passionately about the poor, and embraced poverty for their sakes.

So what is going on? St Francis got the idea that words weren't enough. Evangelism is never enough, and it certainly shouldn't be happening outside the context of the expression of the Kingdom. The apostle James picks this up in his epistle when he says that we should just say 'God bless' to the hungry man, but we should feed him.

As I've said so many times in this blog, proclamation and demonstration go hand in hand whether, in the case of the New Testament, those are 'supernatural' demonstrations (like healings or miracles etc) or practical demonstrations like making sure the widows are cared for. You see, its all a demonstration of the Kingdom.

Jesus central message, all the scholars are agreed, is simply this "Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand." We need that message in its fulness. We need the Kingdom of God to be tangible in peoples lives, for them to see what it means to live under the rule of God, the rule of King Jesus, inviting people to enter under that rule through repentance.

Lots of people have problems with evangelism today. But Evangelism is nothing more and nothing less than inviting people to change loyalities and nationality. Like any person who moves to a country not their own, it involves understanding the laws, language and culture, history and customs of that place...it also means recognising and confessing my failure in recognising that God has rightful rule in both my life and in the world...and it involves believing that Jesus provided the way to be set free from the consequences of that rebellion.

The early church held closely to 'Jesus is Lord' not just as a nice theological statement, but as a pure expression of living in the Kingdom, under Kingdom rule.

However, the one thing we must recognise and learn is that the church is NOT the Kingdom of God. This is a problematic area. The church is certainly supposed to be small expressions of Kingdom community, how life should really be. Now, I'll leave you to your own conclusions as to how successful we are at doing that, and as to how successful it is on your front. Reality is that in the Christendom mode, we've often been very highly duped into believing that the Kingdom is the church and the church is the Kingdom. There are huge implications in getting this right or wrong. It has huge questions to ask of the church.

Let me just conclude with what I'm saying. If we are not showing the world 'the Kingdoms of this world becoming the Kingdom of our Lord and Christ'(Rev 11:15) then our evangelistic invitation something akin to asking a person to walk into a dark room with you...they are simply going to be very very wary in doing that with you...and I don't blame them!

Having said that, lets stop making 'building authentic Kingdom communities' an excuse for downplaying the call of the gospels to evangelise. The greek word used for evangelism can't possibly be understood outside the context of the spoken invitation, the spoken exhortation. Lets not fall into the trap our culture is trying to tell us here.

Our message: "repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand". Good enough for Jesus, good enough for me.

I testify to His glory

I'm immensely grateful that God isn't finished me yet. I'm immensely grateful that people who knew me 15 years ago, 10 years ago, 5 years ago and maybe only a couple of months ago would hopefully see a work in progress, but making progress, all glory to God.

I can testify as to how he has led me spiritually into deeper wells of intimacy with him for his glory. I can testify how he has continually challenged my leadership, crafting me ever so consistently inspite of my inconsistency for his glory. I can testify to him leading me deeper into his word, seeking to get to grips with his call and testimony to us, in ever increasing measure for his glory. Friends, God is good and if he can do that with me, modern-day 'chief of sinners', he can do it with anyone. Trust him.

He has graciously brought me to this point in life, where I can not only take the opportunity to re-think, take stock and evaluate the past, but where he has lined up for me a whole raft of opportunities that I've never had. Such is his investment in me as a child of his. I've never known the love of a Father anything like that.

Yet, to whom much is given, much is expected and my prayer is that I will increase in effectiveness for his glory.

When you've heard the call of God on your life there is no turning back. I've come to realise this more and more through both the choices I have had to make and the choices I've failed to make correctly. The thought that consumes my day to day thinking is that I will not settle for anything less that God's will, and that I'd find ways to stop living in anyway that is contrary to the values of His Kingdom.

Oh boy, when you have those thoughs, every day is a challenge, and adventure and has a sense of urgency and direction. Trying to live out even the smallest aspect of the hugeness of his Kingdom just blows my mind. I've enjoyed re-reading 'Irresistable Revolution' by Shane Claiborne and every glimpse of the Kingdom fleshed out is such a revelation in so many ways.

My Kingdom Ambition is that I'd help see the Kingdom come in a very tangible way here in Torry, in my family and in The Salvation Army. Enough to keep you busy!

'Go to them'

Had a wonderful moment today that I just had to share. I was in HMP Aberdeen for our chaplaincy team meeting (I'm just about to be on the staff there as a part time chaplain although I've been a volunteer chaplain there for about a year). We were talking about the fact that due to some structural and timing issues, one of the wings wasn't being opened up in time for the prisoners from that wing to come to the 'chapel service' on a Sunday morning. Attendances had taken a dive from around 25 to maybe as little as 4 each week.

Having thought about several things, one of the Church of Scotland chaplains comes away with an idea that I'd never have expected him to come up with. 'Lets forget about having the service in the chapel and go and do it in the public arena of the hall where the men are.'

Result!

The conversation had so long been about how we get people to come to the chapel service in the environment where going to church isn't the done thing to be seen doing. The first 'open air' in the halls will be 20th December!

Then came the next idea. 'Lets give up some time on a Sunday evening once in a while and go into the halls and eat with the men.' And I am there quietly shouting 'amen, hallelujah...now we're getting the idea!'

We are looking forward to seeing the Kingdom advance in Aberdeen prison. We had a wee chat with the Governer and she was supportive. Result!

Evangelism is not a dirty word

In the times we are in, there has been much that has demoted evangelism to the bottom of the pile. Many people are reluctant to share faith because of the culture of the society we're in, such as the culture I described yesterday. Some thing that because the church isn't a norm in society, because we're pluralistic and multi-cultural, and because the world doesn't readily except the gospel that everyone once had a knowledge of, what we must do now is just make friends and hope the gospel shines from us. I understand that conclusion.

However, there is an alternative we must consider. You know, especially here in the UK, there are more and more people who have no idea of the gospel story. I make reference to the supermarket Sainsburys who last year put out a press release in support of the sale of all their Easter eggs, stating that they had a commitment to sell them due to them being a celebration of Christ's birth! Then re-issued the statement stating that it wasn't, of course his birth, but his death. Then, for a third time, they re-issued a statement and confessed that it was in fact in celebration of his resurrection that they were selling the eggs! People don't know the story of Jesus.

I think that much of our evangelism has had the purpose of getting people to come to church. Again, I state that 'church' as an institution, and as a place you go and have services done to you by the professional clergyman and where you don't have to buy in further than chipping a few quid into the collection plate are over. If churchianity is indeed coming to an end (please God!), then the people who will be Christians are those who are totally sold out to Jesus and many of the people who have some notion that they should attend church will do so no more on cultural grounds. As things get tough in the world with regards to being a Christian, the tactic of getting people to front up to a service on a Sunday will be useless.

Why? Because church is not what happens on a Sunday or Wednesday night. Its not somewhere you go. Church is something we are..and...there is only one church. The word churches shouldn't really be in our vocabulary because there is but one body. Someone once said that Jesus is coming back for A bride, not a hareem.

So, if evangelism is not to get people to come along to our church empires, what is it? It is the good news of the Kingdom of God, thats what it is. Jesus preached everywhere that the Kingdom of God was at hand. There is an alternative way that you are invited into, a different world, eternity beginning here and now where the charactistics are righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Where the first are last and the last are first etc etc. The entry point into that Kingdom is through repentance and faith in the key character, Jesus, who steps into history of the human being and provides the keys of escape from our corrupt society and our corrupt lives into this other Kingdom.

We have the incredible opportunity to begin to tell the story, God's story of redemption. Remember when two disciples were walking along the Emmaus road? They didn't recognise the Jesus that walked with them, they were caught up in the shock of all that had happened, but Jesus brings some context to what they'd just experience by taking them to Moses and the prophets! Have you ever noticed that? Jesus talks to them about his own significance in the context of history....he tells them the story that they'd maybe never considered.

In any case, we have a load of people who don't know our story (including Sainsburys!). And here is our chance to present not a 'come to our church' gospel but welcome to the Kingdom...come, taste and see the beauty of it...come live it with us and we live counter-culturally to the world we are in through the gateway of the cross, death and resurrection of Jesus.

We have the opportunity not to bring people to church, sit them in a pew and leave them forever unemployed in the salvation story of the world. We can invite them in and have them taking part straight away.

We are a salvation people....this is our speciallity. Getting saved, keeping saved, and getting others saved. And when we're saved, we're saved to save (and serve too).

