Army Renewal - Archived Blog

Wrapping up...

2012-01-19T16:54:00.000Z

This is a wordle produce from the content of Army Renewal blog over these last 7 years (Click on it for a larger view)

Given recent developments and closed doors, I think the time really has come now to round off things here at Army Renewal.

Thank you to those of you who have tuned in to this recent resurgence of blogging over these past six months and thank you to those who have extended your friendship through these pages. There are around 7 years of archive to trail through if you are interested. The blog will remain online for the forseeable, but for now I'll be concentrating my energies elsewhere as far as blogging is concerned.

My 'personal' blog is at http://turasaiche.blogspot.com and thats likely to be my main blog although I'll let you know of any blogging developments elsewhere should they arise. Bye for now.

blessings,

Andrew

One life

2012-01-19T00:59:00.002Z

On my facebook a couple of days ago I simply wrote: "sometimes you just have to smile, be generous with grace and move on content that you've done all you can." Thats my own conclusion of what has been another strange conversation we've tried to have with the Army in recent months on issues surrounding officership and our possible return. They didn't say no, they simply stipulated 'conditions' that are so entirely impractical for us, that it would mean leaving my job. We really couldn't read anything else into it other than 'no thank you.' I won't bore you with the details.

So thats my intentions....to smile, be generous with grace and move on content that I've done and offered all I can, even against what seemed to be my better judgement. I can't in all good conscience simply sit in the meeting, play the baritone and sing a good tenor line. Its not mission, its not 'Army' and its not being true to the calling upon my life.

We only get one life. I have to say that was the under-girding thought that was at the base of my leaving the Army. What I was doing, in the shape of corps officership, stopped being the thing that I'd wake up and want to do. Thats not necessarily because my own vision of what that was is necessarily askew, but that my vision for officership just wasn't going to fit in with the way things seemed to be in the Army and rightly or wrongly, as I heard the seconds ticking away, I wasn't going to waste time.

I still don't want to waste time. We're both aware that we left the Army to pursue a particular vision. We thought for a brief snapshot in time that we were going to be able to live out what we were leaving officership to do whilst we were still in Aberdeen....everything seemed to come into place and then it was made more or less impossible by a few things. Yet, I think the vision remains. Its what I think we're still pursuing. We are on the constant journey of seeing how.

Whether we find a meaningful way to be a part of the Army in the future will determine the life of this blog, really. I've no right to speak into something I'm not able to be a part of. Will keep you posted on my thoughts on that front.

In the meantime, we value your prayer. We're content and committed to Trinity here for the next 9 - 18 months during their interim period without a pastor as I step in to provide leadership. Beyond that we have a few options to explore as we seek people to partner with as we fulfil what God would have us do....exciting times.

12 Marks of New Monasticism and The Salvation Army

2012-01-08T17:15:00.001Z

Folks, some of you may have missed the blogging that I was doing elsewhere during Army Renewal's 'sabbatical'. I still blog there, mainly non Army type stuff and personal reflections, but here is a series of articles I published considering how the 12 Marks of New Monasticism speak to the Salvation Army. I hope they are of interest.

Marks 1 - 3
Marks 4 -6
Marks 7 - 9
Marks 10 -12

What if....?

2012-01-04T13:15:00.001Z

None of these thoughts are particularly new, probably neither to you nor me. In lots of ways these are the 'what ifs' which keep me up at night and the ones that create in me disatisfaction with the place we're currently in; the things that motivate work for transformation.

what if we followed Jesus as earnestly as we worshipped him?
what if we took Jesus at his word?
what if we emphasised his life and teaching as much as his atoning death?
what if we majored on the resurrection as much as the cruficixion?
what if we viewed the crucifixion as restorative justice rather than punitive vengence?
what if Jesus didn't just die to appease our guilt?
what if the politics of Jesus guided our interaction with society?
what if the headship of Jesus was more prominant in our church than the headship of men or women?
what if we took peace more seriously than 'just war'?
what if we explored questions rather than pose answers in our evangelism?
what if it was a radical, uncompromising, unconventional, provocative Jesus we shared with the world?
what if we understood the need for deeper transformative learning rather than intellectual assent to prescribed truths?
what if we realised Jesus is interested in more than our spiritual lives?
what if we recognised that Jesus is interested in more than what we do 'in church'?
what if 'church' was round the table as opposed to round the pulpit?
what if 'church' was open participatory rather than monopolised by the few?
what if membership was usurped by discipleship?
what if we took up our cross more regularly than we took up our pew?
what if we focussed more on relationship and less on regiment?
what if we were as potent scattered as we are gathered?
what if we sanctified public places as much as we open up our 'sacred spaces'?
what if Jesus doesn't endorse as much of our Western lifestyle as we think?
what if we adopt the message that got Jesus killed rather than the one that raises little objection?
what if we gave according to the Spirit as opposed to the law?
what if we were more ready to eat with bankers, refugees, druggies and 'wasters' as much as we are willing to dine with the fine?
what if we held our possessions lightly and our homes as places of sanctuary?
what if the whole body of Christ was mobilised instead of the 'called'?
what if we integrated our secular and spiritual lives?
what if faith were as alive at home as it is 'in church'?
what if we took seriously the capacity of children to be disciples?
what if we took seriously the potency of teengagers following Jesus?
what if old men would dream dreams and young men would see visions?
what if we recognise that Jesus profoundly disturbed the distorted position men held about the place of women?
what if we said 'lets do it' rather than 'what if'?

Walk

2012-01-03T11:30:00.000Z

So what is it with The Salvation Army that means that I can't walk away?

This is a question I've asked myself time and time again. I've already mentioned the whole covenant thing, I made promises to God. But yet its not the bare fact that promises were made, its the vision behind the promises that I can't move away from and that I'm determined to live out in my life regardless, preferrably in a likeminded community. My frustration of years has been the extent to which the vision even seems popular, or more importantly, shared by others in the Army. Now as I share these things, I'm really trying to describe the Army vision rather than the current reality. Keep that in mind....

Here are the things which keep me inspired and which continue to shape me:

- daring pioneering is at the heart of authentic Salvationism. Literally wed to no previous plan. It was a fresh page on the history of the church. Mission today requires fresh page action.

- shared covenant. In short, you should know that the other person signed the same agreement as you. This is valuable for accountability, shared mission and for creating 'cymbrogi' - a Celtic term which means 'Companions of the Heart'. Those who share a similar vision or journey, bound together and committed to it.

- passionate spirituality. You could often hear and smell a Salvation Army meeting. It was raw passion. Prayer was real, worship was full, preaching was powerful, transformation possible and holiness attainable by grace.

- ministry by all. Every soldier was a missioner. The priesthood of all believers was fully activated. There was nothing that was the sole reserve of the officer-leader. Everything was up for grabs, everyone got to play.

- strategic leadership. Early officership was apostolic and itinerant. It was about planting new stuff, seeing developments, keeping things fresh. The local ground was led by local officer 'elders' who led brigades of soldiers into battle against the world, the flesh and the devil. The five-fold ministries were released.

- good news for the poor. The vision of Isaiah 61 was fleshed out, the gospel was being preached to the poor. Blind eyes were seeing, prisoners were being relased, the captives set free. It was a liberation Army. Justice and salvation were symbiotic.

- planting movement. Faith was grown where life happened. Outposts, corps, societies, cottage meetings, open airs, factory meetings....you name the place, the Army had an expression there. It was a missional movememnt before the word became trendy.

You'll notice that NONE of this stuff need be consigned to history. This is all stuff that much of the church is just rediscovering. And ironically, all the radical church planting, mission-renewal conferences and talks I've sat in during recent times have applauded the early Salvationists and held them up as courageous examples of what we need to be doing in our day. Its not just Primitive Salvationists who think there is something to this thing.

This is the Army I see and continue to pray for. Truth be told, its what I want to work for, even in spite of 'the way things are.' Its what the world needs. Its key to the advancement of the Kingdom. We are possessors of this great Kingdom heritage. It needs to be unleashed.

Kingdom Vision

2012-01-02T00:43:00.000Z

Booth's grand vision for world transformation

One of our great Salvation Army legacies is the fact that for Booth, whilst the salvation of the individual was vital, his vision of salvation was always wider. It was man-kind embracing, world embracing. Booth actually believed that the world could be transformed, that society could echo heaven, that the Kingdom could come. One War Cry editorial from the 1890s that I glimpsed at training college had an image of a Salvation Army flag flying from some well known public buildings in London. He believed in world domination.

At first glance, this would make him seem somewhat crazy. However, I'm not sure that the flag just represented the Army to Booth. It wasn't about the Army. It was a Trinitarian symbol, it was about the Kingdom and the Lord Jesus, his rule and reign. His wife Catherine prophesied that she believed the Army would play a significant part in the winning of the world for Jesus, echoing the words of Jesus in Revelation 11:15. It has been written elsewhere that like many men of his era, Booth was a pre-millenialist. In short, he believed that the world would become better and better, ushering in a golden age where Jesus would reign.

Whilst I'm not so sure of that particular position, I am particularly interested in a wide salvation. Not in the sense of universalism. But in a salvation that sees beyond a 'scalp claiming' approach to misson and evangelism. If we see Christ's work purely as a personal 'pie in the sky when you die', we miss out half the plan for those who follow the way of Jesus.

Jesus message was about the Kingdom. It was about forming glimpses, firstfruits if you like, of that Kingdom here on earth. You see, many people can be won by our persuasion and preaching. However, the world will become transfixed and entirely captured by a vision of that which is yet to come...Kingdom community. You see, if you win a soul and don't place him in community, he can't engage fully in the Kingdom mission he has been saved for. We don't form community for community's sake, however. We form community becuse of Jesus, and because he designed us to fight more effectivly in community because that is how we can manifest love. We'll be known as belonging to Jesus for the love we have for one another.

It is these communities of the Kingdom, these corps of Jesus followers that should show everyone that another world is possible, another world is coming. I don't know whether Jesus will return to a near perfected world or whether he will step in at our greatest moment of strife...I do know, however, that he wants the Kindgom fleshed out in the here and now. That is worth fighting for.

My Covenants

2012-01-01T18:29:00.001Z

Our Mercy Seat at Home

God's covenants with Israel stood whether they were in the land or out...they weren't based on location, but relation. He was their God and they were his people. They stood for those who were unfaithful and those who were faithful. He rewarded those who were faithful and put to testing those who weren't.

In this last 16 - 18 months I haven't felt God's hand lift from my life at all, in fact he has led us into an abundance of blessing that I'd never have imagined. He has renewed our strenghth, our determination and multiplied our fruit. He has hidden us in the cleft of the rock and covered us with his hand. We've stood on the mountain and he has spoken to us with his still, small voice. We've seen his glory afresh.

The path isn't yet clear as to when it will be possible for us to move back into The Army and flesh out our covenants in full, and we trust the Lord for those timings, but our covenant commitments to the Lord are as true today as they ever were. As I said back in September

"This 'exile' may be permanent. The call might be to make my home 'out here' in the wider church. The call might be to come back and take my place on the field. What is certain though is that whatever the future holds, it is the Lord God who must be the one who gives the command. We are in no doubt that we are following where he is leading. He often reveals just glimpses of his sheer competency to work out his will in spite of the odds. We simply want to be at the centre of his will for us wherever that is and in whatever way he wants us to serve him"

And so at the top of 2012, I affirm again my previous covenants with the Lord, regardless of the response of the 'third party' mentioned in these covenants and inspite of the challenges of fulfilling the 'Salvation Army' related bits. I seek to live them 'during times of popularity or persecution' to the glory of God and for the salvation of the whole world.

My Soldier's Covenant

My Officer's Covenant

Finally, I resolve to carry/wear a visible sign of these covenants.

The King's Own Army

2011-12-31T16:58:00.004Z

It has been an interesting year here at Army Renewal. Since picking up blogging here again in the last 5 months, there have been more hits than in the previous 7 years combined. Part of that will be due to some changes in technology, but I hope too that there is something of worth in what I continue to write. I genuinely desire to see the Army renewed, re-captured by its vibrant spiritual and missional DNA and forging ahead to win the world for Jesus.

The thing that continues to hang in the air is my part in it. We've been warmly welcomed by a local corps here and are able to engage with them, although my other Kingdom commitments in this season of life make it difficult to invest fully there. But I have to say, in the words of a Salvation Army chorus 'Just where he needs me, my Lord has placed me' and it is clear that the larger part of my Kingdom commitment will manifest itself amongst the Trinity community, which I will lead more hands on from February for a season. So, I continue to be fully engaged with a very different detatchement of the King's Own Army.

In my Christmas stocking, I received 'Road to Missional' by Michael Frost - a prophetically challenging book that urges those who play at mission to delve deeper and fully engage. One of the challenging things it presented was the idea that when one claims Jesus as Lord, one automatically signs up to advance the Kingdom and extend the rule of God. I was reflecting on the fact that this isn't always the case in our Christian communities...many folks just 'join' churches and nothing further. Yet, this happens in The Army too as an insiduous form of membership pervades the movement. This is something relatively new to The Army, though. Converts were traditionally quickly enlisted in the mission in a variety of ways. Soldiership was never a destination, it was the beginning of the journey. Both in the Army and where I fight day by day, this issue is crucial.

I believe more and more that the renewal of the Army lies within the rediscovery of this kind of active, missional soldiership. By this I mean those who allow the Kingdom of God to entirely reorient their lives when the Lordship of Jesus is established, propelling them OUT into the world to make disciples. This takes our fight outside the realms of what we do in the Army hall in 'Salvation Army sanctioned' activities, to the every day encounters of our lives. It moves our Salvationism beyond uniform wearing, tithe giving and musicianship to the life-long, front-line, everyday warfare of love. The Kings Own Army, in every shape and form, can no longer afford to be content to call people with steeple bell, but to march out and announce/flesh out the Kingdom where people are.

I also believe that the renewal of the Army will simply be a by product of a movement which seeks above all to be true to Jesus and to make his fame known among the nations. We live not for ourselves...this is not about The Army. Those who seek to save their lives will lose it, but those who seek to lose it will find it. This is the Kingdom paradigm.

So, thank you for re-tuning in to Army Renewal in 2011. I'll continue to blog through 2012 as the Lord leads. May God bless you with Kingdom vision for the fight on your front.

in Jesus

Andrew Clark

Books 2011

2011-12-29T12:10:00.003Z

Punk Monk by Andy Freeman

Here is my annual rundown of books I've read in 2011 with a little * to ***** rating thing. Reading is a life changing activity...furnish your mind!

(A link here to 2010's books and here to 2009's books)

Radical Holiness for Radical Living - C Peter Wagner ***

'One for All' - J Knaggs & S Court ****

The Jesus Creed - Scot McKnight **

Missional Small Groups - M Scott Boren ****

Missio Dei Breviary - Missio Dei ****

High Street Monasteries - Ray Simpson ***

Punk Monk - Andy Freeman *****

Follow - Floyd McClung ****

Right Here, Right Now - Ford and Hirsch ***

Worship and Mission After Christendom - Krieder & Krieder ****

History of Scotland - Neil Oliver ****

The Provocative Church - GrahamTomlin ***

The Passionate Life - Breen and Kallestad ****

The Naked Anabaptist - Stuart Murray *****

Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith - Rob Bell **

Barefoot Disciple - Stephen Cherry ***

The Fry Chronicles - Stephen Fry **

Leadership in The Salvation Army: A Case Study in Clericalisation - Harold Hill ****

From Eternity to Here - Frank Viola ***

The Testament - John Grisham ***

Finding Sanctuary - Christopher Jamieson ****

Finding Happiness - Christopher Jamieson ***

Clusters: Creative Mid-sized Missional Communities - Mike Breen and Bob Hopkins ***

You can do it

2011-12-12T00:26:00.001Z

Railton 'invading the USA' with his Hallelujah Lassies

One of the big revolutions of The Salvation Army that we don't often think about is the way that Booth's movement, under God, set about changing the rules about who gets to take part. Booth was raised up in a movement called Methodism which itself had been the largest single explosion of equipping and releasing the 'non-clergy' into various ministries. You see, John Wesleys people, through the Methodist class system and through the training up and releasing of 'local preachers' began in a real way to take Christianity out of the hands of the elite and into the hands of the people. Yet there were still limits to this - the theology of separation between ordained and lay were still alive and well (and still is within Methodism).

Along comes Booth... a Methodist clergyman but one who revolutionised the whole concept of involvment in ministry and mission and took it a step further. To Booth, who was leading a soul saving mission rather than a cumbersome ecclesiastical affair, it was entirely plausible that everyone got involved. So, you could become a Salvation Army officer or missioner without a formal education. You could be one regardless of your upbringing or social class. Gone was an elite middle-class clergy caste. This was a priesthood of all believers because you see, even the soldiers were commissioned to mission both as local officers and as soldiers. The difference was availability and flexibility.

The soldiers who would risk poverty and hardship became officers and relied on God for their every meal and penny. The other soldiers, still as active in ministry and mission, worked and contributed financially to the work in a larger way. You see, the soldiers and local officers were the constant in the early Army. They were the leaders, the missioners, the continuity. The officer? She moved around every couple of months to fill gaps, to plant new corps, to create added interest, to develop aspects of work. So, you had a strong local base 'complimented' and not reliant on an officer. Everyone got to play.

Have we lost the sense of 'you can do it!' in our Army today? Have we built into the mindset of soldiers that there are things best left to the officer? You'll know that my belief is that we have. But its not only that we've created the division, its that we've lost a sense of risk taking. One of the most creative examples of missionary vision of late was during Knaggs time as TC in Australia where they pledged to start a new corps every week....even the cadets got to play!

The early Army soldiers and local officers were free to expand the work in any such place. They were invited to have spiritual meetings in their workplaces, their homes, on their own streets. Many of the corps in the UK were started not only by officers, but saved folks from towns where the Army wasn't present. They'd simply start the Army where they were. This, too, was the story for the opening of the Army in many nations and continues to be the story in massively expanding territories today. Exponential growth that arises from the Army of God being released to be a Jesus movement.

I expect that I'd have a lot of questions coming my way if I opened the Kingston Park Outpost. As a former officer I'm probably viewed with more suspicion than your regular enterprising soldier.

I will never forget Gowans giving a congress full of people permission to go and start the Army in their front room. He told them "if anyone asks them 'On whos authority?', tell them the General said." As an officer, I'd have been over the moon if a soldier or local officer came and said to me 'I've started an outpost.' It would be living proof to me that the pioneer spirit was alive and well within the ranks of what must be one of the most spectacular army or ordinary people the world has ever seen. Our recapturing of this fundamental piece of DNA is crucial to recovering the vitality of Army mission.