Join the Army...be a soldier...enter the adventure...live out the Kingdom and invite people to join you.

Pre-revolution, not post-Christendom

I've just had two very interesting weeks. Officers councils, furlough in between, then a weekend on the Crucible Course, a course run by Urban Expression and The Salvation Army about creating communities of faith on the margins.

Both those 'conferences' were good in and of themselves, but I've become aware of some significant contrasts. Much of it is hinged around this thing 'post-Christendom.' Now, my confession is that I've only every heard of this post-Christendom presented in negative terms. Times of ignorance of the gospel, decreasing influence of the church, people not attending church, increase of pluralism and multi-cultural society etc etc They are, of course, challenges we need to wake up to.

The response I've heard from my leaders is that we reject the demise of Christendom as a myth and carry on regardless 'growing the Church', simply working a lot harder to produce what we could produce a few years ago with greater ease. In other words, advance the institution.

I've heard much too about the promotion of officership, which in huge ways I'm all for, but my concern has been the language and tone that we've heard. Officership as a sacred call, a priesthood, a role above and beyond any other call. We've had written minutes confirming that there are some jobs that only officers are allowed to do, for example. We're enforcing the demonic clergy-laity split, itself a product of Christendom. All this has been presented as what we must do to defeat this post-Christendom thing....more or less re-assert and defend Christendom.

You see, when you make the church of Jesus equal to power of state, what you get is compromise on the radical message of Jesus and you see the church begin to take part in attrocities. Examples? Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, witch trials, burning of heretics etc. Basically, the crushing of all who don't believe the same as us. You also get within the church a bully culture, because its leaders see themselves as having power in the organisation to mete out the laws and decrees thereof.

What my second weekend allowed me to do was actually see the benefits of being followers of Jesus in a post-Christendom world and respond in a much more positive way than defending the old regime. In many ways, you see, it will gradually take us back to a world akin to pre-Christendom...before the uniting of church and state...when Christianity was a marginal movement, persecuted, misunderstood but yet growing immensely and really impacting society from a position of weakness instead of power.

Its a time where we can re-visit the message of Jesus and be unequivocally committed to living it out in its radicalness. You know, you don't have to play down the teaching of Jesus on peace, for example, because we're not expected to go to the battle field and pray protection for the soldiers and pray a prayer of accuracy over the bombs!

It takes us back to a time were the church expressed itself primarily as community in mission as opposed to congregation in maintenance. Where there was total mobilisation of the people, not to build the institution, but to build the Kingdom and see people start to follow in the way of Jesus. There are many more advantages.

I maintain that the Army, although it has become an unattractive Christendom institution today, had its roots in a really appropriate response to an impotent institutional Christianity. Booth marched the Army OUT of the established church (even Methodism had returned away from its radical 'called-out-ness') and built revolutionary missional communities (the fellowship was in the fight) on the margins of our society, challenging everything that was contrary to the message of Jesus.

I reflected with many good people over the weekend that the Army is continually seeking to take up the status of 'church' when what it needs to do is embrace what God raised us to be and do. We're sold out to the building of the Salvo empire and all this in a time when every empire that there has ever been has disappeared or is disappearing and when the 'church image' is most unnatractive to the world because of all they have seen of the church in its most unnatrative forms through the 1400 years of Christendom. What we need to do, is grasp not the methods, but the spirit of our forebears who were all out to save the lost, transform society and live a different reality.

Friends, primitive Salvationism is the most appropriate response to a post-Christendom society...a movement of ordinary radicals who have Jesus as King, who by their approach and lifestyle say 'the Kingdom is not of this world, we sing a different tune' and flesh out the truth that those who are first shall be last, and those who are last shall be first. The early Christian movement was solid at the centre and fuzzy at the edges, becoming all things to all people that by some means we might save some. We should be throwing off all that smacks of imperialism and seek to live the alternative that Jesus began to establish in his followers (favour the poor, care for the orphan and widow, welcome the alien, turn the other cheek, redistribute the wealth, first shall be last).

Salvationism will need to stop equating soldiership with membership of the body of Christ, recognising that to be a Salvationist is to be a member of a covenanted missional order (maybe you want to call it neo-monasticism).

I'm still working out in full how this might even begin to look. This is my Kingdom ambition. I'm geniunely excited about the possibilites of this new era we are gradually entering. It is in doing this that we in a very real sense build the Army because in living as the Army in this way that we will be actually building the Kingdom as opposed to enforcing and putting scaffolding around Christendom.

On Village Warfare

The previous post, a section from O&R for Corps Officers in 1930, is the section about Village Warfare. Following on from the bit of stuff about Brigades, there was a few things that caught my eye in this chapter.

Firstly, there is just the huge concept of reaching the whole district, even beyond the immediate corps' town or area. The importance of reaching small villages, is dealt with most practically. But yet, just because a place wasn't big enough to host a corps, they could still be 'worked' in a regular way.

Secondly, there is the ingenuity of the preaching station, or the 'Battery'. This was something we carried over from Methodist days, but what a practical way to get the message out. The modern day equivalent has to be the 'gospel bus' ...you know, buses that are driven into areas of a community and opened up for people to come on. I know that the 614 Melbourne (see picture above) folks have one and I know, here in the UK, that the Church Army have one or two as do the Jesus Army. The idea of a mobile unit to take the gospel and the Army's message is still a valid idea.

Thirdly, in relation to the battery, we see something of an intersting deployment of officer forces. Here are officers being deployed for the sole purpose of running an evangelistic unit out of the, dare I say, confines of the pastoral post. We need to discover again how to best assign our officers, and recognise that not all are primarily pastors (you'll have heard me bang on about that before, no doubt.) In relation to wise use of forces, there is the total common sense approach to the circle corps, a collection of small groups called societies with their own expression in their various location, but a shared officer.

On the whole, I think we just see a 'we must do what we can to save the world' attitude coupled with some creativity in doing that. How often do we thing of the small communities in our area? Do we ever think about taking an Army presence there? Could there be, as the O&R say some undiscovered treasure in areas where there may never be a corps but there could be people contacted, saved and employed in the fight? We need to cast the net bigger...put out our nets on the other side of the boat sometimes.

Orders & Regulations for Corps Officers (1930) Chapter XX: Village Warfare

1. The Army is as much responsible for the Salvation of the people who live in the villages as of those who reside in larger centres.

(a) The good work already accomplished in villages and hamlets in all parts of the world, including the establishment of thriving corps and the raising of valuable Officers, emphasises the importance of still more zealous warfare, notwithstanding certain peculiar difficulties that such work involves

(b) Officers appointed to the villages should accept such appointment as from God, ever recognising that some have gifts which secure them ready acceptance with rural and scattered populations, while others are more at home in cities and towns. Neither should depreciate the other. Moreover, all Officers who have opportunity to do so, should seek in some way to proclaim the Army's message in the villages, also, as far as possible, stimulating their Soldiers to do likewise.

(c) In order to effectively reach the villages, The Army adopts, in varying circumstances, such methods as seem best suited to the respective localities; inclucluding

(i) circle corps
(ii) Batteries
(iii) District corps

2. In a Circle Corps each constituent Society is distinct from the others, having its own Rolls, Flag, and Local Officers, also seperate finance, and each contributes towards the support of the Officersl yet united, such Societies are regarded as one Corps.

(a) Officers are appointed to Circle Corps in the same way as to other corps, and, except in respects indicated to them by Headquarters, are required to observe the Regulations for ordinary Corps work.

(b) The DC will decide what proportion of time the Officers are to devote to the respective Societies and what meetings are to be held thereat.

(c) Officers who command Circle COrps, and the LOs, Soldiers, and Recruits attached to them, have respectively the same rights, priveleges and responsibilities as their comrades elsewhere.

3. A Battery is a van fitted with a platform for Open-Air work, and constructed for the conveyance of Salvationists and suppplies to scattered populations.

(a) Each Battery is under the charge of a Commanding Officer, who, together with his Lieutenant, must carry out the special instructions issued for their guidance. They are required to report on teir work to the DC of teh Division in which the Battery for the time being located.

(b) Battery Officers should aim, above all else, to proclaim the Army's message and bring about the Salvation of the people in localities which would otherwise be unreached. Wherever there seems the prospect of establishing permanant work, they should also make inquiries concerning, and report to the DC any buildings or vacant land suitable for Army purposes.

(c) Each Battery will distribute Army periodicals and other literature, obtaining the same in the usual way, from The Army's recognised medium of supplies.

(d) The CO is responsible for the cleanliness, preservation from fire, and protection from abuse of the Battery. He must report to the DC concerning necessary repairs, and immediately, should the Batter meet with any accident.

4. Officers stationed at Corps from which surrounding villages can be reached with reasonable facility should, provided the DC approves, endeavour to carry on Army operations there, with the help of their people, as regularly and frequently as circumstances permit. Corps acting thus are known as District Corps.

In some villages a suitable building can be obtained, either regularly or ocassionally, and an Open-Air attack is always possible. Many Corps could send contingents to the villages every Sunday afternoon or evening, the Band and the Songster Brigade Ior some members of these combinations) among others, taking turns at this duty.

A few thoughts on 'Brigades'

I wanted to publish that section of the 1930s Orders and Regs for Corps Officers for a few reasons. Firstly, because it seems to me that it contains much of the 1914 Orders and Regs for Wards, the Army's prototype cell groups derived from Wesley's class system. Secondly, because they are a great picture of living intentionally in a mission mode.

Now, of course, it is a document of its time. Sometimes we have challenges looking at documents like this and so automatically dismiss them of no value, but there is treasure in here to be mined.

Here is the basic concept, as it was then. You have a corps. You assign each person, everyone from I suppose convert/recruit/adherent to soldier/local officer to a brigade. Some of those brigades may already be in existance and if thats the case, great (eg band, songsters etc) and the ones that aren't involved, you create on for them.

These people are given leadership by a Brigade Leader, who is in essence, a mini corps officer responsible for pastoral oversight, and employment in the salvation war. The brigades get assigned to a part of the corps district and focus on that area for outreach, community work and for gathering together as a sub-expression of the corps.

Pastoral care happens (and not just as the corps officer). Mission happens. Evangelism happens. Serving the poor happens. Total mobilisation happens.

I'm thinking of places I've seen this in operation. I have to say that the Ward System we initiated at Pill was an attempt at this...as I say, I can identify much of the 1914 O&R for Wards in that 1930 reg. Wards had within them a 'brigade' system, but here we see the other way around. I'm guessing the wards were seen as maybe too difficult to set up alongside existing systems like band etc, and so they update the whole brigade idea.

Anyway, yes, we tried this in Pill and although the corps have now re-named and gone down the 'cell' route, I think much of the same essence is still in existence, praise God.

Other systems I've seen currently have to be at Holy Trinity Brompton (large Anglican church in London, home of the Alpha Course), who have what are called Pastorates. These are, in essense, 'Brigades'. They meet together (maximum of 40 people) for worship, bible teaching, encouragement, pastoral care under two leaders, male and female. They meet in geographical areas across London and I understand several of them have gone on to either adopt dying churches or form their own under the umbrella of HTB. They produce a little booklet called 'Pastorates' and its available from HTB. HTB is certainly a church that many seek to emmulate.

Of course, there are still soem brigades active in the Army, but I'm not sure if there are entire corps where this brigade approach is operating.

This to me is about total mobilisation and involvement of the whole corps in mission and in mutual support, care, nourshment, sharpening and encouragement of each other. None of the 80/20 thing where 20 percent of the people do 80 per cent of the work. In that sense, these are wholistic small groups, if you're in NCD language.

I still maintain that this could be an effective pattern for mission if viewed through a 21st century lens. As Major Stephen Court says, these Os & Rs have not been tried and found wanting...its more that they have been deemed irrelevant and therefor not tried. I think, in fact, he is offering $1000 AUD to someone who tries this system and can prove that it doesn't lead to growth!! We have a very small corps here at Torry, but we're using this as a pattern as we build, albeit from a very low base.

Anyway, have a think on these things. Could it help any cell groups/house groups you currently have? Could it develop your surviving brigades (songsters, band, corps cadets/youth group, Home League)? Don't like the terminology....well change it if you like. I'd simply love to see a day with a greater mobilised soldiery, a less one-man-band officership and a steady increased influence in the lives of our communities in which we live.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this concept. Not particularly interested in 'can't see this ever happening in the Army' - more interested in comments on the effectiveness, or otherwise of the system. Also, there is also a danger of using surviving brigades (such as band or songsters) as a bench mark...don't be distracted by the narrowness of these groups, and think wider to the other aspects of them.

Orders & Regulations for Corps Officers (1930) Chapter VI Section Two: Corps Brigades

1. The Commanding Officer is responsible for organising Corps into Brigades (if not already done), and for insuring the efficient working of the same.

Even where it may not be possible to carry out, in its entirety, the Brigade organisation hereinafter described, ever Corps of specified size is required to adopt it as far as possible. Arrangements must at least be made for the guardianship and oversight of every Salvationist and Comrade by a responsible Brigade Leader

2. The CO must obtain the approval of his Divisional Commander with respect to all plans for the formation of Corps Brigades, also to any changes in the Brigades already formed.

3. To be fully effective, this system must embrace every individual in the Corps, providing for each adequate spiritual oversight and suitable Salvation employment.

To this end, every Soldier's and Recruit's name should be on one or other of the Corps Brigade Registers. Some names may be on more than one. (See para. 15)

4. To inaugurate the Brigade system of organisation, the CO should proceed as follows:

(a) He should recognise as essential to the scheme departments of the Corps work already existing - probably Band (brass or other), Songsters, Young People's Workers, Corps Cadets; each of which shouyld usually constitute a distinct Brigade. But should this result in some Brigade or Brigades being unduly small, there might be a combination, as, for example, YP Workers and Corps Cadeds.
(b) He should, unless the Recruits are very few, form a Recruits' Brigade, which should include also the Converts.
(c) He should, in a small Corps, include all other comrades in a Soldiers' Brigade. But where such number more than forty, they should be arranged in two or more brigades.

5. In larger Corps, the organisation of Soldiers not included in a Brigade representing a specific phase of corps work (see para 4 (a), (b)) will require particular care. These should be formed into two or more Brigades ( see para 4 (c)) in such a way that each has from fiteen to forty members. The basis of classification may vary according to curcumstances. Thus:

(a) The basis might be personal suitablity, each comrade being placed where he is likely to find congenial environment, associations, and Salvation employment.
(b) The basis might be place of residence. That is, Soldiers not included in already existing Corps Brigades would be arranged according to the Regions in which they life. (See para 6)
(c) The basis might be sex. That is, there could be a Brothers' and a Sisters' Brigade; or, if Sisters were sufficiently numerous, a Married Sisters' and a Single Sisters' Brigade. Similarly with the Brothers.
(d) The basis might be position and work in the Corps. Thus, besides one or more Soldiers' Brigades (to which should be allocated comrades not elsewhere included), a variety of Brigades could be worked as circumstances render advisable; for example;
i. A Home League Brigade, for HL members who are soldiers
ii. A Heralds' Brigade, for sellers of publications
iii.A Bandsmans' Wives Brigade
iv. A Veterans' Brigade, including aged and disabled comrades.
(e) The basis might be a combination of some of the foregoing. For example, there could be a Brothers', a HL, and a Sister-Soldiers' Brigade - or any other arrangement that would suitably place every comrade.

6. The Corps District should be divided into portions or 'Regions' corresponding in number with the Brigades that are organised.

(a) The Regions should be so arranged and should so join each other that together they include the whole Corps district, with its entire population.
(b) Well-defined boundaries should as far as possible be chosen, such as main thoroughfares, railways and canals.
(c) Each Region should be given a name by which it can be easily recognised. This may be either the name of the neighbourhood, or of some prominent street, square, or building therein.
(d) Each Brigade should be responsible for aggressive Salvation warfare in a specified Region. (see para 14)
(e) If desired, the regions for which the Brigades are responsible may be changed periodically, but only with the DCs approval.