If the retired General's word isn't good enough for you, listen to Jesus who calls you to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations - immersing them into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. His call is loud and clear: everyone gets to play! Jesus is the one leading the advance.

Booth's Neo-Monastic Vision

2011-12-07T21:12:00.001Z

Andrew Bale posted this vision below of William Booths from around 100 years ago. I knew it existed but have never got my hands on it. It makes for fascinating reading and speaks very much into how I sense the calling of God upon my life. He speaks, basically, of a neo-monastic order within The Salvation Army working for renewal and increased effectiveness to the regular work of the Army. It deserves wide reading.

Maybe its time it came about.

____________________________________________________

Do not limit the possibilities of the future. God has many ways of fulfilling His purposes towards the sons and daughters of men. Here is one, of which I dreamed a dream. The one I am going to mention came to me when thoughtfully wondering, as I so often do, what The Salvation Army of the coming years was likely to be.

In this vision I beheld many things that were novel and fascinating, but nothing that took greater hold of me at the moment than the one I am about to describe. Perhaps the superior interest it excited in my feelings arose out of its intense practicality. It seemed all so natural, so possible, so fruitful, and the results so desirable, that I came almost to feel that the thing was not a dream, but an actual occurrence, literally happening before my eyes.

I thought I was looking at The Salvation Army in its varied future operations, and while I looked I thought I saw a new body of Officers suddenly start into existence. In many respects they strongly resembled the comrades with whom I am familiar to day. In other respects they appeared strangely dissimilar.
I will try to describe them, and while I do so you will be able to judge of the probable usefulness or otherwise of such a class, the possibility of creating it, and whether you would or would not like to belong to it, if it were created.

As I looked at this new people, they appeared to manifest extraordinary signs of earnestness, self-denial, and singleness of purpose; indeed, they had every appearance of being a reckless, daredevil set. On inquiry, I found that they described themselves as “Brothers of Salvation” or “Companions of the Cross of Christ.” They went forth, two and two, strengthening each other’s hands, and comforting each other’s hearts in all the work they had to do, and all the trials they had to bear. They seemed to welcome privations, and to revel in hardships, counting it all joy when they fell into diverse persecutions, and facing opposition and difficulties with meekness, patience, and love.

As I looked, and looked, I wondered more and more, for I observed that they had voluntarily embraced the old-fashioned vows of celibacy, poverty, and obedience. These vows I observed, further, were regarded as only binding upon them for a term of years, with the option of renewal for a further term at the expiration of that period, or of being able at that time to honourably return to the ordinary ranks of Officership.
As I looked at these new comrades, who had as it were suddenly sprung out of the ground, I saw that they wore a novel kind of uniform of simple shape, but very pronounced, and displaying very prominently the insignia of The Salvation Army. They were evidently proud of their colours.

And then I saw another thing that was peculiar about this new Order – I do not know how else to speak of it. I saw that they refused to accept any money or gifts for themselves, or for their friends, or, at most, not more than was necessary to meet the very humble wants of that particular day; while I saw that they were pledged not to own any goods of any kind, save and except the clothes they wore.

And then I saw that they were great wanderers, continually travelling from place to place, and that very much on foot, as this gave them the opportunity of visiting the hamlets, cottages, farmhouses, and mansions on the way, and speaking to the people in the streets, market squares, or other open spaces on week-days as well as on Sundays, as they passed along.

I saw that they assisted at the services in The Salvation Halls wherever they came, always working in friendly co-operation with the Officers in Command; visiting the Soldiers, sick or well; hunting up backsliders, and striving to promote the interests of every Corps they visited, to the utmost of their ability.

I saw that they visited and prayed with the people from door to door, in the great cities as well as in the villages; talked to them in the streets, trains, or wherever they had opportunity, about death, judgment, eternity, repentance, Christ, and salvation.

I saw them in my dream addressing the workmen at the dock gates, at the entrances to public works, in the factories at meal hours; indeed, they were talking, praying, and singing with whomsoever they could get to listen to them, singly, or in company wherever they came.

And as I looked, I saw their number, which was very, very small at first, gradually increase until they reached quite a multitude. And the educated and well-to-do, charmed with this simple Christ like life, swelled its numbers, coming from the universities and the moneymaking institutions and other high places.
Do you ask me about their support? Oh! I answer, so far as I could find out in my dream, they never lacked any really necessary thing, having all the time what was above all and beyond all in worth and desirability – the abundant smile of God, and a great harvest of precious souls.

(International Staff Council Addresses 1904, General William Booth, p144-147)

Definition

2011-12-05T01:08:00.001Z

"The Salvation Army is a revolutionary movement of covenanted warriors exercising holy passion to win the world for Jesus."

OK....so thats not the 'official' definition of The Salvation Army but its a good one that is closer to our founding vision. In my heart, its the Army I'm in. Any other definition just doesn't work for me. I won't give my life to anything less.

This week, the United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland Territory launched a new website. I have to say it looks much sleeker and fresher than the previous incarnation....but then thats not surprising considering it had been up there for nearly 10 years, I reckon. Initial reactions to the site very positive.....that was until I got to reading detail and started to read of an Army Church which, as one mate described, was almost 'Anglican' in tone. In other words....very parish churchy. At that point, my eyes begin to glaze over.

Thing is, the tone of the website fits quite well with the vast majority of corps in the UK&I. With some glorious exceptions, we're mainly quite pastoral and settled as a whole. Why is this? I think its because not only are we missing the heartbeat of the Army, we're missing the heartbeat of what it is to be Christian.

When I look in the New Testament, I don't see a settled, pastoral church. I see a covenanted community on a Kingdom mission. How did Jesus managed to raise such a movement? I had the opportunity to hear a guy called Mike Breen a few weeks ago in a leaders thing in the city here. He pointed out the fact that the key themes of the Bible are Covenant (which is about relationship with God an others) and Kingdom (which is about representing the King in every sphere).

When you look at the call of Jesus, you see both interplaying with one another. He issued an invitation - 'Come follow me...' - an invitation to covenant relationship. But he didn't leave it there. It wasn't just a 'do ya wanna be in my gang.' He invited his disciples to step up to the challenge to extend the Kingdom, to represent the Kingdom and take hold of the Kingdom forcably.

I want to suggest to you that The Salvation Army will never be a revolutionary movement of covenanted warriors exercising holy passion to win the world for Jesus unless we take a leaf out of Jesus' book. Jesus had no concept of a pastoral mode of church...his followers were ones who were destined for persecution and hardship, suffering but success as they stepped up to the massive challenge to 'make disciples of all nations.'

Let's get practical though: how does the transformation begin and what can the consequences be?

Well....we start with invitation. You see, most people need to re-hear the call of Jesus to be his followers and to follow him so that the dust from his sandals kicks up in our face because we're following so closely. Its about imitating Jesus....being a disciple/apprentice/son. Issue the call...call people to follow.

Secondly, once we've invited, we don't let people forget we're on a mission. Call people to it, sing it, celebrate it, talk it. More than that, give people the chance to step up and get their feet wet. I've been so blessed over the years to have witnessed many great Salvos rise to the challenge that I as their nutty officer called them too. Not everyone will of course, but there are some who have a knowing in their knower that there is more to the life of discipleship and more to the life of a soldier than just turning up to play in the band.

The flip side, of course, is that for many, their devotion will be tested. If they've spent years only listening to an invitation and a 'I'll get involved when I can' mentality, then when you call them to sell their possessions and buy the field with the treasure of the Kingdom in, they'll be hesitant. Some will walk away. Thing is, we need as leaders to learn both sides of that call....invitation AND challenge. It's by invitation that people are won but its challenge that turns them into warriors.

Come on folks...the world needs us to toughen up a bit, get in training, hear the voice of Jesus to mission instead of maintenance, relationship instead of membership, fighting with love instead of flaunting with ecclesiastical tendancies.

Follow. Fight. Win the world for Jesus. How is the war on your front?

Future

2011-11-28T00:10:00.001Z

Well, time does fly. But time is not the only reason for the brief gap in blogging.

You may or may not know that we have really been seeking the Lord as to where he would have us in our future. Sometimes against all common sense, we think we should return to officership and we are pursuing discussions along that line. But seriously, this is no easy decision. Nor are we filled with 100% confidence or even joy at the thought...but if the Lord wills, we will joyfully obey. We have, however, transferred to a local corps where we soldier when we can. Thats not to say that our 'soldiering' isn't 24/7 anyway...regardless of whether we are 'at the corps' or not.

My conundrum is that in these last 15 or 16 months, I've experience what I can only describe the most fruitful season of ministry in the last 15 years - all outside the Army. The people here have blessed us and affirmed us in ways we cannot have imagined. A true blessing - and they have been most receptive to our ministry. Can you understand why it makes it so difficult to consider returning? As blog readers, many of you will know our heart. But you'll also know of our struggle.

The reality of our situation is that my Methodist colleagues and Nazarane colleagues would welcome us affirmingly into their ministry ranks open heartedly. Sadly I can't say that our conversations with the Army have been so affirming. I'm reminded, however, that the ways of man are not the ways of God. His call and hand upon our lives is not harsh, sceptical or critical. He has shown us again and again his favour upon our lives in this last season.

Another aspect of life at the moment are considerable changes in the church I currently work in. My colleague, the 'senior pastor', has accepted a call to another church which will leave the place I am in without someone in that role for at least 9 months and people are naturally looking to me to step into that role, albeit with support considering its a church of considerable strength of numbers (membership of c.350 and a much wider pool of influence). So, at least we have a bit of a time frame to work things out in.

We don't want to be double minded in this....but we need to have our hearts settled on the right path. So, please forgive this personal blog. I covet your prayers. I ask you to pray that God's will be done and that he will just give us a clear sense of his plan and vision. We are assured that we are in his hands, yet he also knows our need of clear guidance.

Good Meetings

2011-11-02T01:19:00.002Z

People tell me I lead a good meeting. But what makes a good meeting? By 'meeting' I mean a larger corporate gathering of a corps as opposed to a bible study/cell/ward/brigade meeting. Of course, every meeting will have similar things in common: bible reading, prayer, worship etc But I'm thinking more about the 'approach' as opposed to content. For me, I think it is a good combination of the following:

1. Vibrant worship.   By vibrant I don't necessarily mean loud. I mean worship where the Spirit is free to move and where people engage with him and more importantly, there is an expectation that he will move. Neither do I mean here contemporary vs traditional. The principle applies to both. Any worship that is dead is not helpful at all. But how do you make it alive?

2. Multi-voiced. Honestly, if I'm the only person whose voice is heard as the leader, I'm not convinced at all that it can be a good meeting. That is more about me performing a show for people.   I prefer to encourage a conversational culture where people might feel free to pray, testify, ask a question. If you're not in a situation where people would be comfortable with that, you need to train them and give opportunities to speak. Create a culture of expectancy, invited people to come to corporate gatherings with the expectation that God will have something for them to contribute.

3. Space. I think good meetings don't programme themselves to the minute. There is a plan, perhaps, but there is always space for response and waiting on God or for a change of plan. In the Army, we believe that the word of God demands our response and we must always give people time to do it....whether its a holiness meeting or a salvation meeting or whatever you want to call it.....space and opportunity for response. Cut out the clutter or nonsense.

4. Applicable preaching. If preaching is to take place, people need to see how it helps them follow Jesus. We don't preach just to feed spiritual infants spiritual milk, we want to encourage, inspire, challenge and we preach for a verdict and invite people to follow where he is leading today.

5. Authenticity. You can't control or make people authentic but you can choose to be authentic yourself and hope it catches on! Really, if I'm stood there like a statue, it won't give people the impression that God is even there. I think this also talks about being yourself and not trying to be something or someone you're not. Let the Spirit inspire you as to how best to use who you are to lead others on.

6. Mission-focussed. God is a missional God.....he is all about mission.   What is your missiology of worship? Listen, when you start conducting services and performing ministrations, you become a static temple-based system. If you are a community in mission, your worship will reflect that. Basically, when we worshipping it in the context of our calling to preach the gospel to all nations as opposed to having a parochial vision, the dynamism of the meeting will change and it will connect with all the days that happen between the main times you meet.

This isn't exhaustive, there will probably be many things to consider, but I think these are good things to make a start on in begining to transform 'the meeting' and leave you with the sense of 'it was good to be together'.

The Other General

2011-10-21T15:56:00.001Z

I had the opportunity, yesterday, to go and listen to General the Lord Dannatt, Baron of Kewsick, GCB, CBE, MC, DL (former Cheif of the General Staff - Head of the British Army) talking on the topic of 'Leadership in troubled times'. The first thing that was striking was the vibrancy of his faith and the power of his conversion testimony.

But the wisdom poured out in his 40 minute lecture on several aspects of leadership and a disciplined life were very inspirational. Here is a whistle stop tour of his words...very quotable! The stuff below on mission command is, I believe, especially helpful. (All quotes in italics, other text is mine)

On salvation:

"Kneeling at the foot of Christ’s Cross is the recruiting office where our spiritual journey and duty begins. This is where our spiritual pilgrimage is focussed and where the real challenge of spiritual warfare begins."

"surrender is the end of fighting and the beginning of peace."

"hearing is one thing, doing is another, and what Christ wants from us is full commitment and not a half-hearted compromise. I have been down that track and it does not work."

On discipleship:

"Jesus managed to get people to follow, not out of curiousity, but with confidence in him."

"Following his Father’s plan and doing what he had to do cost Jesus Christ his life, but his belief and confidence in his Father’s plan led to Him opening up the way to peace and purpose in this life – and life beyond – for those who also are prepared to put their trust in Him."

On leadership:

"a good leader, stressing the adjectives as well as the vowels, needs absolute fitness, complete integrity, enduring courage, daring initiative and undaunted willpower. To these, add three other prerequisites: knowledge, judgement and team spirit."

"I first came across leadership as a subject to be considered formally while I was a cadet at Sandhurst. It was treated differently to other subjects that we studied. For leadership discussions, we did not sit in the classrooms; instead we sat around in armchairs in the company bar and we were asked for our ideas, as opposed to just being told what to do and perhaps what to think. I believe that immediately sets leadership apart – it is a personal, an individual and an intuitive thing."

"No matter how clever the plan and how good the leader’s ability, unless there is a really strong capacity to lead, then successfully promoting followship is quite another challenge. To arrive with no one behind you is a very lonely experience, and many a young officer has only been followed out of curiosity."

"The motto of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is “Serve to Lead”. Christ, in his lifetime, is a very clear example of that maxim. When Christ washed his disciples’ feet, he was doing the most menial and humble task –and by serving his disciples he was earning the right to lead them. He would ask of others nothing that he would not do himself."

"It is my experience that a life which is obedient to God, committed to Christ and open to the Holy Spirit sustains and guides in these turbulent times."

On mission strategy:

The General outlined a comprehensive Mission Command strategy for executing any mission. He defined the three levels as 'Strategic, Operational and Tactical.

Strategic: this is where the big thoughts are thought.
Operational: "sits between the Strategic and the Tactical, and which is the level that sits between the ideas and the action – it is the level which turns the ideas into action, and in my book that is the level which lifts the mediocre to the exceptional"...."It is at the Operational level where the General or the Captain of Industry does his real work, and where an End to End plan is formulated to transform the original idea – the Big Idea – into success on the battlefield."
Tactical - "where the rubber hits the road"..."the tactical level is about delivery and action"

The General then spoke of how leadership needs to function in each phase:

"Three components to what we call Mission Command, all of which hinge around the leader:

Strategic: the Commander/the Leader needs to think through his problem and convert his strategic goals into the front end of his Operational or Campaign Plan, and this results in him clearly setting out his Intent. He needs to have applied sufficient analysis and intellectual rigour so that he can set out to his subordinates or his employees his statement of what needs to be done and his overall intentions as to how it is to be done. This, I suggest, is more than just a rather wishy-washy Vision Statement.
Operational: in a non-prescriptive way, is to separate out the tasks that need to be done and delegate them to subordinates along with the necessary manpower, equipment and financial resources to carry out those tasks. But he doesn’t tell them what to do – he tells them what they are to achieve; this is output or outcome focussed, not input focussed.
Tactical: this is where the process can go wrong – having delegated the task appropriately, he needs to supervise the execution of those tasks – not in a way that stifles the initiative of the subordinates to whom the tasks have been delegated, but in a subtle way, remembering that while tasks can be delegated, responsibility can never be delegated – the buck always stops with the boss."

Further quotes on leadership and mission command:

"On God’s instructions he [Gideon] endorsed an amazing Concept of Operations, deploying his tiny force at night - a force equipped more like the Regimental band and Quartermaster’s Department than crack troops! The result was that 135,000 Midianites were defeated, with 120,000 casualties. This was a fantastic victory stemming from obedience to God."

"The Father wants us to use the abilities that we have been given to work to bring peace to the lives of individuals, whether we are doing so as a leader at the Strategic or Operational levels, or as a fighter at the Tactical level."

Hope you enjoy chewing all that over!

Corporate Holiness

2011-10-20T13:45:00.000Z

Let me just clarify a point on what I said yesterday. Its not that anyone has questioned what I wrote, but more that I don't want to be understood when talking about being not being worried about the health of the Army.

What I mean by that is a preoccupation with our own survival and wellbeing in the sense of maintaining the movement and bolstering it either with finance or in some other way. Health as in wealth, and health as in institutional 'security.' I don't want to be misunderstood as saying that health, wholeness and holiness are not crucial.

Of course, holiness is an ultimate priority and this we should be concerned about. You know, in some quarters the love has leaked out. Both amongst officers, local officers and soldiers, there can be lack of depth and spirituality that comes from purity of heart and a close walk with God. Its not hard to tell the spiritual atmosphere of a place...either a corps, a band, a youth councils, whatever it is....you listen to the conversation. This isn't to say that people can't chat about regular day to day fun ole things.

But are you in a place where the Lord isn't just named but where he is at the heart of the people? Do you earnestly seek after God? Are you trusting him to keep you holy and 'in the faith'? Are your hands clean, is your heart pure? And what about prayer....is there a deep connection with the Father through the Son by the Spirit? And what about our heart for the lost? Has our commitment to the lost been lost in our lack of commitment to prayer and in hearing the heart of God in the world?