7. A Local Officer, known as a Brigade Leader, shall be responsible, under the CO, for the leadership of each Brigade.

(a) The leaders for certain Brigades are definitely fixed by Regulation, thus: Bandmaster, for the band; Songster Leader, for the songsters; YPSM, for the YP Workers; CC Guardian for the CCs; Recruiting Sergeant, for the Recruits and Converts; HL Secy for the HL; Publications Sergeant, for Heralds; Veterans' Sergeant, for Veterans.
(b) Each Brigade Leader may be assisted by a Sergeant of the opposite sex.
(c) Certain Brigade Leaders should be assisted in visitation and other duties as follows: Bandmster, by Band Sergeant; Songster Leader, by Songster Sergeant; YPSAM, by Assistant YPSM and Visiting Sergeants as required; CC Guardian, by Assistant CC Guardian; Recruiting Sergeant, by Assistant RS, Visitint and Penitent-Form Sergeants as required; HL Secy, by HL Welcome or Visiting Sergeant.
(d) Each Brigade Leader will be responsible to the CO with respect to his own Brigade for:
(i) The general welfare, the employment, and the development of each Salvationist attached thereto. (see para 8)
(ii) The holding of required meetings or classes (see para 9)
(iii) The conducting of Company Open Air meetings (see para 10)
(iv) Cartridges (see para 11)
(v) The Corps Brigade Register (see para 12)
(vi) Cottage Meetings in the allotted Region (See para 13)
(vii) Aggressive Salvation fighting in the allotted Region (see para 14)

8. Each Brigade Leader should take general oversight of all who constitute his Brigade. In particular:

(a) he should, either personally or with the help of his assitant, watch over them temporally and spiritually, visit them in their homes, especially when sick, care for them in difficulty, and do all in his power to promote theri holiness, happiness and usefulness.
(b) He should report to the CO the same day and who are seriously ill, and as early as possible any who backslide, prove disloyal, or meet with temporal difficulty
(c) He should arrange, as far as is in his power, for the fullest and most suitable employment of all, urging them to the fulfillment of every duty, and giving to each needed instructions, training, encouragement and guidance.
(d) He should be called in for consultation at the Census meeting when any comrade for whom he is responsible is under consideration for removal from the Roll

9. The Co should see that, in Brigades where Meetings and Classes are required by regulation, the respective leaders regularly hold such. These include:

(a) For Band and Songsters respectively, a weekly practice opened and closed by prayer, a monthly spiritual meeting, and the condicting of a public week-night meeting each month.
(b) For YP Workeers, a weekly Preparation class.
(c) For Corps Cadets, a weekly Training Class.
(d) For Converts and Recruits, a Converts Meeting weekly whenever convenient.
(e) For the Home League, a weekly Meeting

10. The CO should arrange for each Brigade to hole separate Open Air Meetings at least once every Sunday, the Brigade Leader being responsible for leading.

When the fighting force of the Brigade is insufficient, two or more Brigades should unite, the Brigade Leaders being jointly responsible for the Meetings.

11. The distribution and collection of teh Cartridges may be carried out, with respect to each Brigade, by or under the direction of the Brigade Leader.

12. The CO should supply each Brigade Leader with am official Corps Brigade Register, in which are entered the names of all who belong to the Brigade.

13. The CO should, wherever circumstances permit, arrange for teh holding of a weekly Cottage Meeting, by each Brigade, in the Region for which it is responsible.

(a) The dat and time for each Meetings will be decided by the DC
(b) If desired, two or more Brigades may unite to hold such meetings
(c) Usually a Regional Cottage Meeting should be held in a room lent for the purpose by a Soldier, or a friend. But the CO may, with the DCs consent, arrange for it to take place elsewhere.
(d) Cottage meetings should, as far as possible, be attended by all Soldiers, Recruits and Converts belonging to the Brigades, who should bring with them unsaved people of their acquiantance, particularly any under conviction of sin, or seeking Salvation. The CO should also impress upon each Leader his responsibility for the unsaved. Both Leader and Salvationists should make every effort to persuade unsaved residents of the region to attend the meetings, and to bring them to decision
(e) A Cottage Meeting may, with advantage, be proceeded by an open air meeting within the boundaries of the Region.
(f) The CO is required to ensure that Regional and other Cottage Meetings are spiritual in character, including appropriate content, liveliness, testimony, prayer and an inviation to the mercy seat.

14. The Co should encourage the Brigade Leader to stimulate the Salvationists under his direction to earnest effort on behalf of the unsaved residents in the appointed Region. At the same time the CO must take care that work of this kind in no way interferes with the ordinary operations of the Corps throughout the entire district. Such brigade efforts may include:

(a) Open Air and Cottage Meetings when possible, especially on week nights.
(b) Visitation, especially of the sick and from house-to-house. A Company of Soldiers might be organised for this purpose.
(c) The distribution of Army literature. As far as possible each Brigade should provide at least on Herald for this purpose.
(d) The organising of Sldiers for Special Service to meet any particular need of the Region - for example, in workhouses, Lodging-homes, or Slums, should such places be found within the boundaries of the Region.
(e) For distribution of poor relief, when needed.
(f) Self-Denial collecting
(g) Advertising, such as the distribution of handbills prior to special meetings.

15. A Soldier whose duties require him, at different times, in two or more Corps Brigades, may be considered to belong to each, and his name may be upon each Brigade Register.

16. When the number of Soldiers and Recruits in any Brigade exceeds forty, the CO should inform the DC and make some proposal for re-arrangement. Usually, unless the DC directs otherwise, such Brigades should be divided, thereby forming a new Brigade.

17. (Doesn't exist in the book....typing error!!)

18. The CO will need constantly to supervise and inspire the whole if the Brigade organisation is to work successfully. In particular:

(a) He should, at his monthly LO meeting give such guidance, instruction, and encouragement, as will help the leaders of the various Brigades to do their work satisfactorily. The CO must take responsiblity for the Brigade Leaders' welfare, just as they should for the welfare of the Salvationists in their respective Brigades.
(b) He should act promptly and in cooperation with the responsible LOs whenever the case of sichness or difficult is made known to him.
(c) He should interest himself in the affairs of eac Brigade, regularly and helpfully condicting with each such meetings and classes as regulation require and circumstances render possible.
(d) He should encourage all to attend Brigade Open Airs as regularly as possible and periodically visit each, helping and guiding leaders where necessary.
(e) He should regularly examine each Corps Brigade register.
(f) He should promptly allot to some suitable Brigade every soldier newly enrolled as such, and ever Soldier transferred from another Corps. He should also arrange, where necessary or desireable, for the transfer of Sldiers between one brigade to another.
(g) He should magnify the importance of the Soldier's Meeting, making it of teh nature of a united gathering of all the Brigades, referring therein to their respective work and to such Brigade matters as affect the corps as a whole.

19. The Corps Brigade dealt with in this chapter must be carefully distinguished from Special Service Brigades; the former are integral parts of an organised corps, the latter are companies of Salvationists banded together for some particular form of service, such as rescue or slum work, hospital visitation, and so on.

(a) Every Soldier and Recruit (where the soldiership is over a hundred and fifty) must belong to a corps brigade; he may also belong to onr or more than one Special Service Brigade.
(b) Whenever there is any doubt as to which kind of Brigade is intended, the gull term - 'Corps Brigade' or 'Special Service Brigade' as the case may be - should be used

Be a hero to a child

A couple of days ago, Commissioner Joe Noland sent me his DVD 'Altars in the Street' which outlines his plea for Christian people to step in to the lives of children in their communities, especially considering that many children are 'at risk.' The DVD carries the true story of a boy, Joey and a girl Annie and how their lives were influenced for the good and for the bad for the involvement or non involvement of Christian people in their lives. Many children become ones who are remembered by teddybear covered graves or flowers tied to railings - altars in the street.

You know, children who are growing up in desperate conditions don't always realise that there is an alternative unless they happen to glimpse it elsewhere. When I was growing up, I had no idea that my life was any different to any other child. Yet, my life at home as a child was marked by break-up of marriage, violence, poverty, depression, a lot of sadness, fear and rejection. The memories I carry of childhood, even the few positive ones, are tinged by sadness. That all leaves its scars.

My life changed when one man stepped in at the age of around 9. Thing is, he maybe didn't know what he was doing. When he stepped into my life with kindness, support, massive encouragement and calm guidance he would probably never have guessed the absence of all these things in my home life. My brass teacher at primary school, Brian Keachie, rescued me and I'm eternally grateful. I want him to know, in no uncertain terms, about the impact of his life on just one of his many pupils over the years.

There was something different about him. I'd never seen this kind of man anywhere else at all. At a time when I started to abuse prescripted medication, at an all time low, I discovered, at a much later age of around 14 that he was a member of this thing called The Salvation Army. I immediately wanted to find out about it. I knew that there must be something in it that was making the difference.

I eventually worked up the courage to steal my bus fare from my grandmothers purse and make my way to The Salvation Army where I found several other heroes, champions, mothers and fathers I never had. Within a few months, I knelt at the mercy seat, cried out to God and he saved me completely. He set me on a different path, lifted me and carried me through my circumstances and started turning me into a man of God.

After my conversion, things got tougher at home. My mother and step-father couldn't quite cope with the change and it led to persecution and I had no other real choice but to leave home to live with my grandmother. Again, God's people were my strength. Billy, Joyce, Matthew, Debbie, Chris, Donald, Hugh, Cameron, Robert, Roberta...heroes every one. They championed me. I'm here because of them.

To see my son, Ben, at the age of 7 happy, content, loved, secure in himself and a little rascal into the bargain, is nothing short of a miracle for me. You have no idea how entirely delighted I was to enrol him as a Junior Soldier, a follower of Jesus, last month. Thankfully, he doesn't have to look beyond the four walls of his home to find his champion and his support because I am here for him. The legacy continues into the next generation.

Friends, I share this to encourage you never to be tired of stepping in an influencing the life of a child. It doesn't just affect the child, but his children and his children's children. I work a few hours a week in HMP Aberdeen and I see in there young men who never had a champion. And I'll tell you one thing that is true, the person who said that it is easier to build a child than repair a broken man spoke great truth.

Be a hero. Make a difference.

Torry Blog

Just to introduce the our new corps blog for up to date news.

http://torryarmy.blogspot.com

This will also feed onto our corps website at torryarmy.org

Selah

I've been thinking deeply about mission and ministry over the last couple of days, a sort of personal assessment if you like. I remember in Bible College, my practical theology lecturer, Rev Dr Rory McKenzie used to say (maybe quoting someone) 'the unreflective life is not worth living.' It struck me as true at that time and always has. So easy to miss everything that goes on. And, like the Psalmist, I find that I often need a 'Selah'.

Have you ever noticed that in the psalms? Its a one word term that doesn't have a simple translation and it means something like 'stop hear and think deeply of what has just gone before.' Its a great practice to build into your life.

My Selah has actually been more than a few weeks. This whole first year in Torry has been a very intense listening year, not only for mission here, but as a whole. I still cannot make much sense of the uncharacteristic wavering that had come my way before arriving in Torry, but I've emerged stronger and more resolved. God has a way of doing these things, thankfully. I can certainly say its has led us here and to some ministry opportunities I've been desperate for. Of course, the day to day meeting people and developing what we have already hasn't been a passive task, and things are taking good steps forward there.

I'd say that having regained some Holy Spirit confidence, not only in me and my calling, but in the Army and its mission, I'm much better off. I'm reminded though that we're not always promised long in an appointment and that there is much pressing on to do. We are progressing well through Phase One of our vision here but we are not resting on that alone.

For Greater things are yet to come; greater things have yet to be done in this city!

Eclectic Spirituality

I guess it happens when you start to get a bit older! I find that the things that feed me spiritually have widened so much in recent years.

Don't get me wrong, I still love to sit down with a good bit of Oswald Chambers or a bit of Brengle or other such writers in the evangelical stream of things. Never having been one who is a fan of 'liturgy' in a formal setting (esp in corporate worship), I've found some surprising gems in two areas in recent months.

I have been dipping into the Siddur, the orthodox Jewish prayer book. Part of the insight here is that some of the prayers to be found are ones which have been around a VERY long time, such as the amidah which Jesus would probably have prayer regularly and who some say is the root of The Lord's Prayer. Anyone who has ever prayed through, for example, the evening prayer in the siddur will have found great blessing in the God of Israel who neither slumbers nor sleeps!

The second is a more recent purchase. Celtic Daily Prayer produced by the Northumbria Community. This book came on my radar after a visit to Holy Island (Lindisfarne) earlier this year. It caries some ancient and modern prayers, meditations, readings etc in keeping with this hub of celtic Christianity in the UK. What I like about this is the understanding it brings of God as much bigger than just the recipient of our daily prayer list! There is room to consider the vastness of God, God as Father, Son Spirit and the responses of his people to that over the generations.

Having said all that, a vigorous Salvationist spirituality is my default mode. Yet how good it is to remind ourselves that we stand on the shoulders of spiritual giants throughout the whole path of Christianity and Judaism as we've all tried to engage with God.

Back to Church Sunday

Today in the UK is designated 'Back to Church Sunday.' Many churches throughout the nation, including many Army corps, held what I guess could be best called 'seeker service' and people were encouraged to invite people back to church. I am all in favour of any initiative that engages any particular group of people to reconsider connecting with the things of God. The materials are well produced and thought-out and I'm sure that there will have been some positive results.

There are some cultural assumptions made in the designing this event which is fine if you happen to live with-in the culture of it. For example, the title of the day, Back to Church Sunday, seems to assume that a)people went to church at some point and b) they should come back. There are indeed generations of people for whom that is true, but its not a large generation. I guess too that there are some younger generations who've found themselves de-churched. Yet, we should never assume that whilst there are those who will respond to the opportunity to return if they are invited that all will chose to do so. People 'leave church' for many reasons.

There are also some questions around the theology of church. The initiative finds its roots in the 'inherited churches' who may or may not still have the sense of 'we are you're local church, it belongs to you.' Its a valid idea, but I don't get the sense that people own their local church, and if they do, its unlikely to be a Salvation Army corps in the sense that many locals might say 'I'm Church of Scotland' or 'I'm C of E' The second theological assuption with regards to church is that its something that you go to...there is a strong emphasis on Sunday gathering. In this regard, I was encouraged to see the approach at Glenrothes Corps where they held a 'Back to Church Thursday' event. Great contribution to the idea, and well done for saying it. Church, as we all know, is the people, not the building or the meeting which happens in the building and certainly not the day it meets.

Another issue is one that has become very much heightened for me both working here in Torry and through Street Pastors. In talking to tens of people in those capacities, the term 'church' is still as unpopular as its always been. I can recount several Street Pastor conversations where as soon as you mention the words 'we are from churches through out the city' immediately either walk away, freeze up, or go quiet. I've stopped saying we are from churches across the city. Church is still not a positive term, it carries negative connotations. Whilst many Salvos might say Army has a negative connotation in society, that doesn't necesarily mean that 'Salvation Army' evokes negative and certainly nowhere near as negative as 'church' talk.

My wife, just back from her teaching week for her MA in mission, was sharing that one of her lecturers, Stuart Murray Williams, a prominent missiologist and church planting 'guru' said that he things Back to Church Sunday will be something which will work in the short term amongs a small group of dechurched people, but he doesn't see it as a lasting strategy, for some of the above reasons, as well as the fact that people will only respond to so many Back to Church invitations. Would we be in danger of adding another annual date to people's nominal churchianity on top of Christmas and Easter? Who knows.

I live in a community where less than 1% of people currently attend church, some families 'de-churched' for many generations. 'Back to Church' therefore needs to do some transitioning in order for us to 'take part' which is what we will do. Our location and situation simply needs a fresh aproach. So whilst I add the thoughts above as part of the reflection on Back to Church Sunday, I also believe that its throroughly possible to adapt any well intentioned idea to the local setting. When the Salvation Army launched its 'Strategic Framework' it was explicit in absolute terms about local corps applying initiatives suited to their locality. Its absolutely right, because we're no longer in the days where things can be automatically rolled out in every community, even if we ever were. So, like I say, we'll be adapting to local need.

We plan to use the material for our November gathering, using the theme 'Come as you are'. Having had a little social gathering (quiz) on the Saturday night of the 31st, we'll be holding a big community meal the next day, including some music, a short talk and invite to link up with what we're calling 'Alpha Expresso' - a four week extract from the Alpha Course running through November. We'll then encourage any people interested to either plug in to an appropriate existing cell group or we'll start on especially for them if they can't make any of the others.

Looking forward to hearing the great stories both of where Back to Church Sunday worked as set out, and where people have had to adapt. I am guessing too that there are some who will just dismiss it...lets not throw ANY baby out with the bathwater - everything is useful with the right pair of glasses and a good dose of creativity.

Love Torry

One of the key tasks that we've had arising from our 24/7 prayer week is to process all that God said to us in that time. Thats a task that needs careful consideration and weighing. Sometimes you just get people's general contributions to the room, and thats great, but at other times there are more specific things that stand out as something God is saying.