I say it a lot these days: 'its and issue of the heart'. I used to think that little song in the song book was a bit trite: "If you're heart's alright, you'll do." Still not convinced I like it...but actually, it alludes to something very crucial. How is our spiritual heart?

Finally....a word about connection spiritually with others. Friends, if we can't muster up some kindred hearts around the place, even Booth encouraged us to find those whose hearts are fired after the same passion, to join hands and ask the Holy Ghost to come. Its so crucial that you keep your coals in the fire, otherwise you will not last and you will grow cold.

Let's ask God to continually warm the hearts of the Army....lets pray for hearts baptised with fire and ensure we are looking at our own lives too. Let's not lose our vision and calling to be a holiness people.

Charism

2011-10-19T12:05:00.000Z

I float around a fair few ecumenical circles these days. Its a whole pile of fun, revelation and....well, sometimes just plain bizarreness! One of the common mantras of the ecumenical scene is that any sense of different emphasis or any hint of denominational perspective or loyalty is negative. I agree to the extent that there should be nothing which builds hostility and division.

However, I think that if there is an insistance that every Christian community is monochrome, they miss the point on this one. Moreover, often the claim is that they have to leave their own 'path' and join theirs in order to be one.

Jean Vanier, a Frenchman and theologian, speaking of a particular Christian community, says this:

"These people have been called together to be a sign and a witness, to accomplish a particular mission, which is their charism, their gift."

General Bond articulated a few days ago the international mission priorities for the whole Army. It is a fantastic description of what our 'particular mission' is. And friends, its not until you serve in a different part of the universal church that you realise exactly how particular that mission is. There is definetely a 'charism' that is Salvationist with regards to mission that isn't seen elsewhere. I see this clearer now than I've ever seen it.

But here is the challenge: in the context of days where in many places the Army harks back to churchy identity (with pastors and churches and services etc etc) I believe that there is a risk of us taking our focus away from our 'charism.' Its not that all the trappings of Salvationism are the charism, its not about bands and uniforms etc. However, there is a real risk that the more we start to take the lead from the churches and their mission (for example, the church growth movement, the mega church movement, the Natural Church Development movement etc etc) the more we lose sight of the vibrancy of the mission that we have been called to.

How can this be? Simply because the focus of the Salvation Army is not the Salvation Army. The focus isn't the health, size or wellbeing of The Salvation Army...nor indeed too much introspective navel-gazing preoccupation with ourselves. The focus and mission of the Army is outward facing. We are to exist as a permanant mission to the lost. The mission of God is our rallying point.

Over the years, I've heard it said that its no longer appropriate for the Salvation Army to be a mission to the lost because as we've matured, we've had to necessarily develop a more predominantly pastoral ecclessiology. I've said it before, I'll say it again: YUCK! I mean, I could try and find more sensible words, but to be honest, who wants to be part of a Salvation Army church? There are tonnes of places out there who do the pastoral model of church a whole lot better than we do. Seriously! There are tonnes of better pastoral focussed churches which mean that if you want to go somewhere and be fed and cared for by a pastor week by week, they'll happily welcome you and make you spiritually fat.

We're made to fight We're made for the last, the least, the lost. We're on a mission....a 'community in mission' as Phil Needham describes us. You don't come to the Army to get fed until you are spiritually obese. You come and get trained up, filled up and then sent out on mission in the world to save it.

You know, there is no place I'd rather be at all than back in the Army as an officer. Do you know what dogs every thought about returning? A Salvation Army fixated on a pastoral Christendom model of church with all the clerical trappings. It doesn't fit the Army....or certainly the Army's charism as opposed to what the Army is slowly becoming.

It has taken me years to process this stuff you know and to figure out whats going on. From my very earliest days there is something inside me which has kicked out at a purely pastoral model of officership. Why would you want a model of officership that focuses purely on one aspect of leadership gifting to the exclusion of apostles, evangelists, teachers and prophets? Every missiologist will tell you that if you have a movement led by pastors, it will stagnate. Why? Because you'll have no apostles to develop strategic advance, no prophets to call us back to the Word and to our mission, no evangelists to get people saved and so you'll have no-one to pastor or teach!!!

If you are an officer and a pastor, God bless you. We need you a lot. Let there be no mistake in that.

But listen to this: “If you aim for ministry, you never get to mission, even if you intend to do it. However if you aim at mission, you get ministry as well, because ministry is the means by which you do mission." - (Alan Hirsch, missiologist)

Reality

2011-10-17T23:23:00.000Z

Let me take a break from visions, hopes dreams, ideals and aspirations to take a reality check.

Sixteen years ago on this day, I knelt at a Mercy Seat in a little Salvation Army corps and my new life in Christ began. From the Christmas of 1994 until October 1995, my interaction with Salvationists at Irvine and at school changed my life. Big time.

In the week leading up to Sunday 17th October 1995, I had called up my corps officer, Major George Collonette, and told him that I thought I should be an officer. He did tell me I'd got it round the wrong way and that I should be a Christian first. Fair enough, I thought. He told me that Sunday was the time. I mean, looking back on it, it seemed strange. You don't have to wait to be a Christian....but I'm not being critical here, because what happened the following Sunday is etched on my mind.

The evening meeting began and I was already sensing that 'this was it'. I was so desperate. I had come to the end of myself. My life at the time was so empty and I was struggling inspite of the love and care these Salvos had already started to inject into my life. The Major preached on.....I don't know what. All I knew was that when he gave the nod, that was the time to do the business.

I knelt at the Mercy Seat and I poured out my heart to the Lord. Billy, the CSM, was the 'midwife'. I'm eternally grateful for his careful and supportive love at that time. He was clear and helpful. The 'process' was thorough. He helped me understand that Jesus could cleanse my sin and heal by brokenness.

When I got home that night, I felt such a sense of relief....God was doing something, but I was fearful of what it would mean in the context of my family where Christian stuff just didn't happen....at all. There were going to be challenges in folllowing Jesus in my setting big time. I cried out to God again.

God responded. I remember laying on my bed and sensing something akin to electric current flowing up and down my body. I remember hearing amazing music, so musical, so perfect. This went on for hours. Even thinking of that time, I can hear echoes of the sound. God knew what he had to do in my life. Since that day I have never, ever, been in doubt that God is real and that his work in me was true. My life literally changed overnight.

Today, 16 years later, I led worship at a Methodist church where I preached on Ephesians chapter 2, outlining the spiritual transaction that must be made as we go from darkness into light. One of the testimonies I heard afterwards is that one of the women left 'feeling like a new woman' after the service. And so, the work of God continues.

I don't want to glorify my sinful life as a youngster, nor do I want to dwell on my challenging past....but I do want to point out a few things:

1. Godly Salvationists invested in my life and planted the seed of the gospel.
2. Godly Salvationists were equipped and prepared to make disciples and knew how to do it, from the birth process all the way through to weaning me off milk and onto the meat.
3. You, too, can be the person that God uses not only to bring change to one life, but to start a chain of events which impact more and more people with the gospel.

The key to the Army being the Army is to never lose touch with the transformative power of the gospel when the Holy Spirit applies the blood of Jesus to a sinful heart and then fills it with perfect love. I'm thankful that I got saved in a place where they kept it real. That is true Salvationism. Lets get to it.

Exploring the Vision

2011-10-13T23:54:00.002Z

Have you had a chance to read the vision the General presented today? Have you watched the videos on youtube (2 x 15mins)? Watch them first then come back to this blog for my take.

Part 1: http://youtu.be/Ab00SGY0vUE
Part 2: http://youtu.be/LkQK9XaGsdc

So, for what its worth, my little blog here at Army Renewal wants to shout a big hallelujah and amen to the stating of this vision today. There is little that is new, but so much of it just draws out the crucial and essential heart and DNA of the Army that we passionately need to see Renewed. I started this whole blogging thing about 7.5 years ago, convinced that renewal needed to happen, that there needed to be clear missional and adventurous leadership at the top and all the way down to the most recent convert.

I want to just affirm each section of the vision and weep a tear over every commitment because I long to see the Army being like this. My comments are in italics.

The Salvation Army's International Vision

ONE ARMY: We see a God-raised, Spirit-filled Army for the 21st century - convinced of our calling, moving forward together - let us all be convinced about who God has called us to be!

We will

deepen our spiritual life - God grant it! A Salvation Army which sells is people short of full salvation (and I mean it in the second-blessing entire sanctification message that it is) isn't The Salvation Army. We were born with a passionate spirituality. Today many people couldn't explain what it means to be holy - I see it on the social networks all the time and the concept of holiness is a mystery. We must first experience it afresh and then testify to it and preach it. Not just holiness, but a rigorous gospel of salvation centered upon the person of Jesus and every other spiritual disciple exercised to boot.

unite in prayer - Come on! As with many things, the Army was doing half and whole nights of prayer long before the 24/7 prayer vision came forth....its why that 24/7 has seemed so natural to the Army....its in our DNA. Prayer is the boiler room of the Army, its our Holy Spirit fuel pump. Bring it!

identify and develop leaders - Our desperate need! Listen, we already have a healthier culture of training leaders from young ages like no other situation I've seen but we've got a way to go. We gotta get rid of the clergy-laity thing...its an insult to the whole people of God. We need to make leaders of all people....whether you're going to lead the Army, a Territory, a DHQ, corps, band, young people's group, toddler group, hostel or whether you're going to lead in your workplace and in your family, we need to be developed. Our mission stations equip people to lead others towards their potential in Christ. We need to recover the very heart of spiritual leadership - and recognise that professional development doesn't necessairly equate to leadership development. I could say more, but please Lord, we need renewal in this area.

increase self-support and self-denial - Open the purse strings, Lord! This needs to happen not just with Territories supporting other Territories and Commands, but corps supporting corps. There are loads of mission situations (like our corps at Torry for example) which was poor as anything...not only that, not real potential for raising it without hugely diverting from vast amounts of the mission. Lets not use money, or lack of money, as a threat....lets resource mission generously and sacrificially.

ONE MISSION: Into the world of the hurting, broken, lonely, dispossessed and lost, reaching them in love by all means

We will

emphasise our integrated ministry - Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, Lord! God doesn't have two missions. He has one mission and it is the 'healing of the nations' and all that encompasses. Mass redemption is the plan. Founded on Jesus, Kingdom Ministry. Anything else isn't authentic Salvo mission.

reach and involve youth and children - I've been really big on this one recently. My current situation outside the Army just doesn't see the potential of children and young people to be radical disciples of Jesus. The Army has the heart and the vision - it just need released, resouces and infused with the passionate DNA of all thats true to Salvationist calling and mission. We need to act on our convictions.

stand for and serve the marginalised - Oh Lord help us! You know, we're neglecting the poor. I mean, I know the Army does lots of stuff for people...but the poor are no longer 'our people' because so often we've opted to choose forselves a people more like our middle class selves. The Army doesn't make sense in the suburbs....we're made for the streets and the darkest alleys. I can't tell you how many times I've met Jesus there. Its where we belong.

encourage innovation in mission - I could cry at this one. If I ever failed in my officership, its because I just couldn't help but believe that the Army just weren't willing to see change. Easy to say with hindsight I should have had more patience. In her video, the General states that the answer in every mission board should be 'YES!' unless there is a good reason to say no. She admits that so often its a resounding 'NO!!!' until you can convince them 5 times why it should be a YES! This is true in my experience. You know what, in our leadership and discpling, its so important that people begin to learn not only from success, but from their errors on the way.....we shouldn't be failing not having tried. We should be trying, adapting, reassessing, venturing out all the way.....finding our own Nos on the ground instead of in the boardroom. If something is true to the Army DNA, calling and mission, the answer can only be YES! and AMEN!

ONE MESSAGE: With the transforming message of Jesus, bringing freedom, hope and life

We will

communicate Christ unashamedly - Jesus all the way! One of my heart issues (as opposed to pragmatic or mission issues) that lead to me leaving the Army is that I'd fallen into the trap of making it about something else other than Jesus. Other things became more important than him, especially when I was trying to respond to the demands of 'man'. My time out has been a radical refocus on Jesus that I needed outside the context of the Army to help me see the Army in the right perspective to Jesus. This is valuable friends. But I think many of our mission centres need this, our officers, and our soldiers too. Jesus is Lord!

reaffirm our belief in transformation - God dragged me from the pit and changed my life entirely...he broke the cycle of generations of my family with no hope and no salvation. If he can do it for me, he can do it for anyone. We shall be changed!

evangelise and disciple effectively - a fresh vision of Jesus will fix this. As will a re-shifting away from clerical officership. The whole Army mobilised! We need to make disciples who make disciples who make disciples who make disciples!

provide quality teaching resources- you know, we need to have ways to fire the vision that God has given to us....not the vision that he's given to Hybels or Schwatrz or even Cole or Hirsch. Sure, all these brothers and sisters can teach us and help us. Of course we consult them and use their teaching to our advantage. But I believe we have a specific charism and calling under God and we have to explore that and know it in our head as well as our heart. We need to know what we're about and infuse and enthuse our people with a vision thats bigger than our own blinkered back yard and beyond looking whats happening in our neighbours back yard and thinking it will work for us. There is some good Salvo flavoured resouce starting to flow again in the Army.....we need more.

So.....thats my initial take. I hope you can hear my heart on this. I love that this vision has been expressed in this way and in these tangible and simple terms. This is the kind of vision that sparks vision AND action. As a soldier, even a soldier in full time ministry in another denomination, I long to have this vision as the vision for my life. Its what I've been trying to sing to for years. There are so many echoes here with what Knaggs and Court wrote in 'One for All'. You gotta find this for yourselves and give your lives to it to the Glory of God in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ by the sanctifiying and purifying power of the Holy Spirit to propell us to action. Lord, bring it!

The General's Vision

2011-10-13T14:59:00.000Z

General Bond has issued the following vision statement. Great stuff. I can happily sign my name to that. A few things I want to comment on...will post them at some point soon. Here goes for the vision:

The Salvation Army's International Vision

ONE ARMY: We see a God-raised, Spirit-filled Army for the 21st century - convinced of our calling, moving forward together

We will

deepen our spiritual life
unite in prayer
identify and develop leaders
increase self-support and self-denial

ONE MISSION: Into the world of the hurting, broken, lonely, dispossessed and lost, reaching them in love by all means

We will

emphasise our integrated ministry
reach and involve youth and children
stand for and serve the marginalised
encourage innovation in mission

ONE MESSAGE: With the transforming message of Jesus, bringing freedom, hope and life

We will

communicate Christ unashamedly
reaffi rm our belief in transformation
evangelise and disciple eff ectively
provide quality teaching resources

Why community isn't enough

2011-10-06T13:08:00.003Z

We all crave it. We all crave significant connections at deeper levels...especially when it comes to living out faith. I mean, there are some who avoid it, but hey, thats a matter of the heart. In my view, when we connect with God we automatically have the desire to connect with others.

But, we're not commanded to go into the world and build community. Indeed, there is no real scriptural injuction to build community at all...not in and of itself. No, Christian community is not just built on relationship, it is centred around Jesus. It is that unique connection to Jesus that automatically creates community. Our response is to make space for it, celebrate it an embrace our brother and sister.

It's not enough, though. Community won't save the world. Jesus can. Community might show Jesus to the world...in fact I think that we can only show Jesus to the world if we do it together....I in myself am not a complete picture of some of the stuff Jesus is doing. But its not even enough just to 'show Jesus.'

Community has to become communitas.

"Communitas is an acute point of community. It takes community to the next level and allows the whole of the community to share a common experience, usually through a rite of passage. This brings everyone onto an equal level: even if you are higher in position, you have been lower and you know what that is. "

Communitas is where those that make up the community are filled and bound to the spirit of that community. For the Army, its no rite of passage which creates it, but it is the infilling of the Spirit which indwells and then propels people into mission. We can share it equally with soldier and Commissioner. Our common experience is to engage together to win the world for Jesus.

So, a community which has communitas will not rest at simply being community. It will roll up its sleeves and respond to the world around it. Neither will it spend all its energy focussed on itself....it will have its focus on others because this is why we exist. It won't simply rely on the power of community to do the talk, it will harness the power within it, the very Spirit of Jesus, to fuel it and fire it up. This will move us out of the comfort zone and resting on our laurels to every sphere of mission...together.

Listen to Alan Hirsch as he speaks to the heart of everything that is Salvationist:

Come on! Comrades of the world unite! ;)

I can see you!

2011-09-30T00:52:00.001Z

So, as The Salvation Army we're pretty visible...or are we? Its weird that lots of Salvos doen't always dig the visibility thing. I don't want to judge their motives, but you have to wonder why people, Salvos especially, wouldn't want to be visible when you have a mission to do. Lets not get into the 'fashion' aspects of uniform....I mean, I'm talking the whole gambit of visibility here - everything from high collar to Army t-shirt n jeans.

The last year has been weird in many respets in that I've worn uniform very little (although I have tramped through the streets of Newcastle in a Street Pastor uniform). Totally weird for me - at one point I hardly owned any clothes that weren't uniform. I've entered the 'invisible' Christian world and it has been interesting to say the least.

The first thing I really notice is that no-one talks to you. Not really. Its tough to strike up conversations without a context. I've also noticed that its very easy and tempting to remain anonymous in the neighbourhood where I live and even where I work in Gosforth. Thats weird....usually a year in a place I'd have established myself as a presence locally. I've noticed also that because I'm not 'dressed up' I really don't have anywhere to go! When you're a turasaiche (traveller, vagabond, nomad) like me, you have to have strategies to strike up relationships quick.

Of course, much mission strategy is founded upon relational and missional type approaches these days....this is all fantastic, I mean, I encourage that ....people should be in significant relationships with independents (those living independent from Jesus). I encourage all the long termers in this community to focus on that as a priority. Yet, it is foolish, entirely foolish, to put all our eggs in one basket. It also creates a rather limited focus of outreach other than relational. Read me, I'm not dissing relational at all....but I don't think it will win the whole War of Love. If this is true for my work context, its certainly true for Salvationists.

At the end of the day, we have a gift of visibility and a credible 'brand'. What are we doing with it? People are generally positive (if not bemused) by us. Whilst the days are for us, is it not prudent for the Kingdom to be using this gift to its absolutely greatest advantage? It was seeing a uniform in the street that started me on the tracks of exploration into the Army and within a few weeks finding Jesus.