One of the key things that came through was 'Love Torry'. Now, that may seem like a very obvious point of fact in the purpose of mission, but there is so much involved with the idea of 'Love Torry.' Now, we all know that the instruction that comes to us from scripture is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbour as ourselves....love God, love others. To love a community with God's love is a huge thing and has so many implications.

Our community is hurting, fragmented and damaged in some very real ways. Some very visible ways. In one year, we've had three murders in our community and several serious assaults...thats the ones that make the papers. Drugs are a huge problem, as is alcohol. What does it mean to infuse love into a community? How do we respond?

Our vision at the heart of what we're doing is from Isaiah 61:4 "They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations." We're a living breathing '614 Corps' although we don't yet carry the title officially. We see a different Torry to the one the rest of the community see...I'd like to think its a Torry that God sees and he is calling us to flesh it out here in the places that most need the touch of God.

Someone said to me in conversation through our prayer week, when I was sharing with him the enormity of the challenge here in Torry, that 'you can only do what you can.' That seems like good common wisdom but actually its not good enough. What the four of us(plus two or three helpers)can do here is not good enough. You only have to live in this community for a short time to be exercised about the way people's lives are being sapped of live due to poverty, injustice and sin in its various forms.

We're still seeking the Lord for how all this looks in practice. But here is one more thing that really stood out for me in my time in the prayer room. I spent a lot of time praying about, being moved by, and challenged by the words in an old Fanny Crosby hymn, rescue the perishing. Here are the words:

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

Though they are slighting Him, still He is waiting,
Waiting the penitent child to receive;
Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently;
He will forgive if they only believe.

Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter,
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more.

Rescue the perishing, duty demands it;
Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them;
Tell the poor wand’rer a Savior has died.

That third verse in particular is so beautiful....its an expression of the mission of Jesus as expressed by Isaiah 61 that Jesus read out in the Synagogue in Luke 4. This is what we are about in Torry...not seeking to build any sort of Army empire but being an authentic rescue mission. The Lords knows we need all the help we can get and we very much believe that he is going to call others to come work beside us. We need warriors...Jesus followers who are willing to follow him out of the comfort of the pew and into the streets, homes, gathering places and dark places of this community. The need is so great.

Will you please join us in praying that those God is calling will respond.

Broken chords vibrating with life again. People touched by loving hearts, wakened by kindness. Restoration and fulness of life by the grace of God. Oh Jesus.

Still alive

Still alive....working on a few larger projects....normal blogging will resume asap!

Unleashing the Apostolic Genius in The Salvation Army - Part 6

6. Communitas, not community
Communitas is something very different to community. I guess you could even say that communitas is community in action, and community at its best. The example of what happened after the terrible Tsunami in Asia at the end of 2004 is an example of world-wide communitas. Everyone banded together and did something to make a difference in the midst of the devastation.
Biblically, think of Abram setting out with his family into a new adventure, David and his band of men, the apostles and the early church all banded together not just as a community, which they were already, but community with a purpose! The life of Jesus and that of Paul were out there on the edge lives, dangerous existence and living for the sake of the cause.
Commissioner Phil Needham, in his great little book, Community in Mission, writes that “mission is the dominant and controlling passion of the church and that every aspect of the church’s life ought therefore to be seen as contributory to mission in one way or another.” In Hirsch’s words, mission is the ‘organising principle’ of the church. Captain Stephen Court expresses this as ‘the fellowship is in the fight’ highlighting that whilst it can be good to ‘hang out’ with Salvationist friends, the deepest form of togetherness and purpose comes with fighting the fight together, as a Band of Brothers...and Sisters!
William Booth said it like this: “A Salvation Army Corps is a band of people united together to attack and Christianise an entire town or village.” Fellowship in the fight, indeed.

This appears to me to be a significant issue in our Army today.. More and more we take on the forms of churchliness, with our services, members and committees. Officership has become a priesthood, and so many ‘members’ have ceased to be militant soldiers. In our primitive Army, people were saved and straight away attached to a brigade and engaged in the fight.

How do we begin to develop communitas from our communities? How can we take steps of faith out into the world in which we are called to work which will create the necessary dynamics for effective mission? How can we re-position ourselves in the new battlefields of the 21st century?

It appears to me that we have in our missional DNA and heritage everything needed for explosion into all that God has for us. One of these days, God’s Army will claim its birthright and become a force to be reckoned with once again.

I’ll let Booth have the last word.

“‘When The Salvation Army ceases to be a militant body of redhot men and women whose supreme business is the saving of souls, I hope it will vanish utterly’.

A Holiness Testimony: "I am Holy"

A holiness testimony I came across:

"As a seven–year–old child, I asked Jesus to forgive my sins. I REMEMBER THAT DAY! My spiritual journey had begun. In my childhood mind I understood salvation to mean that sin was something I did that I knew was wrong. God forgave my sins. (John Wesley: “Sin is a willful transgression of a known law of God.”)

"After 63 years, I can still boldly testify: My sins are forgiven, covered by Jesus’ blood, removed “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12), AND God does not remember them anymore (Isaiah 43:25). He forgives when I confess sins, and then
He forgets.

"As a college student, I was challenged to “Be holy, because I am holy” (I Peter 1:16). I understood holiness to mean that my part is to surrender ALL of Juanita “as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). God’s part is to accept the offering and to infill to overflowing with the presence of the Holy Spirit. I do NOT have to wait until I am old enough to “grow into it.”

"It is NOT necessary for the infilling to be accompanied by supernatural signs. A sweet, deep, peaceful JOY is a sure sign.

"My self meant ALL my desires, goals, options, memories, and rights. It meant EVERYTHING related to my selfhood. I nailed my self to the altar. I REMEMBER THAT DAY.

"With the same faith as “saving faith,” I can boldly claim, “I am holy.” Holy means being “barefoot” (free and whole), “unveiled” (no more curtain, as was in the Old Testament temple to separate us from God), or like a teacup “brimming with blessing,” or “a joy flag” over my house announcing, “The King is in residence here.”

"Along my spiritual journey are promptings to remind me of additional surrendering of self. In the years at college I could not have surrendered a spouse, my children, my failing health, or an active Salvation Army ministry. Those things were not yet part of my life. After the nailing of myself on the altar, I have DAILY communicated with God and obeyed the Holy Spirit’s whisperings and counsel. Because I NEVER removed my sacrifice from the altar, and because I obey as the Holy Spirit reveals, I can boldly declare: Not only are my sins forgiven, but I AM HOLY.

"Boldly surrender your SELF and cry, “HOLY.”

"That is enough.

Major Juanita Russell"

Launch

Our 24/7 got off to a good start today with a little crowd there to celebrate the launch with some worship, prayer, word and a bite to eat afterwards. Again, just reminding ourselves of the promise of God contained in 2 Chron 7:14 as we sought him for the healing of our land, specifically here in Torry.

The slots are filling up nicely, although there are some slots going spare. Special plea to any Australians reading who might consider covering our night slots where there is space....I figure you guys will be more awake than any of us would! We'll be covering some of the nights here, but we are few in number in the corps.

If you want to sign up, go here

Also, for those of you who will be 'praying from a distance', here are some requests from Torry that we'd ask you to pray for. If you want it in pdf, email me.
____________________________________________________________________
Youth
Please pray
- for good relationships with all our young people.
- for the 30 or so youngsters who attend our drop In
- for the 6 young people who attend re:source cell group
- for the development of a youth mentoring project
- for many young people in our community and the challenge of drugs/alcohol/unemployment/ poverty
- for the work of Torry Academy (high school)

Children
- give thanks to God for our successful detached youth work every week over the summer and for the contacts made
- pray for our new kids drop in commencing in September
- pray for the development of a kids cell group
- pray for children to respond to gospel and the challenge of discipleship as junior soldiers

Families
- commencement of Baby Song in September led by Tracy and Major Catherine Wyles (DHQ)
- for the families of our children/young people
- for many in our community who struggle to make ends meet and wisdom as to how to reach out to them

Community Work
- for the opportunity for Andrew to serve on Torry Community Council (as well as the ‘Torry Matters’ group)
- for Andrew’s weekly chaplaincy work in the prison
- for openings to serve at Walker Road school
- for our lunch club, many of whom are becoming increasingly frail.