The other thing I note is that no-one in the last year has tried to 'evangelise' me other than the JWs. Even local Salvos who had no idea who I am, at least in the initial months, made no attempt to talk to me inspite of hanging round to test em out (sneaky, I know). I include in that sitting on a park bench near an open air. I was offered a songsheet but no conversation or other engagement. But hey, it was happening! Those guys were there doing the stuff, regarldess of the confidence of the folks doing it.

In one way, all evangelism is relational....sometimes we just have to find ways of striking up relationships quick. I mean, it we take the gospel seriously and don't get misled by people who try to downplay the urgency of the gospel message by taking away the penalty of sin, regadless of where our starting point is in evangelism, its crucial they get to hear eventually and that probably will only come with a follower of Jesus initiating a conversation. People get silly and say 'you can't treat people as projects.' Who is? At the end of the day, we are co-workers with Christ - he sends us into the field to make disciples of all nations.....who is to say that the people we engage aren't the ones a) who are more ready for the seed of the gospel to be planted and b) are who God has been actively drawing to himself and getting response from.

Lets use every positive thing we can to be visible, available and ready to engage folks. Our Sally suits are one of the best tools we have when we fill them with hearts of compassion and zeal for the Lord mixeed with great love and grace.

Tugboats, Tankers, Cruiseliners and Lifeboats.

2011-09-27T16:00:00.000Z

Remember Phil Wall? I do. Used to lead the 'mission team' in the UK, also CSM at Raynes Park Corps. His influence was massive on me in my earlier Army days, particularly through the early Roots conferences at Southport. Literally changed my life and the flavour of my Jesus following. He got us all fired up for the gospel and a radical brand of Salvationism which was much rarer in the UK then than even it is now.

I remember one particular year....might be Roots, maybe somewhere else.....around the late mid-late 90s where he painted the picture of The Salvation Army as being a massive oil tanker forging its way through the ocean. These things, once they are moving, take an absolute age to stop....ie around 25 - 30 miles before they come to a halt. And then the effort comes to get them to go a different way.

Phil said 'Who will be tugboats for Jesus....pulling The Salvation Army back into alignment with where God would take it?' Tugboats for Jesus. We all stood-up/kneeled/prayed/worshipped/surrendered/sang our commitment to be tugboats for Jesus. I went back to my corps and started tugging....so they cut the ropes, to one extent or another.

OK, I thought. If I can't tug it, I'll try to get onboard and steer at least one part of it. So, they let me train to be an officer. I did some decent tugging and steering at college and after commissioning, I steered some mini-tankers. Well, we turned a few degrees in some places, more in others, less in some. Soon enough, we ended up with a scene from 'Guys and Dolls': "SIDDOWN.....YOU'RE ROCKING THE BOAT!" ...and the people all said siddown....siddown you're rocking the boat.

Booth's Vision of the drowning multitude

There are days when I'd wonder if the boat was worth it. There have been days of late when I just got off the boat altogether and joined the crew of a cruiseliner instead! The cruiseliner is lovely. The captain is steering, everyone is having a great time. But then, every now and then, I stand and look out into the sea and there is a different thing going on out there. Vast swathes of people drowning in sin and circumstance.

The cruiseliner begins to lose its appeal. The tugboats seem distracted, the oil tanker just doesn't seem interested and is sometime powerless to do anything....its course seems so predetermined.

So, a different boat is needed. The lifeboat, neglecting the need to be any of the other kinds of boats, doesn't concern itself with the same stuff the others do. Its much more content to be at sea whenever there are those in need. Its often under funded, unseen, with a much smaller crew than the other boats, but the biggest difference is that it saves lives.

My theory is this: if we man the lifeboats, we will save enough people to build more lifeboat crews. Soon enough there will be more people manning the lifeboats than manning the other ships and the seas will be fully manned.

I want to be a lifeboat captain. I'd advocate that Jesus manned a lifeboat crew. They missioned, rescued, saved, healed, but when they weren't 'at sea' they ate, built community, were trained up, slept and prayed. He only went near the cruiseship (temple) to remind them that there was a mission to be done out at sea (see Luke 4 for example)

To change the metaphor: "Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell." CT Studd.

Soldiership

2011-09-21T22:48:00.000Z

I wear soldier eppaulettes these days, so what I'm going to say may seem like something of an anti-officer rant. It isn't. Incidentally, I often would say the same thing when I was an officer, so I hope that deals with the issue of 'biased perspective.' I've written at length here about the unhealthy divide between clergy/lay within The Salvation Army and the clericalisation of officership. I think it remains a big issue within The Army and the level to which it is dealt with and resolved is the extent to which The Army will release as much of its human resource as possible in a healthy way. The increase in the use of the term 'ordination' is increasing more and more in relation to officers. I did a bit of a litmus test between two versions of the SA Year Book. Between 2000 and 2010, the use of the word 'ordination' in reference to officers had gone up from about 6 uses in 2000 to nearly 70 references in 2010 (if I remember the figure correctly).

The Officer is, of course, a soldier too. She/he is in the fight too. But the officer's role is a strategic leadership one. Its a co-ordinative role, an equipping role. The aim is to co-ordinate the Salvation War of Love. That is not a denegration of officership, it is a raising up of officership to its rightful purpose and usefulness. The fact that officers are trained to be priests/pastors/clergy is a different matter entirely.

The soldier is the front line. Even as I type that, I can hear officers getting upset. True, there are many officers who are very front line in terms of what their appointment needs. But this is often because the soldiery have been treated as 'laity' and not as covenanted soldiers. Not necessarily by this generation of officers who find themselves increasingly front line with few soldiers, but because in the last 40 years or so, clericalisation has come upon officership and many have embraced it. As officership has embraced clericalism, so the emphasis and potency of soldiership in the Army has declined.

As a younger man, I had a very active soldiership between the ages of 15 and 20, after which I became the then equivalent of envoy/sergeant (depending on your territory) and then an officer. I was preaching in the corps from age 16, leading, teaching, witnessing and preaching in the open air, leading Alpha courses, pioneering children's work, as well as all the usual minsitry in a 'regular' corps of band, songsters, etc etc and the ministry opportunities invovled there. I also fed the homeless on the streets, sallied up and went out on purpose to engage people with the gospel....not to forget selling the War Cry!

The truth is that I had more opportunities for mission as a soldier than as an officer. Thats how it should be! At stages along the journey, you see, were officers who cheered me on and sent me out. I had access to places, people and situations they would never have access to. I had schools full of teenage peers, streets full of people I knew very well, I had a regular job which brought me into contact with many people. It was the true front line. I loved it and it made me the person I am today. I had a vigorous soldiership.

Soldiership needs to be seen for what it is, it needs to be recovered significantly. Soldiership is not membership of a corps...it is not 'church membership' or even Army membership. Soldiers sign a covenant, a particular rule of life. It is not synonymous to being a part of the universal body of Christ. Why? because you don't need a piece of paper to belong to Jesus. You are automatically belong to Jesus when you confess him as Lord. No, if soldiership is our standard for membership of the church it is heresy, entirely.

Soldiership is a vocation, a calling, wherein you sign up to live in a certain way: a life of mission, holiness, sacrifice and with some distinctive 'signs' there too (no alcohol, smoking, drugs, sex out of marriage, porn etc etc) People get upset that there are 'extra requirements' to be a soldier. I can understand that if you view soldiership as membership. But thats not how it was intended to be and its not what it is on paper!

It is monastic in nature. Monastic is the best way to understand the intentions of the whole idea of soldiership. Not in the sense of hiding away in seclusion, no, we're talking and active monasticism....like Friars, brothers (and sisters) on the road preaching the gospel and tending the poor. Soldiership is a way of life. (Incidentally, the then Commissioner Shaw Clifton, in my view, missed the point when he denied the monastic nature of soldiership. Whilst its not necessarily true to call the Army an order ecclesiastically, it is certainly the case the we have an order of covenanted soldiers and officers within the Army - in theory if not in practice!)

But it has become bland church membership. How sad, what a pale reflection of the potential of soldiership that is. When I was a recruit, my corps officer led me to have no doubt that this was a giving away of my life, it was about more than simply identifying with the Army. I hope that I've communicated that effectively to the soldiers that I have recruited and enrolled over the years. In our day, people are again discovering the power of covenants, rules of life, missional movements and communities.....becoming bands of missioners as opposed to church members. The Army has been out in the lead amongst the contemporary evangelical church since our conception with this one....lets not miss the boat unless this is to be yet another area where we will be robbed of our crown.

It was Dietrich Bonnhoeffer who said: "The renewal of the church will come from a new type of monasticism which only has in common with the old an uncompromising allegiance to the Sermon on the Mount. It is high time men and women banded together to do this."

Let us, as Salvationists, catch up with our own vision which others are only aspiring to!

Mercy Seat comes home!

2011-09-18T22:26:00.001Z

Ceitidh testing out the Mercy Seat

A few thoughts collided the other week and I decided to go for it! I've long been wanting to set up a prayer area at home for us as a family as a constant visual reminder that God is among us and to encourage the children in particular to engage creatively in prayer rather than just at the 'standard' times.

I'd also been missing access to the Mercy Seat, not only in the context of public worship, but for myself. Sure, in the words of Brengle, we can go to the Mercy Seat in our hearts. Sure, we can pray anywhere. But we want, as a family, to have God at the centre and a reminder of his call to us to seek him and be in relationship with him: saved and sanctified.

So, having saved up some pennies I was gifted for my birthday, we went out in search of a simple bench that would be our family Mercy Seat. As time goes on, we will use the tiles from the unused fireplace to post prayers and pics of those we are praying for.

As I expected would happen, as soon as Ceitidh came in from school and saw the new addition to our lounge furniture, she just had to try it out!

Crazy? Yep, a bit. But the question is: Would your home benefit from a Mercy Seat? Go on.....you know you want one!

Set up ready to go!

Mercy Seat in practical mode as extra seating

What do we bring?

2011-09-09T13:15:00.000Z

Its true. Salvos don't have the monopoly on the gospel. Its bigger than us, huge, massive....salvation is absolutely colossal. The whole of the body of Christ can get stuck in, enveloped, captured, inspire and propelled by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Its boundless, unmeasured and freedom giving. Lets not limit it at all.

But let me tell you something today: we have a massive perspective to bring to the wider body of Christ when it comes to the gospel. We live in a world, especially in the West, where we are in the grips of times we've never seen before since our lands were filled with those who chase after other gods. For many people Christianity and the church is but a monument of something passed. The world is disengaged with the gospel. But you know what? The church is becoming disengaged with the gospel. It is losing confidence in the person of Jesus Christ.

Its happening in the Army too. What do we Salvos bring to the table in this whole thing?

1. Whosoever will - you know, most of the big name stars in the church today thinks Jesus died for a few that God fancied saving. You're either in or out from birth and even before birth. Its not difficult to see how to get that from the bible and many people do. But we Salvos don't get it. We hold to the fact that yes, God is Sovereign and he knows who will eventually accept him, but that its not governed by him, but that the atonement us unlimited, for who whole world! More than that....we think they can all be holy too!

2. The World for God - And because we believe no. 1, we are frantic missioners of the whole world. 127 countries and counting the Army spreads the message of the whosoever. We have a massive international vision. The internet has brought us all closer. I can enjoy daily interaction with brothers and sisters from Australia, Canada, the US, Romania, Russia, France, and even Scotland in the comfort of my own front room and we can scheme together, plan together for the sake of the gospel.

3. Common covenant - Stephen Court rightly identifies that covenant is the thing that will stop fragmentation in the Army. Not, I don't think, because we want to create a sausage factory. But my experience of late tells me this - it is EXTREMELY difficult to work in mission and discipleship in an environment when no one know exactly what we're talking about when we say those things. Sure, corps lose their way too - we lose our sense of mission and the radical call to discipleship. But hey, we have a few things written down about what we believe as a benchmark and we can point to it. Not to beat each other up with it, as is what sometimes happenes in corps which focus on the law of the written word instead of the spirit of it, but hey, on the whole we know what we're on about. That creates focus and when harnessed, should build strong communitas amongst those we mission with. Get it?

4. Gospel for the poor - let me say first of all that in this area, God is already raising up people to 'steal our crown' on this one. We're not so good news for the poor as we always think and let ourselves think. But regarldless of how well we do it, we are a movement who is more interested in the hopeless communities than we are the leafy suburbs. Right? I mean, the poor are our people. We mission not just to them, for them, but we have the theology built into our DNA from the beginning that says we mission with them (assuming that you reading are not poor because you're reading this on the internet access you have).

Folks, I'm sure if I thought longer, there would be other things but these 4 things strike me as the things that are unique to what we bring. These things bring a very unique shape to the way we follow Jesus. Lets think about these things and see if we can't live them out in the environments we are in, whether we spend our whole lives at the Army or not.

Free E-book! 'REVOLUTION' by White and Court

2011-09-07T17:39:00.001Z

And whilst we're on a roll of posting documents, here is a copy of 'REVOLUTION' by Aaron White and Maj Stephen Court (uploaded for you at the request of Stephen). White and Court set out the radical call for primitive Salvo mission in a fresh and compelling vision

. You'll want to download it and read it.

REVOLUTION

Unleashing the Apostolic Genius in The Salvation Army

2011-09-06T14:47:00.001Z

This document was originally a blog series and also appeared as an article in JAC 65 where I was guest editor. Here I trace the fundemental elements of apostolic mission in the early Army and how we might need to recover them today.

Unleashing the Apostolic Genius in the Salvation Army

Essentially Salvationist: Thoughts on Exile

2011-09-05T00:44:00.000Z

I know you must be asking the question as to why I am blogging here again. The answer is simple. Even working 'in exile' from The Army, the whole of my spiritual make up, background, theology and spiritual DNA is Salvo flavoured. I still preach like a Salvo, pray like a Salvo, mission like a Salvo...still 'defined', even in my current role as 'Salvo'. As in, 'This is Andrew Clark from The Salvation Army working with us here at Trinity'. I don't correct them, to be honest.

There are still many aspects of institutional SA that are less than inspiring or attractive - I am not forgetting that at all. I have no rose tinted spectacles and was never under any illusion that the grass would be greener anywhere else. You may know that it was never our intention to leave, we planned to stay at Torry as bi-vocational soldiers until it became clear that it wasn't going to financially possible for us to stay in the light of a few Army decisions and we had to move for work in the end.

This 'exile' may be permanent. The call might be to make my home 'out here' in the wider church. The call might be to come back and take my place on the field. What is certain though is that whatever the future holds, it is the Lord God who must be the one who gives the command. We are in no doubt that we are following where he is leading. He often reveals just glimpses of his sheer competency to work out his will in spite of the odds. We simply want to be at the centre of his will for us wherever that is and in whatever way he wants us to serve him.

The Army at it's best is a Jesus centred movement. Salvation, holiness and mission fused together with a passion for Jesus. These are the things that are essentially Salvo that no one in their right mind walks away from. As for covenant and calling, the Lord has that in his grasp.

Win the World for Jesus

2011-09-01T00:09:00.001Z

The World for God!

I never read a good book just once. I was revisiting the middle of the three books in 'One for All' by Knaggs and Court that I recently reviewed as I was particularly struck by a few things the first time through. 'One Thing - Win the World for Jesus' is a really engaging little volume. You can read it in one sitting but it presents no small challenge or empty rhetoric.

I love any book that has a chapter called 'How?' Its fair to say that there is a good reason to suggest that Salvationists will know why we need to Win the World for Jesus. However, in some situations, there needs to be a dreaming of what it means, what it will take and how to set out on the journey.

Knaggs and Court suggest ways of Salvation Army mission units might begin the advance. Here they are with my comment on them.

New corps. Planting new corps and new churches is a solidly proven way of winning the world. Army history is littered with the proof of this method over the years. In its earlier days, up until the late 1890s, the Army planted new corps at a phenomenal rate and masses of people were saved, discipled and deployed. In our nations today, there are plenty of communities with no Army mission taking place, but more than that, there are many communties where there is no evangelical witness. So, there are two things here I think. There will be areas where the niche of Army mission is needed and these should be identified and people sent. This could be done up and down the nations too, and the Army can become determined, like the apostle Paul, to plant the gospel on no-one's foundation but the one he lays (Christ) as an expert builder. There are just too many corps not giving birth, too few officers and soldiers being released to plant.
New cells The first criticism of the first point, planting new corps, will in many cases be finance and personel. Some church planting methods are cluttered and complicated. They can be expensive too. The concept of the multiplying cell, or the small missional community, is mission dynamite. Most corps can work up leaders to lead a small group of others. With the right input and freedom, these can develop and allow their Salvo mission DNA to infuse them with the passion and desire not only to meet behind closed doors, but in creative community together in a given locality. Soldier/local officer led mini-corps springing up everywhere - a key to the advance in these days where the culture of 'come to us' attractional mission is losing its effectiveness greatly.
New congregations We are slowly recognising the backwardness of God only being 'open for business' on Sunday mornings between 10am and 12pm. Our society isn't built around Christendom values and weekly patterns and hasn't been for a very long time. Society is 24/7. The good news is that Sunday morning is no more sacred than any other time. So yes, we can engage with the familes for whom Sunday is the only day off by gathering people on a Monday night instead. We can engage the cafe culture with late evening cafe church at the local Starbucks (other coffee brands are available). We can engage pretty much anyone we want at any time if we have the vision. We live in a global society, but one which is increasingly becoming tribal and sub-sections of society appear in an amazing variety of shapes. Each tribe needs to be reached and brought into relationship with others.
New types of corps Professor John Drane talks about 'the McDonaldisation of the Church.' I think if any people got close to McDonaldisation, it was probably the Army. Gone are the days where you can go to any corps, in any city or town, in any country around the world and be able to feel as if you had just walked down the road from your home! Praise God that the things that unite us are our values and patterns more than our physical shape, appearance and style. We need all sorts of expressions of corps life to meet the needs of the communities they serve. One size doesn't fit all. Thats not the missionary method being applied here. This needs to be heralded from the top of a flag pole - different communities need different approaches and different way of being. Those also need different ways to be held accountable, measured and developed than with the tools you want to measure everything else by. Creativity needed!
New networks. I think I'm the point in case for this one. My circumstances at the moment mean that my main connection with the Army is online. I work for the Methodists in a full-time post. There is much to do in harnessing the new world of social networking and social media. It is in that sense that Knaggs is my territorial commander and Court is my DC. Initiatives like iSalvos connect people around the world in creative ways (or it did....what happened there?) But beyond the world of social networking, there are the physical and social circles that we meet in which may only very rarely have any 'Christian presence' with in them. Mission is as key there as anyone else. Its so important that we allow folks freedome to invest in pursing relational networks with others. Don't question their holiness because they are on the football sidelines with their children of a Sunday morning but praise thier commitment to radically invest in the lives of others. Thats not a get out clause, but its what will happen when innovation and passion takes over....things will take shape and we'll need to adapt.
Candidates Knaggs and Court outline the need for officers. I agree this needs to happen but I also suspect that officership will need to change shape to in some ways to ensure people that they won't get swallowed up by the corporate hairball (See 'Orbiting the Giant Hairball' by Gordon McKenzie) Noland picks up on the need for giving people more space in another part of the trilogy, but I think this is particularly the case when it comes to officership. This is no 'free for all' - officers need to relate to the Army, but more creatives need to do that (we all need to do that) by orbiting rather than by being those who add to the hairball. Sorry if you don't get the analogy....the book is worth reading!
Missions teams. They talk about the emergence of mission teams in territories as sort of SAS groups to mission-whack areas as some sort of specialists. It was helpful-ish, but only to the extent that it inspired the local and left a legacy. Mission is not the work of specialists, its the work of every disciple and so yes, every ministry needs to become a mission team (band, home league, youth, etc etc)
Corps-focussed chaplaincy. This is about coming alongside our communities, offering presence, a listening ear and practical service. Youth organisations, prisons, fire, police, local authority etc etc etc. I think there are two ways you can do chaplaincy...you can do it from a position of empire where by you turn up and just do the traditional Christendom thing of being nice and pastoral....or, we can come alongside as the prophet speaking from the outside of a thing to the very heart of it. Salvationists have been fantastic at this for ages and often present a less threatening presence than 'clergy.'
(and 9b, lets call it) Corps-focussed social programmes & social programme focussed corps These, in my mind, shouldn't necessarily appear separately. The aim is surely integrated mission with the division between evangelism and social action isn't carved out, but co-exist in a complimentary relationship in the context of community. I can see, however, that in terms of adaption, the two entities - corps and social programmes - may need to make the shift to integrate the other aspect. However, certainly when starting from scratch anywhere, we would want to aim for seamless joints.
Conversions. In the simplest term, we're talking about people who repent, believe and follow Jesus. In more complex terms, we're talking about the ways that people engage on a whole journey and clinch the deal on the way. But, in both cases, the fruit is passionate followers of Jesus. Changed lives. Jesus-shaped lives. The world can't be won without it.

So, 10 (11 really but I joined 2) great areas needing much investment of energy and creativity. There is one more thing I want to say though.

I do believe that there is a massive difference between triumphal imperialism and incarnational Jesus-centred mission. When we talk about winning the world for Jesus, we want to create a radical alternative expression of life in the Kingdom of God, not the strange complexity of church-state relationship. Yes, we want to see the Kingdom come in every which way. But if we learn anything from the last 1600 years, we learn that you can't just call a nation Christian and expect to come out with a pure, Jesus following, passionate body of disciples. At best, there is more freedom and acceptance for Christians in the public square. At worst, you can create nominalism and a church that has to compromise to much to get on with the state. We need to separate the imperialism and power games that led to the creation of Christendom and recognise that we have and are part of an alternative Kingdom which even when realised on the earth, continues to stand as a powerful contrast to the kingdoms of the world. More about 'post-Christendom' elsewhere on the blog.

So, lets win the world for Jesus..with Jesus...and through Jesus!

Exploring a Vision

2011-08-31T00:43:00.000Z

Booth's vision of rescuing people from the Sea of Misery

The blog post quoted below, dating to back to early 2007, is the vision God gave me for my officership before we were 'interupted' in 2010. It came in a dream, I seem to remember. I can still see the place in my minds eye today and this blog post below was just an attempt to write what I could see. Since writing it, I've discovered the missional movement, the simple church movement, the organic church movement, the new monastic movement and all that sort of stuff - there are so many things that speak into this original vision now and that seem to link to a wider thing that God is doing in his church.

Whether we will ever realise this vision in the Army now I don't know. We made some steps towards something similar in Torry where we refined many aspects of the vision and worked with the limitations that were there. The vision still inspires me today and in honesty its the kind of thing I'd want to invest in. It excites me, I can see it, hear it. It certainly does strike a contrast to your 'regular corps' but then I think it is a vibrant and engaging possibility. Hope it is of interest!

___________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Simple Mission

I've got a dream. Its best encapsulated by the phrase 'Simple Mission.' Let me explain how I see it.

It is a corps of soldiers and local officers working a geographical area. It is, of course, a ward based corps, so the main teaching, prayer, worship and pastoral care happens in a network of small groups. New converts are also plugged straight into these groups because this corps doesn't hold conventional meetings...not every week anyway. Now thats a good job, because this corps doesn't have a very expensive building to maintain because its much more Kingdom efficient to just rent the local school hall when all the wards come together for celebration.

The corps does, however, have a decent sized shop front in the main street of the town. This shop front is the hub of the mission. It has a 24/7 prayer room too. There might be a couple of offices at the back, but the front is just kitted out with sofas, a few tables and chairs and a coffee machine, and its open as much as possible. Its not a scant building though, it is simple yet attractive, modern. People float in and out all day, the young people gravitate there in the evening. Its the kinda place you want to spend some time.

As well as the ward meeting, the soldiers engage in brigade activity. They all get together at another time in the week and get out into the community. Maybe there is some outdoor worship, maybe some will be out doing prayer ministry door to door, some will be ministering practically to the poor. Others will be using the hub providing a course for new parents. Others will be prayer walking. Some might do an afterschool club at the hub to keep kids busy until bedtime. Others might be leading midweek worship at another church. Others are mingling in the local pub with the regulars. Yet more are befriending elderly folks, encouraging them to come down to the hub and meet a few people. Folk from all the wards get together to have a band practice because they spend their Sundays speading the word at as many public parks and events as possible during the summer and they love to go carolling at Christmas.

Others give free hours to the local Salvation Army hostel to help maintain the important spiritual work of saving men and women from addiction. The whole corps is invovled in mission yet everyone has much more time to be building personal networks of friends to invite to their ward because they are not down the Army doing all manner of stuff every night. At the bare minimum, people are attending their ward and doing a couple of hours brigade activity. Others are so enthused that mission is happening that they just want to give as much time as possible to the corps mission and they love manning the hub and supporting other brigade activity.

The corps officers devote their time to training the soldiers and local leaders. They get stuck in along with the rest of the soldiers with the brigade activity. They make the hub their base for most of the week. They may even be overseeing two or three hubs. The Army now has a less officer-centred ministry because of this dedication to simple mission because the whole Army is mobilised. The officer is now released to lead, direct and oversee...pointing out gaps in the strategy, manouvering troops, providing coherence, overseeing the pastoral work of the Ward Sergeants. The officers aren't shattered because they aren't having to carry the whole Army's mission on their own. They have plenty of time for their mariages and families and there is much less unrealistic expectation thrust on them compared to what it was like before the change.

The Army has come into its finest hour and we're opening new corps all over the place. Thousands are being saved, resources are plentiful and joy has returned to The Salvation Army.

Do you see it?

What are we doing?

2011-08-29T23:13:00.001Z

At William Booth College, on Thursdays they had cadets meetings every now and again. I can't remember what they called them. Bascially, a night of worship etc organised by cadets for the college community. One of the times they had a sort of 'open mic' night and people were just invited to share whatever it was God wanted them to share. I was sitting there and starting to get 'that feeling' in the pit of my stomach...that feeling where you have to stand up and say something. Might not happen in your church circles, but not out of place in Army circles ('a soldier is ready to preach, pray or die at a moments notice' says Booth).

So, I move to the front. I put my bible on the floor and I stand on it, literally.

I don't remember exactly what I said, but I felt led to do it and I imagine that I gave a word about the importance of having the word of God as our foundation and not moving from it.

And therein lies my problem. I do confess I have a problem.

The journey between that kairos moment (for me at least) and now has more or less been the fall-out resulting from seeking to live out what it says. Now, I'm not saying that being in The Salvation Army as an officer is a direct contravention of scripture....as such. However, in the years that were to follow I just kept on getting myself into trouble for the whole Bible thing. Dyed-in-the-wool Salvationist, that I was (am), I believe all the SA doctrines, especially the first one, which says 'we believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God and that they only constitute the divine rule of Christian faith and practice.' (I didn't even have to look that up).

What does that mean? Well, I might be a bit dumb, but I think that it means the we believe that the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God and that they only constitute the divine rule of Christian faith and practice! But what does that mean?

All the way through my time as a 'fully-fledged officer', I was aware of asking this question. The first assumption I quickly came to was that my estimations were that my base gifting was not that of 'pastor' - at least not in the modern day sense. Not in the sense of 'preach the sermon, feed the sheep, visit the sick and talk about ingrown toenails' variety. I didn't see that in the bible. I couldn't find the pattern of the one man band. Even in partnership with Tracy, many of the corps folks were still looking for 'the male officer.' Whats that about?

My problem was that I had been eisegeting, instead of exegeting. Those are bible college words for what we do with the bible. To eisegete, we start from our subjective point of view and read in our workings and justify it from the bible. What we should be doing is 'to exegete' - to go to the bible, discern what it is saying, and then allow that to determine our practice. I soon discovered that it was much more than just the shape of ministry that I was eisegeting and so I made a determination to move to exegeting instead. Well, there went my nice officership.

I use this to illustrate a general point. I'm not the first to do this, in fact Catherine Booth does it in the opening chapter of her Papers on Aggressive Christianity: suppose that we forget the hundreds of years of church history and just had before us the gospels, the book of Acts of the Apostles' and the rest of the New Testament, what would we make of it? I mean, if we were starting fresh, would we do what we do now and have what we have now? Would we meet like we do? Would we live like we do? Would we lead like we do? I mean, really, what would the priorities be?

I'm not advocating 'blueprint-ism' here - some sort of 'we must do it exactly like 1st century church. What I am saying is that if we were starting now to form Christian community using the pages of the New Testament and translating it into our culture, I doubt if we'd come up with what we have got now. I mean, who from reading the New Testament would get the idea of turning up to a big (or small) hall twice on a Sunday, sing some songs and listening to one person 'perform' the whole thing? No, you just wouldn't get that.

I mean, it strikes me that the big ole message of Jesus was to love God and love one another. That has to be up there as the whole point of the whole thing. Number one, right up there. And you know, how well can we love one another doing what we do when we gather? That has to be the key. Is what we do and how we meet the best way to love one another? Maybe why this is why the believers met day by day in the temple courts AND ate in one another's homes, breaking bread. A whole load of 'one anothers'. There are a total of 54 'one anothers' in the New Testament. And most of them are impractical things to acheive in the way we often do the church thing.

The second ole thing is that they gathered to listen to the apostle's teaching, they prayed, there were close enough to practically love one another, making sure that no-one amongst them was in need of anything. There isn't even much of a mention of singing!

And hey, these guys didn't have masterclasses in the latest evangelistic techniques because they had a story to tell, a Jesus to follow and a mission to live out. They weren't scalp hunters, they were out in business to teach people to obey all that Jesus commanded them to teach. Making disciples. It was so natural, it didn't have a massive budget, but it did cost them their lives. Following Jesus isn't an add on, it demands your all.

Friends, thats only the beginning, isn't it? Don't we know that the experience we have of the thing we call church is, well, less than full? I love the body of Christ. I'm passionate about it. I believe in its fundamental role as the biggest change agent in society because of Jesus.

But I'm certain about this thing: I'm not convinced that the thing we got is something we can legitimately call 'church' in the scriptural sense of the word. Its like the Irish joke "Yes, I know how to get to Dublin, but if I was going there I wouldn't start from here."

Trouble is we do start from 'here.' How do we deal with church? Is it able to adjust, shift, realign? Will this, increasingly, be the thing that separates 'new church' from 'inherited church' - the shape of it? Or, in this internet age, are we the generation who will see the next great reformation of the Christian church? If the last one was about orthodoxy (believing the right stuff), will the next one be about orthopraxy (doing the right stuff)? I hope so. Bring it on (and count the cost)!

(First published on my other blog, but just adding Army related content from there on here)

The Mercy Seat

2011-08-28T23:55:00.003Z


Mercy Seat at William Booth College

Biggest thing I miss about The Salvation Army? The Mercy Seat, without a doubt. Not only the Mercy Seat, but the culture of open response. Now, the people I serve do respond to God and the Holy Spirit amongst them, of course they do. But I do believe there is something helpful in being able to move from one's seat, to come forward in response and to be a) prayed for b) prayed with in the context of the gathered community.

In the Army, we come from a tradition of 'preaching for a verdict.' We preach wanting people to respond to the word, rather than just soak in teaching from the Word. Even when we teach, we still want people to apply and respond...we're such activists! I believe moving physically in response to the Word of God helps to confirm that response of our heart with our whole being. I've tried alternatives, including standing and receiving prayer afterwards etc but there is still the culture of response that lack of a Mercy Seat doesn't plant in the consciousness of the community of faith.

Yet, the second aspect of the Mercy Seat is its continual presence. Its always there in public worship. The bare old wood itself bears a message that hey, there is something God wants to do in your life. Whether its to cleanse a sinner or purify a saint, the Mercy Seat is a continual reminder of all that God wants to do. Sure, Brengle said you gotta have a Mercy Seat in your heart. Friends of ours run a Salvation Army prayer centre and they say 'the whole place is a Mercy Seat.' Praise God. But we don't all run prayer centres and we know the value of the physicality of 'place.'

One corps I soldiered at before officership had the worst Mercy Seat in the world. It had a million plants on it (ok..exaggeration) and there was nowhere to kneel at it. It had probably been years since someone had. The expectation had gone that anyone should respond. So even actually having one is a bit useless without the call to respond.

Thankfully, my five year old daughter Ceitidh has the Mercy Seat in her psyche somehow. If we are visiting a church building, any church, she'll kneel and pray at anything resembling a Mercy Seat (usually communion rails). Whether its in a touristy cathedral or a country church, she tries those places out!

My arguement is that there is a spirituality of 'space'. The Celts called them 'thin places' - places where they thought they could focus on God, places that in themselves, suggest the call to the secret place with God. I believe we all need it. Otherwise, where do we go?

Made in heaven...

2011-08-26T13:06:00.000Z

Today is my 11th wedding anniversary. Here we are (left) very young and in love (which we still are) covenanting our lives to one another under the flag of the Army wearing my high collar like a good soldier.

A few days ago, we celebrated another anniversary - the 15th anniversary of us being together in a relationship which has quite literally been made in heaven. I don't just say that out of some sense of romance, I say it sincerely because God ordained that we be together in our life's journey. I believe this. God brought us together in the way that he did, at the age that he did for his purposes. Our whole life belongs to him and we want to serve Him alone all our days.

From the very beginning of our relationship, quite aside from all romance and youthful infatuation, was a very spiritually mature foundation for our age. You see, Tracy and I only continued our relationship on the understanding that we would both serve in ministry together as Salvation Army officers. Even in those days, you had to be married to an officer if you felt called to officership! So, unusually for some, marriage and officership was the topic of conversation in the first few months of letter writing (we lived quite a distance apart). We were 15 and 16 years old at the time! Yet, our promise stood true.

What else can be said? Tracy is now 31, I will be 31 very soon. Thus far, we have had so many varied, great (but challenging) experiences, two beautiful and intelligent children and I hope so many more to come (experiences that is, not necessarily children!!) But we are in a transition time as a family. Our original vision was disrupted and we're currently waiting on God to open the next volume of the story. Pray for us, will you? Its so important to us that we do what God would have us do with the rest of our lives. We don't want to miss what he has for us and our children.

In the mean time, I pledge again all my love to Tracy and renew every vow and promise I ever made her before the Lord. And I pray that God will seal again those things for his Glory and his Name.

Book Review: "One for All" by Knaggs and Court

2011-08-26T12:28:00.000Z

"One for All" by Commissioner Jim Knaggs and Major Stephen Court is a publication of three books in one: two previously published 'One Day - A dream for The Salvation Army', 'One Thing - Win the World for Jesus ' and the new publication 'One Army.' The books explore and expound upon a vision for the Army that Commissioner Knaggs shared at an Aggressive Christianity Conference in Australia in 2007.

These men speak about an Army which, in essence, is still to be. They speak to the very heart and identity of the Army. Its something that Salvationists love to do and I've indulged in a fair amount of that in my time. Yet the writers aren't just 'all words on a page.' They are men who 'do the stuff.' Indeed, the book seeks to help the reader translate the vision into reality. They are two men that I have engaged with over several years and who have shown the true spirit of Salvationism towards us, especially in our last months of officer service in the Army and beyond. When I hear their individual voices shining through the joint text, I smile and thank God for them both.

The three component parts are fascinating in themselves, but combined provide a compelling vision for the Army. In the first book, the elements of Knaggs vision are expounded by a variety of Salvationist essayists across the Army world, officer and soldier alike. The second books combines the various strands and focusses like a laser on the one major purpose of the Army, to win the world for Jesus. The final book is a plea for unity around the core salvo principles of the vision, whilst allowing for creative versatility and diversity.

It is the first 'Army book' that I've read this side of officership. As I've said above, Knaggs and Court pin down everything about the Army that inspired me so much. The Army is, indeed, a tremendous chapter in the history of God's engagement with the world. So as I read, my heart rings out 'Amen's and 'Hallelujah's' and evokes a few 'Blood and Fire!'s Its edgy, radical, fiesty, incendiary and I'd imagine it will be pretty annoying (if not entirely alien) to those Salvationists who don't belong the the kind of Army out to win the world for Jesus.

This is a book that every corps officer, HQ officer, local officer and soldier will want to have on their shelves. Every vision needs to be fleshed out. It needs bones, muscle, sinews and blood pumping round it for a reality. Knaggs and Court need to keep this vision alive. It is all to easy to assign great books and inspiring visions to the bookshelves and the worst thing that can happen to this book is that it is read and put on the shelf.

Having said all that, I must confess that one of the things that led to me leaving the Army was that I actually bought into the vision espoused in this book, and did so sincerely. That sounds like a weird thing to say but most folks who read my blog and know my writing from Army days will know the truth of that. One of the conclusions I have made about my Army life was that I was living in an Army that few around me could see. The Army in my mind wasn't the Army that existed around me. Easy to say now that I should have had more vision or wisdom, should have persevered, but its difficult to hold to a vision in isolation and in the end, isolated was what we became until we felt we could fight no more.