Corps
- for the multiplication of our cell groups
- for the development of cell group leaders
- for our great financial needs as a corps
- for the development of the long term mission plans
- for our handful of faithful soldiers/adherents who work so hard
- for our brothers and sisters at Aberdeen Citadel

Above all, we’d ask that you pray that we will see many men and women, boys and girls coming to Jesus and being transformed; that we as a corps would know the Holy Spirit’s presence and annointing as we seek to live out the way of Jesus as described in Isaiah 61.

Prayer Room ready for Launch of 24/7!

More images HERE

Innovative Salvationism

I can't remember the exact location or date, but I remember 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 went on to apply that in his genuinely apostolic fashion.

He spoke about coversations 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 thing that we can't do it, we can't start a new initiative, we can't. General Gowan's response to that was 'you have the General's permission.' 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, at work. When the 'come to the Army', they should be equipped and empassioned for mission in the world. Our role as leaders should be to enlarge the vision of our people for our great commission. 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 leaders 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.

Personally, I'd be delighted if my soldiers came to me reporting they wanted to start a cell group in their appartment block. More than that, I'd offer to go and cook the pizza!

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

Ten thousand times, NO!

On Luke Chapter 10

I recently had the opportunity to give some advice to some folks looking at being intentional salvationists in a town they are moving to that has no Salvation Army corps. This might apply to others out there. I offer it as something to consider and maybe as something to bear in mind as you go about life in your community.

1. Listen to Jesus together
Let me start somewhere else other than Luke 10, in John 5:19. This is where Jesus says something like 'the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he hears the father doing.'

You want to be asking God every day, 'what are you saying to me?’ and ‘what do you want me to do about it?’ John 16:12-15 assures us that Jesus will lead us into all truth as we listen to him! He will guide you.

As well as doing that personally every day, you also want to do that together. Jesus had a thing about pairs. He lists the disciples in pairs in Matthews gospel, and here in Luke 10, as well as in Luke 9, we see Jesus focussing on pairs. This is crucial support you need to be for each other, and that support has to be intentional.

You want to be asking each other, every day’ “What are you hearing? What are you doing about it? And, how can I help you do it?”

As part of this, you may want to commit yourself to prayer walking daily. This is important spiritual preparation of the mission ground. It will help you become familiar with the streets, the local people, the feel of the place and God will prompt you on the way. For more on prayer walking, please ask if you are unsure about how to proceed.

2. Pray Luke 10:2b
In LK. 10:2, Jesus made a startling statement. In front of Him were 84 (12 + 72) church planters (“sent ones”, apostles). That sounds like a lot to us, but His evaluation was that it was only a “few”. Apparently, He saw the need for many more. And, in addition to identifying that need, He gave the solution.

He commanded them to engage in the practice of asking the Lord to send out more labourers. Now, in this context, this does not just involve God sending more Christians...we have to begin to see ‘the harvest’ becoming harvesters, so it involves ‘people of peace’ which I’ll come to later.

We need to be doggedly persistent with this prayer like the woman in Luke 18!

3. Seek out the ‘person(s) of peace’

Again, in the whole planting/sending out situation, Jesus placed huge emphasis on this. The main theological idea that underpins this is that its actually God that builds his church, we are just co-labourers. Jesus here is sending people out suggesting that God has done some work in preparing some people for the message. In other words, there is some really good soil just waiting for your seed. A person of peace is basically like a building block. In fact, as long as the person remains open to some sort of discussion, then you are to stay in relationship with them.
Now, its not the case that you can just pop and out and say ‘peace man’ to everyone you meet and see what the reaction is. Our culture is different to 1st century Israel. So in what way to we encounter the ‘person of peace’?

As suggested in the last point, part of your praying for labourers will be asking God to direct you to your people of peace. God will nudge you in the direction of some people. However, to do this, you need to get yourself imbedded into the life of the community.

This might involve shopping in the same shops, going to lunch in the same cafe, joining a local community group, just basically get into the community and meet people. Now, for this to be intentional, you need to be open about what you are doing when you meet people. For example, they might ask you who you are...you’ll want to be honest in saying that you’re new to the area but also that you’re looking at getting some people together to explore the teaching of Jesus. I think it has to be as honest as that. None of this cloak and dagger, alterior motive stuff. In fact, wearing uniform and identification will help you in this...you are covenanted soldiers with a remit to win the world for Jesus.

You are simply seeking to gather people and talk about Jesus. You’re being true to God, the Army and our mission.

So, person of peace is your foundation stone. Another crucial thing to note is something that may be of help. Notice how the work happens on the persons soil, on the persons terms, on the persons place and not on the disciples terms. Now, its not easy to speak to people in their own homes in this culture...people are suspicious of that. Neither is it a big part of our culture to invite people you don’t know to your own home...people are suspicious of that.

Instead, look for what is called ‘missional third spaces.’ These are places where people go to naturally to hang out. For example, public houses, local cafe’s, the chip shop etc When you meet people randomly that God sends, why not say ‘why don’t we meet down the Dog and Duck and talk a bit more.

This is an important point when it comes to your own personal living space. Let me remind you that Jesus called us to ‘go’. Don’t become too focussed on getting people onto your patch. Certainly, nothing wrong with having an open home, but I’d challenge you to do your mission ‘out there’. Its what Jesus did, without a doubt.

4. Deal with the household

Notice that upon finding the person of peace, Jesus encourages them to stay with the household. In the NT sense of this word household, we’re not just talking local family here. In Acts 10, Cornelius and ‘all his household’ were saved. Now, his household included family, friends, servants (read employees!), and neighbours.

To apply this, when you find your person of peace, encourage them to bring some of their friends! If it’s a meeting in a neutral place, you’ll find that more people may come.

When you get them together, what should you do? To start with, stick with the gospels....keep the focus on Jesus. Read the stories, ask what they make of it. The word will do the work by the Spirit!

5. With regards to warfare
Now, with regards to warfare, there is always a job to be done. Again, Luke 10 gives some advice.

When you go, you are to proclaim the Kingdom, heal the sick. There will be demons on the way, freedom issues, things to deal with. I want to emphasis ‘on the way.’ I want to discourage you from looking for demons. You’ll have enough to deal with on the way.

Deal with demons as they come, don’t hunt them. You’re biggest warfare happens not so much with demon-hunting, but in praying down the kingdom. If you are prayer walking, asking God to establish his Kingdom where you walk, thats warfare plenty! The way to combat darkness is to shine big lights.

Notice that Jesus, in Luke 10:17-20, is keen to discourage the disciples in being too keen that demons submit to them...of course they do. Rather, they are to be encouraged that their name is in heaven, that god is using them, that they are doing his will, bringing his Kingdom. Focus on God, not the enemy. This is not talk for being ignorant of the enemy, we know we have the authority and we know we are to deal with it when it comes against us.

So, this is a good framework to approach establishing a nucleus of people for the gospel. Try it on your front, in your office, at school...get you friends, neighbours, corps officers to pray for you in it. Do it! You don't need to ask permission to be a missional salvationist where God has placed you. If we all did this, we'd see the renewal we sorely need in the Army.

24/7 Prayer

So, we embark on our 24/7 prayer on the 23rd August. We want to start placing prayer at the very centre of everything we do here in Torry as a corps. Establish a prayer rhythm.

We also want to raise the profile of our need for intercessors. Thats where you come in. Our corps, at the moment, has 5 active soldiers (including us). We are relying on you, the reinforcements, to support us...sign up for an hour slot and pray for us during this week of prayer.

Our community faces many challenges, we are a small fighting force. Please help us storm the forts.

If you go here you can sign up for a slot. If you aren't geographically close enough to pray 'on site' just at a # beside your name to let us know that you won't be turning up in person to pray.

I will endeavour to send out an intercessors guide to all those praying 'off campus' to help you in your prayer for us.

Thank you in anticipation!

Code Blue

Whilst browsing through the Australia Southern Territory's Salvos Out There campaign I came across some great training resources for Local Officers. I may be wrong, but I am not sure anything of this sort exists in the UK Territory. I realise there is some training for CYS and YPSMs, but not for other leaders.

As if finding the resource wasn't good enough, I then discovered that the second module is about corps planting. What a fantastic example of building core Salvation Army dna into leadership at that level.

Three 'Hallelujah's for the Australian Southern Territory who are, yet again, showing the rest of us how it should be done!

Here is the link to Code Blue. Click here

You will also notice some links there to some corps planting training.

Summer Furlough/Mission Trip 2009!

So, apologies for the lack of blogging over the last month. I've been away for two weeks on furlough as well as away attending my mother-in-laws graduation from University before that too. Also had a family wedding! Been a hectic month!