So whilst for me I struggle to see either my part in it or to what degree it can actually become a reality, I don't say this as a criticism of the book, not at all. I celebrate the publication of this volume. My hope is that this book will bring comradeship to many a Salvationist struggling out there. Sadly it happens and, thankfully, there is reference to this reality in the pages of the book. It brings the vision of the radical Army into the mainstream in a real way. It gives any visionary leader the opportunity to share this vision with those he/she leads, not just from his or her own convictions, but with the 'big name' backing that things tend to need in the Army for people on the ground to take note. Knaggs, Bond, Burrows, Noland, Court, Strickland, Rader - all the names are there.

But as for Clark, I'd love to think that there would be 'one day' where I might be welcomed back into the ranks open-armed and take my place 'on the field'. Maybe if General Bond has an amesty, I might hand myself in....

Sell your bed and buy the book. Available on Amazon and on Kindle. Probably available from your local trade department.

Books 2010

2011-01-04T02:46:00.001Z

As is my blogging custom at this time of the year, here is a list of books I’ve read during 2010! Here goes….in no particular order….(ahem…some of these should come with a health warning!) (And in case you are interested, a link to 2009′s books: here)

- Brafman, O. “The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organisations”

- Viola, F & Barna, G “Pagan Christianity: Exploring the Roots of our Church Practices”

– Viola, F & Sweet, L “Jesus Manifesto”

– Viola, F, “Reimagining Church: Pursuing the Dream of Organic Christianity”

- Viola, F. “The Untold Story of the New Testament Church: An Extraordinary Guide to Understanding the New Testament”

- Viola, F “Finding Organic Church

- Hirsch, A . “The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church”

- Hirsch, A. “The Forgotten Ways Handbook: A Practical Guide for Developing Missional Churches”

- Hirsch, A. “Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship”

- Claiborne, S & Perkins, J. “Follow Me to Freedom: Leading as an Ordinary Radical”

- Eastman & Latham, “The Urban Church: A Practitioners Resource Book.”

- Boren, M.S. “Missional Small Groups: Becoming a Community that makes a different in the world”

- Cole, N. “Organic Leadership: Leading Naturally Right Where You Are”

- Cole, N. “Church 3.0: Upgrades for the Future of the Church”

- Murray, S. “The Naked Anabaptist”

- Stibbe, M & Williams, A. “Breakout”

- Freeman, A & Greig, P . “Punk Monk: New Monasticism and the Ancient Art of Breathing”

- Jamison, C “Finding Sanctuary: Monastic Steps for Everyday Life”

- McClung, F “You See Bones – I see an Army: Changing the Way we Do Church”

- Bessenecker, S “The New Frairs: The Emerging Movement Serving the World’s Poor”

- Wilson-Heartgrove, J “New Monasticism: What it has to say to today’s Church”

- Bonnhoeffer, D “Life Together”

- Bishop, G. “Darkest England and the Way Back In”

- Wilson, M “Eden: Called to the Streets”

- Yancey, P “What’s So Amazing About Grace?”

(PS….I do read non-Christian stuff too lest you think I’m too boring. Outstanding one this year was ‘Band of Brothers’ by Stephen Ambrose)

Call to non-stop 24/7 prayer

2010-12-30T01:13:00.002Z

General Clifton has, at various points in his Generalship called the Army world to prayer, particularly for causes of justice and peace. You may or may not know that he, in conjunction with Lt Colonel Janet Munn in her role as Spiritual Life thingymajig (sorry, don't know her proper title....slightly out the loop!) issued the call a couple months back. More info can be found here: http://www.saglobal247.org

This is big. The Army's experience with 24/7 prayer through the wider 24/7 prayer movement has really sparked something of the dna of the Army off for passionate and sustained prayer. You know, its not that this impresses God and makes us look good. This is necessary stuff to keep our ears to the beat of the heart of God lest we miss where God is taking us.

My Army contact is much less than is desirable at the moment although I try to keep up to date, but I'm glad to be in relationship with some of the guys at Sanctuary 21 in the lovely city of Durham which is a Salvation Army prayer centre right in the heart of the city. There, although at their beginnings, they have a prophetic vision of prayer being the springboard to effective mission in a city. Oh Lord knows how long my heart has pleaded for stuff like this in recent years in the Army more and more. This is as primitive as it gets, as raw and passionate as it gets and as Salvo as it gets.

If I had a corps, we'd be signing up!

Blog Pause!

2010-06-09T16:54:00.004Z

Hi guys,

just a note to say that I've finished blogging here at Army Renewal for now. You may or may not know that our next step will be outside the ranks of the Army. I'll be taking up a post at Trinity Church in Newcastle-upon-Tyne with responsibility for outreach, cell groups and other aspects of that vibrant Methodist church in the city. We will be keeping a keen interest on all things Army.

The blogging journey, however, isn't over and as soon as I can think up a suitable new title I'll be blogging again. Meantime, have a look through the last 6/7 years of blogging here at Army Renewal and if you want, just thank God along with me for the joys, challenges and blessings it represents.

Thank you for your loyal readership. I hope this blog has been both a challenge and an encouagement.

in Jesus

Andrew C

Five Planting Practices

2010-05-24T00:12:00.002Z

So some church planting advice from Floyd McClung. The black type is his, the red type are my comments.

Pray – Meet – Make – Gather – Multiply

by Floyd McClung

Pray. Pray fervently with God’s heart for the people you are reaching out to. Pray to meet people by “divine appointments.” Pray until you can weep over people. Pray fervently. Fast and pray. Walk and pray. Ask God to let you see what he sees and feel what he feels. It is in the place of prayer that God will reveal the unfulfilled purposes and broken covenants for the people you are reaching. Pray for a man or woman of peace to open the door the hearts and minds of people you are reaching. Pray for understanding and love of the culture. Pray for the word of the Lord to guide you and give you specific strategies to make disciples, train leaders and plant a church planting movement.

ac - I've seen the results of ministry baked in prayer and ministry not baked in prayer. Prayer is the key. So easy in our enthusiasm to forget that even Jesus only did what he heard his Father tell him to do. God help us all to do this...prayer before action.

Meet. Meet people where they are and meet their needs. Hang out with those who don’t know Jesus. Get outside the Christian bubble. Resist the temptation and emotional need to focus on teams issues that absorb your time and energy. As you pray, trust God to give you strategies for meeting people. Begin to build a network of relationships, what the Bible calls an oikos (literally a household). This network is the beginning of your future church plant. This network of relationships will become the future support system for those who accept Christ if they are disenfranchised by their family and friends. Build this network in faith that it will become a church for God in that place.

ac - we've been hearing it for years 'go to them' 'church without walls' 'missional church' - and my desire is that it will become a reality. Here is a small confession...I want to know more not-yet-Christians than Christians. I want to follow Jesus and be friends with the kinda people he was friends with...a pretty diverse group from all strata of society with a bias towards the marginalised. We want to literally become part of the very fabric of this community to the extent that they greet me like they greet the people who've lived here all their lives. The hope of this community in Torry is the gospel of the Kingdom and it has to be made tangible. Meeting needs is a key for us...there are so many. Yes, we want to meet them as a simple expression of God's love, no strings, but we also want to connect deeper with people when the door is open for that.

Make. Make Disciples. Invest in people’s lives. Don’t wait for them to pray a prayer to accept Jesus or say they want to follow Jesus to invest in them as people. Disciple making is another way of describing evangelism, and of building meaningful relationships. As you build those relationships, seek to discern what God has in his heart for each person.

Jesus commanded us to make disciples. Disciple making is about introducing people to Jesus in such a way that they get to know him personally, and then learn to love and obey him. When it’s the right time, teach people the seven commands of Jesus:

repent and believe
be baptized
forgive
give
pray
gather with others
make disciples of all nations
Do not hesitate to tell new believers the cost of following Jesus. Emphasize the privilege of going to other nations so God’s mission is part of their spiritual DNA.

ac - in a culture where people can be several generations de-churched, there are ground that has to be covered before the gospel makes sense. Yet, as we make disciples, we don't stop at 'making mates' because we want to disciple. The HUGE challenge for me is in asking 'when did Jesus disciples become disciples' followed straight away by the question 'when did they realise he was their Saviour and Lord?' I think this question has an important missiological challenge in that we need to recognise that discipship isn't just something that happens after evangelism....but evangelism comes at some poing in the discipleship process. Go figure.

Gather. Gather those you meet who are spiritually open with other seekers for fun, hanging out, enjoying common interests, prayer, and study of God’s word. Focus on the words and stories of Jesus. Don’t wait for them to say they want to become a follower of Jesus to gather people into a community of friends. Gathering around a meal with others is one of the best ways to build community. Jesus said that where two or three gather in his name, he is with them. This is “church” in it’s simplest, most essential form. Nothing more is needed to “be church.” There is more that can be done to contribute to growing a healthy, vibrant church (see Acts 2:42-47), but gathering people together is the beginning of planting that church.

ac - I confess to 'gathering' being one of the biggest challenges. In any sized group where you have 'pre-made' Christians, its so difficult to lay aside any pattern other than what we are used to and somehow we thing we've been short changed unless we have a hymn-sandwich type meeting. In our community, we have small gatherings of already committed disciples, we have small gatherings of potential disciples, and we have a larger gathering of all those. Those gatherings have varying levels of success but we persevere with them believing that fruit will be shown either way! Getting people together and helping form community can't be forced, it needs time and investment from everyone. Challenging!

Then, having gathered people successfully, that task is then to lay the foundation, Jesus Christ, and teach the church how to build on that foundation in the way that they meet.

Multiply. Plan for growth. From the beginning, train new believers to take responsibility for your meetings and outreaches. Stay in the background as much as possible to encourage others to grow and exercise their spiritual gifts. As soon as you reach 15-20 people, multiply. Start a new gathering. Give those you have been investing in assignments that will help you discern their giftings, strengths, and weaknesses. Build the community from the beginning, just like Paul did, by facilitating the development of indigenous leadership.

ac - we see encouraging signs here in Torry. Our longer terms disciples are growing in confidence in leading and speaking to one another spiritually to build each other up. We're planning for growth in training our folks to lead small groups. Its key because this thing won't happen on the effort and ministry of one or two people, its a whole community thing. Praise God.

Let’s practice these five simple steps (pray-meet-make-gather-multiply) to see the gospel transform the lives of people and so that we can see a church planting movement that spans the nations.

ac - The World for God!

Keep Tuned

2010-04-22T16:46:00.002Z

Although some of you will be reading this on facebook, you may realise that most of these 'notes' are transported from my blog...this is one of those.

Just to let you know that it is not my intention to stop blogging in the long term, however there will be a bit of a pause here just until Tracy and I know the next step and we're 'up and running' again. Keep tuned.

Farewell Post

2010-04-13T11:21:00.004Z

After what has been a very strange few weeks of conversation with our Army leaders, the conclusion that has been decided upon is that we will no longer be Salvation Army officers. This fills us with a great sense of grief and profound disappointment. No words to adequately describe all that resides in our heart at the moment.

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged us on the way, who has allowed us to journey with them and who have invited us to be part of their lives during our officership.

We have no immediate plans and are trusting God for our future.

We want to bless The Salvation Army and its ministry. We will continute to pray and work for Army renewal.

yours in Jesus

Andrew

Books for the Revolution

2010-04-12T15:09:00.002Z

Martin Thompson recently asked for some recent books that have rocked your world. There are a couple of books that have literally caused earthquakes (and the accompanying devastation!) in my life recently. Here they are:

You See Bones by Floyd McClung: McClung outlines his vision for simple, reproducable church planting movements. The whole vision just captivated my desire to see the world won for God.

Organic Church by Neil Cole: McClung quotes Cole a bit, so I go out an buy Cole. Cole blasts my picture and frame of reference for how I see the Body function and how it looks and plants the organic/simple vision in my heart and mind yet further.

The Forgotten Ways by Alan Hirsch: Hirsch is quoted by McClung and Cole, so I go out and buy the book. Hirsch is talking at a deeper level about what is the common DNA of any Jesus movement…everything from the early church to the monastic movement to the current day Chinese church phenomenon. He outlines this missional DNA and provides solid foundations for any who would see Christian communties established, whether they are conventional or organic.

Organic Leadership by Neil Cole: related to his last book, Cole moves to talk about what kind of leaders lead organic churches as well as looking at the concept of ordination and ‘professional clergy.’ Extremely challenging and just making me rethink my whole approach.

Finding Organic Church by Frank Viola: well, if the other guys were mid blowing, Viola was the final blow. He rocks my leadership boat even further but yet goes on to build on the vision to see non-institutional, fully participatory Chrisitan communities emerging and the reimagining of apostolic ministry in our day.

Man, talk about revolution? I’m messed up! Best thing is, I’m probably closer to Jesus than I’ve ever been and through a whole load of repentance about ‘the thing I made it’ just totally excited about whatever the future holds, no matter what happens.

He is so Good

2010-04-02T22:46:00.000Z

Phil Wall on Officership (1998)

2010-03-11T00:07:00.002Z

This is snippets of an appendix to Phil Wall's book "'I'll Fight...' Holiness at War" from way back in 1998. Having talked in the book about the call to mission and pragmatic holiness, Phil addresses officership in the context. The whole book is worth reading, but these thoughts are particularly helpful in the context of what I've been blogging about recently. The whole thing is Appendix II in the book, not sure if its still available. This is a shortened version here. My comments are in red.

______________________________________________________

Officership

It would be inapproproite not to mention this specific area of vocation in a book so focussed on the mission and ministry of The Salvation Army. Full-time officership was Booth's pragmatic response to his need for missioners who could travel around the country opening up new centres of outreach and resourcing existing ones. I am sure the current-day scenario of long-term pastors, specialist social care ministry and numerous administrative roles was far from his mind.

ac - again, picking up the apostolic function, not just in terms of divisonal leadership overseeing, but in officers being the apostles/apostolic workers themselves.

For many of my officer friends and family, much more thinking is need in terms of a theology of officership and philosophy of ministry for them to come to terms with the new context... The world has changed dramatically since the phenomena of officership began. For many underclass people it provided the only career they would have had. For most, if not all, women this was certainly so; very few wives would have had any expectation of a career. It emerged in a world that expected people to give their lives to one profession for their whole of their working life. Thus it made sense to ask for a lifetime commitment to the specific role of officership. Officers became the ubiquitous generalists who fulfilled every role which went well beyond the original missioner plan.

ac - just look at the variety of roles officers fulfill and you'll see that far from even being leaders and equippers or apostolic workers, you have a 'jack-of-all-trades' approach.

Things have changed dramatically since then. Many of those coming in are highly skilled, qualified people who have already fulfilled a significant role in a particular field. This includes many women who have led their own career distinct from their husband's role... Increased number of young people who are deeply committed to The Salvation Army, are seeking out opportunities as full-time employees within specialist niche roles, as opposed to generalist ministry.

ac - youth work, planting, inner city work, 'fresh/new expressions', incarnational ministry

My own view is the recognition of officership once again as a specialist role. Firstly, in the arena of leadership... Ephesians chapter four lays out very clearly the role of people gifted in a particular way; some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (Ephesians 4:11-12). The meaning seems very clear that those with the gifts mentioned are primarily responsible not for 'doing the work' but equipping the saints for doing just that...Scripture seems quite clear that leaders gifted in the ways described have a primary function to equip others to do the work. The calling of officership, if seen as aligned to this leadership role, must be this essential equipping of the saints...Many of my officer friends see this as their primary role to lead, envision and equip people for the work of ministry.

ac - I'm not entirely sure that officership should be all this...there is little scriptural ground for paying people in all of these roles, but like the early officer and the apostle, where itinerancy or at least flexible movement was key, it will be necessary. Equally, you wouldn't need one at each corps.

The financial implications of full-time local corps leadership is significant with 70% of corps in the UK and 90% of corps in the USA in receipt of centralised grant funding. Morally, this position is not tenable. The public give us money to care for the needy, not to keep our heating and lighting on during winter. Living in a world where the needs are increasing rapidly, and a Church where the giving is static or shrinking, full-time leadership may become a thing of the past for most of our small to medium corps. A form of part-time/ job share officership may be the shape of things to come.

ac - bi-vocational ministry is the way forward. Especially so in urban settings where corps will never cover the costs of two full-time officers and where the officers are under pressure to fund themselves from the general public through things like War Cry sales and coffee mornings. Let's stop begging and get a job!

I'd argue too that there is little scriptural grounds for the giving of the church even to be spent in heating buildings etc, especially not at the cost of ensuring that those amongst us aren't poor. I've been to too many corps where there have been poor soldiers that have received little by way of help.

Whatever the future of officership in a changing world there are some realities that need to be faced. Firstly, officership needs to be brought into the market place of vocational choices rather than being perceived as some special elitist calling. From my experience of working with young people, an oft-times one-track vocational theology that is neither biblical or true Salvation Army has closed their minds to the possibility of a fulfilling ministry as a Salvation Army officer. It needs to be affirmed as the role it is, for those gifted in the appropriate ways. Whilst it remains on the fringes, accessible to those only with a powerful 'call', it will remain inaccessible for the consideration of most. By giving officership a kudos above and beyond other calls we inhibit rather than enhance its development and growth.

ac - to be honest, I have met many fine young people who would become officers only if they felt they could really make a difference.

Secondly, the nature of leadership is changing dramatically in the Western world. To say that top-down hierarchical leadership is dead is an understatement. Current specialists in leadership such as Charles Handy and Professor John Hunt of London Business School, suggest that linear and relational leadership will shape future organisations, and emerging generations will have little attraction to heavy authoritarian institutions.

ac - if this was true in 1998 when Phil was writing, its certainly true now in the UK context.

Thirdly, we obviously need more candidates entering the training college that are at present doing so....The demographics of officership in many nations means that significant levels of responsibility will be help by those of younger generations. The opportunity to shape the future of this movement in terms of its leadership has possibly never been greater.

ac - I'd argue, rather, that the need is for ever soldier to look at where God has placed them, engage with people and begin drawing people together to discuss the things of God in that context. But yes, we do need people to equip and facilitate this mindset.

Fourthly, all of us within full-time leadership must make sure we keep mission at the forefront of our thinking and lives. the challenge for people like myslef and many of my officer-friends is toensure that we are doing our all to inspire and equip people to wake this war and also to ensure that we ourselves are engaging with people who do not have living faith...The snare of being consumed within the affairs of a Christian subculture must be avoided at all costs.

ac - God help us to move beyond shuffling chairs on the titanic, and start manning the lifeboats.

People employed by the Church are constantly in danger of settling into the comfort of the fold. I am constantly challenged by how little risk is involved in my current role. The extent to which I need to step out and trust God for provision seems to decrease annually...

ac - I am sick and tired of the comfort and 'everything-on-a-plate' nature of officership. Even in an innercity context I want for nothing and that makes it incredibly difficult for me to even understand my neighbours living on £120 a fortnight. We need to begin to take incarnational ministry very seriously.

What is apparent, is that for someone to become and officer when God's best for them is to stay in their working role, or vice versa, would be sin. Yet for me the issue is not so much the theology of officership but rather our theology of mission and where we perceive its focus to be. We must avoid at all costs the internal workings of our religious system to consume all of our best time, energy and resources. Our vocational appeals at youth councils must truly reflect our theology of the priesthood and maximise the opportunity to encourage, equip and inspire people to be their best for God wherever he has placed them. I believe the Great Commission forces us to consider afresh how me might better be reaching people in all spheres of society. Decisions of the will must be determined by individuals within commuities deciding how best they can impact this world for God. Lift up the vision and vocation and the Spirit will guide you to the specific sphere.

ac - there are people who are officers who probably shouldn't be, and people who aren't that should. Equally, there are people who are officers who don't know how to live out their true calling in the context of what officership has become. I am one of them. I know many others. The tide is turning, but goodness knows if the wave will just break on the sands of the institution of if we will truly become, again, a tidal force for God for the effective spreading of the Kingdom throughout the world. Challenging times.

Thinking out loud about leadership (7) In conclusion...

2010-03-09T00:09:00.003Z

The best way I can think to sum up what I've been saying here is to point to the model of the body of Christ. We're not made up of individuals, we are in community together. We are supposed to function as a body, as members of each other. I really want to emphasise this in case the only think that people take from this series is 'he's got a problem with authority.' I can see that happening because to some degreee or another, most people reading this will have something of themselves and their lives invested in some kind of leadership, either giving or receiving.

Under Jesus, we have everything we need as community to discern what the Spirit is saying. Under him, our pastors, teachers, apostles, evangelists and prophets will function. Under him authentic spiritual leadership will emerge in the context of community in the same way it does in the trinity, the great Three in One, where they agree together in perfect community. We have the call to be the body on earth...that means to learn the rhythms we see in our Almighty God.

You know, one of the questions I caught myself asking the other night was 'is this Army?' At first, I stopped myself because in a sense I've determined that is not going to be the most important question, so I put it out of my mind. However, my mind then turned to something I've often read before and often shared in preaching and teaching. At the beginning of Catherine Booth's Papers on Aggressive Christianity, she writes this:

I WAS thinking, while I was reading the lesson, that, supposing we could blot out from our minds all knowledge of the history of Christianity from the time of this Inauguration Service--from that Pentecostal Baptism--or, at any rate, from the close of the period described in the Acts of the Apostles, suppose we could detach from our minds all knowledge of the history of Christianity since then, and take the Acts of the Apostles and sit down and calculate what was likely to happen in the world, what different results we should have anticipated, what a different world we should have reckoned upon as the outcome of it all. A system which commenced under such auspices, with such assumptions and professions on the part of its Author (speaking after the manner of men), and producing, as it did, in the first century of its existence, such gigantic and momentous results.

We should have said, if we knew nothing of what has intervened from that time to this, that, no doubt the world where that war commenced, and for which it was organized, would have long since been subjugated to the influence of that system, and brought under the power of its great originator and founder! I say, from reading these Acts, and from observing the spirit which animated the early disciples, and from the way in which everything fell before them, we should have anticipated that ten thousand times greater results would have followed, and, in my judgment, this anticipation would have been perfectly rational and just. We Christians profess to possess in the Gospel of Christ a mighty lever which, rightly and universally applied, would lift the entire burden of sin and misery from the shoulders, that is, from the souls, of our fellow-men--a panacea, we believe it to be, for all the moral and spiritual woes of humanity, and in curing their spiritual plagues we should go far to cure their physical plagues also. We all profess to believe this. Christians have professed to believe this for generations gone by, ever since the time of which we have been reading, and yet look at the world, look at so-called Christian England, in this end of the nineteenth century! The great majority of the nation utterly ignoring God, and not even making any pretence of remembering Him one day in the week. And then look at the rest of the world. I have frequently got so depressed with this view of things that I have felt as if my heart would break. I don't know how other Christians feel, but I can truly say that 'rivers of water do often run down my eyes because men keep not His law,' and because it seems to me that this dispensation, compared with what God intended it to be, has been, and still is, as great a failure as that which preceded it.

There was a woman firmly embedded in the Christendom model, yet you was able to look with honesty and say - hey, this isn't working. If we had gone on as we started out, we'd should be in a different place.

Now, I know that its not as simply as just looking at Acts and mimicing. Yet, the Acts and the letters chart for us how people began to live out the Jesus life. We see a body functioning and spreading the gospel like wild fire around the world. Catherine's response is that its time for fire.

Early Army documents and history show ingenius adaptation, taking on whatever form would win the world for Jesus. I believe that we need to do the same. I don't imagine for a second that the Booths anticipated a burgeoning clerical episcopal system, although their is no denying they set in place a hierarchical structure.

But here is another thing I noticed and its with regards to officership and its progression. Major Harold Hill in his book referred to earlier, charts this well, but we see a dramatic shift in officership. The way I see it at its largest is in something as telling as the length of an officers stay. Early in the movement we had a whole bunch of itinterant officers, travelling light, staying for short periods of time giving challenge and direction to a particular setting. Officers typically hung around for between two months and two years...something quite similar to Paul's apostolic pattern. There tasks were to open corps, open outposts, preach the gospel to everyone. Each officer would bring something maybe new, ingenious. Ingenuity was prized in officership. Novelty was prized.

And what happened in corps, leadership wise? Well, the key leaders were the local officers for pretty much every aspect of corps life. If there was no officer, no problem because the locals would continue the mission, plant the corps, hold the open air meetings. They had visitation, pastoral care, training, instruction sowed up in the primitive Army system. The officer was simply the one trained and sent along as the cherry on the cake, to inspire the troops in the fight.

Look at where we are now. Somewhere along the line our officers have become the doers of significant amounts of our ministry in the Army, disempowering soldiers and local officers. There are very few corps in the territory that can survive well without officers. We have officers staying longer because the function of the officer has changed from apostle/evangelist to that of primarily pastor/teacher. We have assumed that the main function of leadership, and of officership, are to pastor and to preach/teach. You can get away with that and do little in terms of mission. I wouldn't say I'm a non-caring person, that I don't get involved in peoples lives and pastor in that way, but neither do I believe that is should be the primary function of the officer. The Army 'system' of old ensured that all that was taken care of, especially in the Ward System (army's cell system).

Friends, I am arguing that the local corps should function as a body. Officer leadership should function apostolically. I am arguing that leadership should be discerned and identified locally, and that when an officer (apostle) comes along side, he works alongside to inspire, equip, challenge and mobolies the local corps in their mission. I am arguing that we need to think carefully about authority in the context of our structure, especially if it remains as it is and doesn't recognise or ever do anything similar to what I've proposed here (which its unlikely to just on my writing). I am arguing that the current system of officer leadership is not sustainable and we need radical shifts in thinking and acting, not to save the institution, but to realign ourselves with the purposes for which we have been raised up...to be a significant movement for the salvation of the world.

Friends, I firmly believe the hype in that I believe that we have in our DNA, the apostolic genius (which I've written about elsewhere - search this blog for it) but I also believe that certainly in my territory, it lays dormant. And you know what? The lights are going out all over the territory and all over the European area because we are too slow to change. We are dying on our feet. There are, of course, glorious exceptions, but on the whole, its a bleak picture. We must wake up. We must move and act now. We must show levels of flexibility that we've never shown before because our new 'theatre of war' demands that we become a different machine entirely.

Friends, I plead with you who are still reading and who don't think I've lost the plot entirely, please see the urgency we face. We don't face it alone, the rest of the church that remains unwilling to adapt is suffering the same heamorraging.

Einstien said that 'the kind of thinking that cause the problem is unlikely to solve the problem' yet we adopt the position of 'more of the same, but better' and we don't always realise that will never win the day.

Can we at this time wake up and realise the challenge? Will you, any leaders reading, be able to cast aside just for a moment any sense of contempt you may hold for me or what I've said and ask yourselves the questions?

I am considering all these things, reflecting upon officership, my leadership thus far and how it must adapt significantly for the future.

God help us all.

_____________________
end note: please feel free to comment or email me for clarification on any point. I've done a lot of refering to scripture without necessarily referencing it. If you can't find it for yourself, please ask and I'll try to help.

Thinking out loud about leadership (6) Authority

2010-03-08T02:31:00.002Z

I am someone who, like almost everyone else, has been under authority, had authority, shared authority and, on occassions, rebelled against authority! I guess its one of those things that's part of our lives and we all react differently too it and act differently when we have it. There are, of course, different kinds of authority. I'm sure you'll recognise these types of authority and may even be able to think of some more.

Positional Authority - where you have been given a position of authority by an organisation.
Moral Authority - authority which comes out of the substance of your life.
Spiritual Authority - when God speaks through you and people recognise it to be God using you.
Special Authority - based on an expert knowledge of something (science, bible, cheesemaking, law etc)
Relational Authority - where people respect you because of the nature of your close relationship to them.

Now, I ask myself, "as an officer, what type of authority have you exercised?" Probably most of them at one point or other (although I've no idea what I'd be an expert in!) I'd say that many a time, however, I've defaulted to Positional Authority when really I should have been leading from a different place. Is positional authority all bad?? Not entirely sure, but its certainly a leadership that comes more from what your organisation has given you rather than from who you are as a person. If you only lead like this, it will be poor leadership, I imagine.

Neil Cole contrasts a picture of leadership in the film, Braveheart. Where William Wallace is talking to Robert Bruce (the true heir of Scotlands throne) and he encourages Bruce to rise up and lead the people, throwing in that if he did that, then he'd follow him too. The contrast is clear. One man has all the position and title (Bruce) but the other has all the authority (Wallace). Leaning on a title is poor, leading a cause because it has first inspired you is an entirely different thing. This is a good example of relational authority, but take it into a Kingdom setting and the better, by far, model is spiritual authority.

So, what happens with authority in officership and in organisations like The Salvation Army? I've previously noted the hierarchical structure. You know, we have soliders, local officers, non-commissioned officers (envoys etc), officers. In officership, you have Lieutenants, Captains and Majors etc, but we also have the leadership levels. Corps/social officer, DHQ officers, THQ officers, TCs, Zonal Officers, the Cheif of the Staff, and the General. Whatever way you look, you have that triangle.

Let me ask a question. Where does Jesus come on that model? Does he come above the General? Well, of course he comes above the General...he is the Lord. But what I means is 'is he the next one up the leadership chain?' Well, if he is, then it means that I have a lot of levels to go through before I can understand the will of God and know what he wants of me. Now, of course, we have direct access to Jesus...we are under his authority, aren't we? If we claim that simple statement of Christian doctrine, 'Jesus is Lord', then it truly means that. Its a revolutionary statement. Now, many a time there is no conflict in that with our every day existence as officers. Yet, I dare to suggest that there may be occassions when there is conflict.

Could there ever be the case where the Lord commands me to do something that the Army won't allow? When asking myself that question, I really have to explore my answer. Lets say I say 'no, the Lord would never command me something the Army wouldn't allow.' I could say, if its the Lord's will for me to be in the Army, he knows I'm in it and he know's I will follow what the Army says, so the logical conclusion of that thinking is that no, the Lord wouldn't command me to do something that the Army won't allow because I'm in the Army. Sound plausible?

But what if I answer yes or even maybe? What if I say that answering 'no' to that key question automatically implies that because our leaders are Christians in authority 'over me' automatically implies that everything they say is directly down the chain (at whatever point the decision is made) is what the Lord would will? Friends, I believe that is wrong and in dangerous ground. We all recognise that men and women make mistakes, poor calls, misjudgements. In saying this, we are also making the assumption that leaders 'above us' are always in tune with the perfect will of God and that nothing could happen that God wouldn't set in place. Hmm. Frankly, my experience of my own leadership decisions and sometimes the decisions of others lead me to believe that its not always the case.

I believe this issue most comes into play in the life of an officer when it comes to the appointments system. It is here, in this sphere, that the Army exercise the most authority over the life of the average officer. The decisions made at this level, albeit with a little bit more consultation these days, are decisions which are crucial ones. Sadly, my life in the Army so far has shown me that there are a fair amount of good, but also a fair amount of bad 'moves' made when it comes to this aspect. When they are right, they are great. When they are wrong, they can be devastating not only for the officers and their family, but for the corps.

I'd like to question whether it is right for officers to blindly offer The Army this right to have that kind of authority over the lives of men, women, and families. Even if it's not offered blindly, an officer is still subject to it and there is an air arising certianly in the UK Territory where its still frowned upon to either a)refuse or b) suggest that the appointment made has not been the right one, for whatever reason. Alongside that, there is also the issue of how the Army responds to consultation processes. Its perfectly possible, having indicated a desire to go to an inner city appointment in a major Scottish city, that you'll be sent to rural Oxfordshire. What then does the officers sense of calling to an area mean?

Let me give another example...different officer. This one is testing what he senses might be a call to another nation and is pondering whether to go offer to go. He mentions it to leaders locally, and to someone in that territory. A request is made to the TC of the home territory asking if the certain officer could be made available to go to the other territory and the TC says 'sorry, but we need good officers here' without so much as speaking to the officer considering the call. In that scenario, do we assume that the TC is right, even although he has never so much as spoken to the officer concerned? Certainly, if he had spoken to them he might find out that they were still exploring the possibility and not ready to go. Equally, he may have discovered that the Lord had so laid it on his heart that he was ready and willing to respond. The point is, our system allows for this decision to be made without consulting anyone about it. You'll just have to trust me in assuring you this is a real and recent scenario.

Let me bring it home. Leaving aside everything I've said about how officership might/could function and just looking at the present system, how would I respond if the Army or someone in it was asking me to do something I really felt I couldn't do? And what if I was so convinced that the Lord was leading me in a certain way and the Army said it couldn't happen?

I realise these questions probably raise more questions than offer answers. But think about it this way....how did we get to the place where these things were an issue in the first place? I've already suggested that there is very little evidence and justification for this sort of hierarchical structure in the New Testament. When we look at, say, Peter and Paul....two 'high ranking' apostles we certainly notice that in their relationship there were times when you might have expected Peter to 'pull rank' on Paul where instead they simply go away with a difference of opinion. And there are many times where Paul alludes to his apostolic authority, but claims that he'd rather not use it...in fact he's not really bothered too much about the title anyway...he'd rather lead by example, by persuading, conversing, even pleading and begging the folks around to his way of thinking. When Paul sends a person here or there, I doubt very much if it was ever rooted in simple positional authority as an apostle. Authentic spiritual authority is 'from alongside.' We get this from Jesus, who 'being in the very nature God...' - you know the rest.

You know, Paul said 'follow me as I follow Jesus.' There are some people in my life I'd follow wherever they went...I'd be content to follow them as they follow Jesus. There are many people I'd follow. I've also been priveleged to have some people follow me like that...certainly not something I take for granted, but something that is, actually, incredibly humbling and a real blessing.

Just maybe, following Jesus more closely involves sometimes cutting out a middle man here or there. Just maybe, there is something wise about following a Jesus who never really held an institutional position in his life, but yet who lead from the very core of who he was in direct link with the Father through the Spirit. Just maybe.

Thinking out loud about leadership (5) Officer recruitment

2010-03-05T02:29:00.003Z

So...in this emerging alternative view of officership, how are officers recruited? What are they recruited for? Answer: they are not recruited.

If we go with officers functioning as apostolic overseers or as apostolic workers, these people would be functioning primarily out of an apostolic gifting, spirit given and spirit annointed. If they've got it, they've got it. These people will emerge from the local context. Study of the scripture suggests that Paul spent a significant amount of time in the church at Antioch in a teaching role (probably unpaid)...maybe as much as 14 years before he set of on his first apostolic journey. In this time, he would have experiences truly organic grass-roots Christian community functioning together as a body. Remember, this was all new to him as a former teacher of the law...having said that, I can hear a good Jewish friend whisper in my ear that it may not have been as alien as you first think because outside of the temple ministrations, Jewish life was centred around the home and the family, so Paul and others would be bringing that dimension into their experience as a new covenant community.

Why did they send Paul out? The simply recognised that Paul had what it took to be an apostolic planter. You see, Paul's credentials as an 'original apostle' was founded upon his having been, seen and met with Jesus....this was a requirement for the initial twelve + Paul. So, as he argues several places, he had a right to be an apostle in that sense but he rarely appealed to it. He refused to 'lord it over' and spent much time, pleading, urging, begging with regards to asking people to hear his words and advice. He wanted the people to respond not to the position that had been given institutionally (even if by Jesus himself) but towards their sense of the Spirit speaking in him...his spiritual authority. The question does remain, however, whether it was really just that the twelve+Paul were given that spiritual authority and not that institutional authority anyway (maybe our Christendom minds assume some degree of institutional model?)

Anyway, my point is that Paul spent time in a local expression of the church and he emerged as one who had been equipped to begin function apostolically (as opposed to just 'being' an apostle). The body sense the Spirits equipping of these men for this task and so they laid hands on them and sent them out. This is one of the only places where I see anything akin to 'ordination.' And like I say, it had a different posture, doctrine, outcome and 'fruit' than the model we have today.

How were they trained? They were trained in the body. We have no reason to expect that the early followers of Jesus stopped doing the Luke 10 stuff....you know, going out in twos around the area and seeking out people of peace, eating, remaining, getting to know, sharing the gospel, healing sick, casting out demons etc etc. They were already planting small churches as a regular part of their discipleship. All that was happening now was that these men were being sent further into uncharted waters, largely. They were being sent beyond their Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria to the ends of the earth and Jesus promised they would. Also, the purpose may have been slightly different. Whereas before they may link people up to the Antioch church, albeit in smaller places, they would still be in the vacinity largely of Antioch doing what Paul then expected the people to do after he had planted small nucleus of people in cities and then considering the work done. He would plant, someone else would water and the growth would come as the disciples spread out organically into the surrounding 'suburbs' and outlying country areas.