Holiday was very busy...drove around 3600 miles, visited 6 countries, several towns/cities, slept in about 9 beds and had a pretty great time.

Great to see something of The Salvation Army in Belgium. We were staying in a flat that is part of a social service centre. Below us was a refugee centre, aiding people from something like 90 different nations. Above us was a mens hostel. Had a good time of worship at Brussells II corps on one of the Sundays. Such a prayerful, holy reverence in the meeting mixed with a whole pot of joy and enthusiasm. Brussells II is known as 'the African corps' with it comprising of French speaking Africans now native in Brussells. Great...grass roots primitive Salvationism!

Glad to have the opportunity to testify, pray, and play the piano in the meeting...nice to be useful! Was good to meet up with Majors Jacques and Yvonne Rouffet, Regional Commanders for Belgium an hear a little more of the work in Belgium. Also caught just a glimpse of the Army's presence in Holland when we visited Amsterdam.

Back home in the UK for the second week of our furlough, we had the privilege of spending some time prayer walking with some friends who are getting ready to move into a town where there is no Army. Whilst they will link up with a corps nearby, they are keen to see what the Lord would have them do in the town they feel led to. Praise God for the opportunitys, and pray that the right doors will be opened for them.

So, back home now. Looking forward to an exciting few months. The first thing on the agenda is our 24/7 prayer week at Torry which comes up at the end of the month.

Booth on Discipleship

“Great crowds of working people came to hear me preach; a large number were convinced of sin by the Holy Spirit, and many of them responded to my invitations to come to Christ for salvation. Encouraged by what I saw in Whitechapel, and finding other parts of the Metropolis equally necessitous, I visited some of them, with equally gratifying results. Much enthusiasm was created and many of the converts became my regular coworkers. These I met regularly every week, personally instructing them in the things of God, counselling them in the difficulties that they had to contend with, encouraging them to persevere, and showing them how to do the work they had undertaken. Some of the converts resided in other parts of London, and they soon commenced themselves to hold meetings, and to win souls in their own localities. I was entreated to care for these also... I was... driven to select men and women who I knew to be lovers of souls and living holy lives, for the purpose of caring for these new converts... The Lord was with them in great power, and hundreds of wicked and godless people were converted and united together in separate societies." (General William Booth)

Happy Founders Day

Borrowed from Captain David Collinson on Founders Day, today, 2nd July.

Salvationists in Nottingham, William Booth's birthplace, honoured the Founder's memory by a demonstration in the public parks. The plural, Founders' Day, was adopted to recognize the part played not only by William and Catherine Booth but by all the Christian Mission pioneers. From 1924 to 1939, Founders' Day continued to be celebrated on 5th July, but, from 1940 onwards, Founders' Day changed to 2nd July, which according to Colonel Robert Sandall, the Army's historian, was the anniversary of the first Tent Meeting at which William Booth preached on the Quaker Burial Ground in Whitechapel.

Today is an opportunity to reflect on what God has done through the obedience and passion of this amazing couple William & Catherine Booth. You may want to take some time today and go down to your local park and ask what can we do now that would have a similar impact in our local community. Having a meeting every night of the week in a public setting where people were challenged with the gospel message still seems radical today. Lets ask God what we can do 144 years after that initial meeting that will also result in changed lives and a reformed society.

Unleashing the Apostolic Genius in The Salvation Army - Part 5

5. Organic Systems

This is about appropriate structures for metabolic growth. Phenomenal Jesus movements grow precisely because they do not have centralized institutions to block growth through control. Here we will find that remarkable Jesus movements have (1) the feel of a movement, (2) structure as a network, and (3) spread like viruses.

Now, this is an issue for us in The Army. At its best, our military approach was to harness efficiency. By this, we cut out layers of beurocracy such as committees and boards. It was swift and efficient. However, like any man-made system, or even any interpretation of any sort of church leadership structure, it can become an end in itself, instead of a means to an end.

Today, however, is a different picture. Our structures don't allow for flexibility, spontenaity and all the other 'ity's' you care to mention. We sometimes structure ourselves out of any felxible mobility.

Hirsch notes, not without significance, that Jesus movements are viral networks rather than command structures. This doesn't mean to say that there is no structure of leadership, rather it is flexible. We need a structure that can support potential growth, not stifle it.

You see, when I reflect on the leadership of the early Salvation Army, aside from the sometimes control-freakery of the likes of Wm Booth, we see something interesting. The 'Army' thing gave direction and purpose, but when we consider some of Booth's strategies, we see they are something akin to organic structures.

Listen to what he said:

Beginning as I did with a clean sheet of paper, wedded to no plan. willing to take a leaf out of anybody's book. above all, to obey the direction of the Holy Spirit. We tried various methods and those that did not answer we unhesitatingly threw overboard and adopted something else.

And while the conclusion was the military model, Primitive Salvationists were quick to borrow from other systems:

We believe that all rational measures, all the measures which men use with respect to the world, if they are lawful and good, may be transferred by the sanctification of the motive, by the transposition of aim, to the Kingdom of God. Yea, we are bound to it. (Catherine Booth. THE SALVATION ARMY IN RELATION TO THE CHURCHES)

Change, adaptation, fluidity...they were there. It also strikes me when seeing this in reality. Take the stories where Booth would get stories from some distant lands saying that people had started the Salvation Army, could he send and officer. Now thats exponential and virus like growth.

I've heard more modern and recent comments similar. I think it was General John Gowans who noted that he still often had people write to tell him that they had started the Army somewhere and that some of his Salvation Army Commissioners in some African territories could never quite pinpoint how many corps they had at any given point because soldiers would simply go off and start something where they were.

Now, thats apostolic genius at work, all enabled by an organic organising principal.

We all need to work at thinking about how we help, or hinder, the growth of our movement by what we think is our right to sanction or not sanction. Can we get to the place again where we structure for growth and spontenaity?

The Questions

I've no problem with the Sovereignty of God and his choice to take Jo home. It leaves many with sadness, but I know her experience is now a fulness she was yearning for her whole life. No problem with that.

My questions is around the bare fact that there are precious few voices left to speak life and a different path into The Salvation Army. Jo never held a position of authority outside her corps appointment, but yet she was what one would call a true leader in the real Salvation Army in that her leadership authority spoke much wider than her own sphere of immediate infuence.

There are others who had the same voice, who are also now very much outside the Salvation Army. Even if these guys are still linked with Salvation Army communities/corps, they have stepped back from speaking into the corporate life of The Salvation Army in a significant way. Let me just name them: Chick Yuill, Phil Wall, Russell Rook. We also lost Nicola Garnham recently to cancer who was another woman in the same fashion as Jo...we needed them.

I have many friends who would say..well, we coped without Gypsy Smith and Smith Wigglesworth, we'll survive without the others. And yes, there is a real sense that its not just about a few people. The problem is not so much that some prominent voices are now not there, but who will take the stand for a new generation?

Let there be no misunderstanding when it comes to my position. I firmly believe there are aspects of Salvationism that are repulsive to God, without a doubt. Our worldliness, our lack of prayer, our lack of zeal for the lost in this Territory are signposts of the spiritual disease we face. We have soldiers who can't describe what mission is, don't know the Holy Spirit in their lives and don't know what the Kingdom of God this. Please, this is not a judgement, this is a reporting of my experiences with Salvationists. Its a statement of lament, not of condemnation and God knows I, like other leaders, try to change that. We continue to press forward in increasingly irrelevant and self-defeating modes of mission and ministry to preserve our form whilst deglecting to sense the moving of the Spirit.

God knows I love the Salvation Army and that I am enthralled with the call he has placed upon us, but I'm increasingly beside myself with grief to the levels we have forgotten our first love and moved aside to less worthy callings.

I don't know what God is doing with me in these days. I spend nights in tears and mourning over this part of his vineyard. Every day I wake up and ask 'what are we doing?' and more than that, 'what am I doing?'

Well, these are questions I am continually asking. I so sincerely wish I could be released from these feelings and just faithfully do my task as an officer...that I could leave doubt and massive concern behind believing all will be well. I wish I could stick my head in some 'positive-thinking' sand and ignore the blatant and obvious. I wish I could see the good on my front and forget the rest of the thing. But I'm called to The Salvation Army, not just on my local and immediate front, but as a movement and I cannot separate the two. We're all in covenant together you see. When one part of the body suffers, we all suffer.