This model is a model of growth and multiplication. I'd suggest that recruitment of people for leadership is possibly a method of subtraction, especially in the cases where people are recruited from on part of the kingdom at its expense in favour for another part of it. Ideally, from what we see the scriptural pattern to be, these sorts of things (not just apostles, but any other mininistry of the body) arose out of a)necessity (ie deacons serving tables etc) or b) need (eg 'we need to do this in response to the Holy Spirit. Ministry then came from the sense of what people sensed should happen and if it was a spirit thing, he wouldn't urge a thing that wasn't doable.

Because we feel we need to recruit officers for every corps so that we have our clergy in to manage all the places (without which many places would function extremely poorly...and sometimes even with officers do the same....again, confession mode) we are happy to rip people out of their natural context when actually their pastoral skills, teaching skills, etc belong to the local body. As I say, unless there is an apostolic calling, they should be hanging around contributing to the body, in work in either regular work places or in heading up particular agencies to acheive a certain thing. (An aside, here, on this point: Paul and his tent making....its actually suggested that Paul actually made prayer shawls that Jewish people wore to pray. He made tallit...little tents...which were prayer shawls. When Jesus talks about going to your room and closing the door to pray, he is really saying 'get under your prayershawl and pray! Please, check this out..google it.)

So, to make it clear, people with ministry giftings would only leave the local when the purpose was apostolic. So, what if the the church in the next city needed a pastor because there was no-one gifted? Well, Paul would teach what it was all about (like he does in Ephesians 4), teach them to desire spiritual gifts (like he does in 1 Corinthians) and if there is an issue, he may send in front of him or leave behind other apostolic workers (distinct from apostles) to fill the gap until such times the body was functioning fully. Again, a ministry of multiplication, not subtraction.

So, the officer would learn his theology, ministry and practice in the context of the local corps which is functioning as a body. There would be a sense that he/she/they should be sent out to plant further that their own city. They would be release and supported from the believers who were releasing them for multiplication and from corps they would plant in proportion to what they could give. If you weren't called to function apostolically, basically, officership wasn't for you. As William Booth said, officership is the default call....its if your not called to anything else (to stay behind as pastor, teacher, shepherd, evangelist, deacon, elder, local overseer, butcher, baker, hair dresser, bin man, school teacher, prison warden, businessman, newsagent, journalist etc etc) then it may just be you're called to do the aposlte thing and function as an officer.

This does away with the training college where they, in effect, train pastor/teachers and not apostles. Its only necessary to do this because a) we've adopted forms that require an upfront sermon and a pastoral crutch person in a community and b) we have a clerical model that needs a cleric; c) we've contracted out local ministry in all the fuctions to outside persons we need to pay to come to live with us (current day officers, youth workers, community managers etc etc) and so we limit the local body in its function etc. I could go on...but you are intelligent people to work out the other consequences of this thinking.

Make sense?

Again, let me just add the disclaimer that I realise that a) I may only be seeing part of the picture and b) it would be highly difficult for the Army to transition to this.

What is my response to be in the light of the challenges?

Thinking out loud about leadership (4) The officer as 'apostolic overseer'

2010-03-05T01:36:00.004Z

I sigh a sigh of relief as I move on from discussion of what I consider to be a devilish doctrine of clericalism to promote and, maybe even to some people, introduce the concept of officership as 'apostolic' in function. Let me introduce here, again, my model from the second post in this series which can be found here.

If you follow my picture here to its full conclusion, you will come to the realisation that I am advocating that no corps/Christian community should have full-time paid leadership. New corps and corps that are small enough to adapt quickly to this may be able to adopt early, others may take longer. But why? I hear you ask?

Having already said that the presence of clergy is both unbiblical and detrimental, I'd also repeat that its unnecessary if the whole body is functioning under the Lordship of Jesus, facilitated by a full Ephesians 4 ministry within the body, with designated 'overseers' or 'elders' just keeping guard as watchmen on the walls, not over and above, but alongside...potential body guards, if you like.

If the body are meeting as that, and engaging missionally in their contexts, we have a healthy and growing body...maybe even a multiplying body as more of the body are released to establish new nucleus of people to gather under Jesus' name.

Friends, this is where officers should come in. Officers should be able to function over a given geographical area either as apostolic workers (like Precilla and Aquilla) who prepare the ground for the apostle to plant, or as the apostle who plants, stays for a period to equip those who gather in those first stages all the while equipping them to carry on when he has gone.

Think of a catalyst in a chemical reaction. From my limited scientific knoweldge from Standard Grade chemistry, a catalyst is something which promotes a reaction between two or more substances without it, itself, being used up. So for all you non-scientific bods out there....it gets the thing going, creates the response but then gets out of the way.

We see this in the new testament, especially in the apostle Paul but equally in the others. Paul's stays in a place would be as short as maybe a few months and as long as a couple of years. He moved from city to city, establishing 'as an expert builder' and laying the only foundation for the church, which is Jesus Christ. He draws people to gether, shares the gospel message of the Kingdom, teaches the people how to function and once they're started they are left to it. He then keeps contact with them, somtimes through an appointed local person, writes to them, visits them as needed. That was their role. Paul himself said that he wanted to continue moving on into areas where the gospel had not been preached and established.

Consider too how Paul saw this work to be a success. At one point in his ministry, he was able to say he had completed the work of the gospel in the entire Asia Minor region (modern day Turkey) because he had established a small group (like in the picture above) in every key city. Considered the work done? How on earth? because he had left behind all the DNA needed for the body to spread out, establishing and carrying the work to the rest.

You will find that the apostles were the only people who received payment for their ministry. Actually...the only others other than the apostles who seemed to be 'paid' were the widows. In order to receive this, they promised to give themselves to prayer, remain unmarried, and be over 60. Getting back to Paul, he would still often forgo this privelege of payment even although he could claim it and instead himself still chose to 'work hard amongst them with his own hands.' In other circumstances, we find that he would refuse money from the church he was currently with, but gladly accepted it from other churches who could afford it so as not to be a burden. We find no record until well into the Christendom mode of elders, pastors etc etc being paid for their work.

At this juncture, I wish to raise the issue of money...that sacred cow. You will be hard pressed to find much reference to tithing in the new testament and in the early church. And even if you did, and where you do find reference to giving, it is for a particular purpose. It was to support the itinterant apostle and to feed the poor, orphans and widows. It also made sure that non amongst the early church were in need. Good news to the poor means 'you ain't poor anymore'. It was a relational giving....anything and everything was given not to pay local pastor/preacher/teachers but to support those in need.

Incidentally, with the rise of the Christendom model, and the emergence of large temples and structures and systems, we see the rise of teaching from the Old Testament on tithing in order to support the priesthood (the kind of priesthood I'm suggesting we don't have). I have to confess here too that I've taught and held the opinion that all salvationists should tithe as a biblical mandate. I here confess that I believe that to have been a wrong understanding of this doctrine and practice. The New Testament doesn't set amounts, it sets the reasons we give...out of love, out of joy and out of gratitude. It sets a destination....the apostles, the poor, widows and orphans. The early church had no cumbersome structure to support. I ask, have we re-instated the OT tithe because we have replicated the OT priesthood?

What are the implications of this? I guess you could say that I am advocating that paid officership in every corps be abolished, both because it has little foundation in scripture and because it is not sustainable in the longer term. I am advocating that we should take officers out of the permanant positions of corps work and give those who are gifted in that way apostolic oversight in cities. What about the rest of the officers? If they are pastors, evangelists, teachers then let them function in the body as that. If we insist on still paying them, let us release them into ministries of chaplaincy, community development etc etc utilising the giving of the body which has been given for those sort of purposes in a meaningful way. They don't need to be full time in a corps at all, other than to function withing their gifting along with the rest.

Friends, I realise how alien all this sounds. I've not even got a clue if any of it makes sense in the way I'm describing it. I believe that what I'm advocating would take much change, transition and movement. I'm not naive enough at all to believe that very many people would agree with me. I'm not naive enough to believe that it will ever really become a reality off the pages of this blog certainly where the Army is concerned. But surely one can live in hope.

Friends, I love The Salvation Army and I believe in us. But I also believe that The Army may continue to function as a big old institutional machine when all the resources really needed to function as an advancing mission force have become so diminished. A quick look at the stats (it needs to be a quick look before you need to start taking prozac) shows that the Army in Europe in particular is in massive decline....remember, where Christendom is fading fastest? Its time now to become lighter an leaner for those in the position to do so and to begin the turn-around now for the places where change needs to take place.

But friends, please hear my lack of hope and sense of heartbreak as consider how I fear the Army will not adapt sufficiently at this time. And hey, I'm not just talking what I've outlined here. We don't seem to be adapting sufficiently to the current challenges and we're digging our heads in the sand. It keeps me up at night, breaks my heart and causes me simply to make a plea to you good folks to even just think about what I've written.

I too, need to make my response to this challenge in relation to the Army. My first response is to say 'please, Lord Jesus.' That is also my second, third and fourth response. Join me?

Thinking out loud about leadership (3) Non-clericalised leadership

2010-03-04T01:04:00.000Z

Now, having said what I've said in the previous two articles in this series, I now move on to something which sits on the nest of these. I propose to you that the concept of clergy should not exist in The Salvation Army. I want to present the problem and an alternative in this post. I have written some of this before, but is key to my thinking at this time.

A greater treatment of this subject has been carried out by Major Harold Hill in his book "Officership in the Salvation Army : a Case Study in Clericalisation" and I recommend it to all who see this issue as important, and especially to those who don't see it as an issue.

This thesis attempts an historical review and analysis of Salvation Army ministry in terms of the tension between function and status, between the view that members of the church differ only in that they have distinct roles, and the tradition that some enjoy a particular status, some ontological character, by virtue of their 'ordination' to one of those roles in particular. This dichotomy developed early in the life of the Church (mainly at the beginning of the onslaught of the Romanising of Christianity) and can be traced throughout its history. Jesus and his community appear to have valued equality in contrast to the priestly hierarchies of received religion. There were varieties of function within the early Christian community, but perhaps not at first of status. Over the first two or three centuries the Church developed such distinctions, between those "ordained" to "orders" and the "laity", as it accommodated to Roman society and to traditional religious expectations, and developed structures to defend its doctrinal integrity.

This has happened throughout the Christian church as a part of the Christendom model, and post-Christendom, we find ourselves in an interesting place. Certainly in the Army, there seems to be an adoption of the clergy/laity model.

One of the things I've been struggling with personally recently is to do with my complete angst against clerical and priestly officership. One of the things which has become really apparent in recent years is the heightened sense that people see officers as priests, professional clergy. In Scotland in particular, which has a strong Presbyterian culture, there has been the exhaltation of the role of the minister which then actually dis-empowers the 'laity.' I've always been for the restoration of that ministry back to the people.

In many Salvation Army situations the world over, Salvationists have been fundamentally and systematically raped of their role as the people of God by an over-powering, un-biblical, and un-Salvationist mindset and regime of officer-priests. Disempowered to the stage that it is very possible that this generation of Salvationists don't know how to take back the privilege of being co-workers with Christ. The sad thing is that this has often happens under the ministry of godly officers who're trying to follow God's sense of calling to service on their lives. I, as I've already confessed, have been party to this in the past. I've had a vested interest in the survival of this denomination and to the preservation of officership because of what it gives me.

Clerical and priestly officership at its worst removes from the people the mission of the Army and thats which I suggest that a non-clerical officership is the best way forward for our movement . We are an Army run almost entirely by officers, many of whom are godly, hard-working, self-sacrificing people and who do what they do from a deep sense of the call of God on their lives to serve. When soldiery has the concept that the officers role is to perform this priestly ministry, they then become simple recipients of ministry done to them instead of co-missioners. You know, almost every reformation the church has ever had has had anti-clericalism as one of its roots. Every revival of the Christian church has involved the empowerment of the people of God, taking the mission out of the hands of the 'clergy' into the hands of the people as mentioned above.

The Salvation Army system and structure was born in almost complete rebellion against clericalism and the evil division of laity and clergy. In dreaming up the Army, the Founders (I include William, Catherine, Bramwell, Railton etc etc), created a system where every soldier was a missionary. This is why when you read something like Os+Rs for Soldiers its like reading a manual for 'ministers' - because that's almost exactly what it is! Local Officers and Officers were simply appointed as leaders of those soldiers to co-ordinate the battle. It wasn't that William Booth was attempting to 'abolish the clergy' but to abolish the laity and turn every man into a missional person. This is not a far cry from the missional sending of Jesus, sending out the 12, then the 72 then the 120, they every disciple unto the ends of the earth. Jesus fans out this missional living from himself, as true prophet priest and King, into Peter's phrase as a whole nation, royal and prietly. Thats you and me.

This pattern of officer-priests where officers do the vast majority of the ministry is not sustainable in mission terms, given the decreasing number of people offering for the priestly officership model that is so predominant in the west. I firmly believe that officership applications will increase significantly when we shake of this idea of priestliness.

I know that you will realise that the word laos, from which we get laity, simply refers to the people of God...all of us. When we go down the road of creating laity and clergy, we create a breed of super-Christians, professional Christians. Clergy is a bad word, a swear word...and actually, so is 'laity' when used by someone purporting to be 'clergy.'

I fundamentally believe that officership is more to do with function than it is to do with status/office/position. I believe an officer's role is to lead and co-ordinate the mission and ministry in a corps. That involves primarily identifying, training and releasing the pastors, teachers, evangelist, apostles and prophets (cf Ephesians 4) to their God-given role in building up the rest of the body. Yes, the officer has his own fight/ministry role too, but his/her main role is to mobilise his fighting force, to act as co-ordinator, mission team leader if you like, alongside the rest of the soldiers. I'm a soldier first.

Even the ministrations of a corps should never be officer-centered. The preaching, the worship leading, the testifying, the bible teaching should be for all and by all. The closest I've come to this in my short officership so far was probably towards the end of our time in Pill with the introduction of the Ward System whereby not only did pastoral and teaching ministry begin to be shared, but where the mission of the Salvation Army corps was basically handed back to the soldiery on a plate. Where the work was needed was in helping folks to then know what to do with the mission of a corps! That's our successors tasks in Pill and I believe they will be doing that well.

If The Salvation Army is to survive, we must get the work of The Salvation Army out of the hands of officers, back into the hands of the soldiers. You must understand that I'm not being anti-officership here, but I am being anti-priest/anti-clerical. I believe that officership can be a powerful thing...so long as it does what its meant to do.

If you are an officer reading this, can I appeal to you to

- rid yourself of your priestly trappings if you have any;
- refuse to be a priest at every turn, invest your life in giving away leadership and ministry to the people you're called to lead;
- think seriously about whether you're in officership to function as a leader or because you have been misled by a doctrine of unbiblical, unsalvationist and apostate priesthood that takes its cue's from Romanism and Old Testament Levitical priesthood models more than it does the model of Jesus and the Apostles.

One of the questions that I am asking now is whether the Salvation Army wants an officer who refuses to be a priest. I still do not now if they really do. I totally reject that my calling is higher than that of any of my soldiers, past or present.

I say this in the context of recent months where official minutes have been issues saying, for example, that only officers can dedicate children and make soldiers in Salvation Army ceremonies. Why? Only commissioned officers can conduct weddings, whereas Envoys are not entitled to do so...not because of any position of the law, because the Army could chose to facilitate that 'status' for envoys which would allow them to function in that way.

This is a life and death issue for The Salvation Army. Its one of those things we need to be hotly getting to grips with both as officers and soldiers. Please forgive me if this post has more destructive than constructive. In my next post, I want to carry this idea together in much more positive light as I share a possible model for helpful, biblical and sustainable officership in the future as non-clerical 'catalysts' for mission and ministry. Hope you will tune in!

Thinking out loud about leadership (2) Shape and Structure

2010-03-02T20:27:00.008Z

So, having got the confession and the negative out in the open in where I've not been my best as a leader, I want to begin sharing how I see leadership. I will start by stating that I'm saying this in response to how I see things taking shape in the world around us and the ways in which I, as a 'leader' need to respond and adjust appropriately. I don't, however, have the full picture. There will be some folks who will see different sides. And, indeed, there will be people in different contexts for whom what I am saying will be a challenge and almost impossible due to the ways we have constructed how we do 'church' in our movement.

First, let me begin with two pictures. The first image is the one you can see on the left at the top, here. Its just a random clip art image from google images of a typical organisational structure. It would be very easy, using a chart similar to this, to plot our the chain of command in The Salvation Army (or any company with a CEO, for that matter, or any other church by and large). You'll know too that this chain of command was adopted early on in the movement in our days as a mission. Even before the 'Army thing' came along, Booth was in command and there was something of a structure under him. This was the absolute best way of getting things done in Booths days. All the conquering armies, governments and organisations led by this model.

In fact, there were little other models available apart from the ones which relied on countless committees. I can understand why Booth wanted to minimise these. Booth, utilising this model, charged the Army through the world. It was effective, however I guess its fair to say there were more than the fair share of casualties (especially amongst his children) for those who wouldn't fall in line. This is the war model. Makes sense for a Salvation Army. OK....I think you get all that. Let me turn to my next picture.

I couldn't really find one to adequately describe what I've picked out from a reading of the New Testament so I pulled this rough picture together on a simple program. Let me explain.

Imagine each larger circle as a group of believers in a location with Jesus at the centre. The smaller circles are individuals joined together. Jesus is the head of the body, each part of the body relates to him and receives instruction from him and responds together just like our natural bodies receove instructions from our brains. In that sense, Jesus as the head of the body is the leader to whom everone else responds. In the group, led by Jesus, there are different individuals with different giftings. Some gifted build the body up by teaching, pastoring, evangelising, and maybe a soul with a prophetic ministry...everyone working to build up each other. We also see from the new testament those who are among the church, 'overseers' and 'elders,' who are to "keep watch [looking out] over your souls" (Heb 13:17). They are scanning the skies looking for incoming missiles (heresy, false teaching) at the same time looking for ways forward. They are looking out for, not 'lording over.' There is nothing in the scripture to suggest that these functions were heirarchical in nature, just the body functioning together under the head, Jesus.

You will see the white dots floating yet linked to the smaller groups. These are itenerant apostles. The groups look to one or two of these...they may have had a hand in planting the group, will have spent time 'laying the foundation as an expert builder' before moving on. When they come along side the groups, inspite of their apostolic ministry, they don't come alongside as one over and above, but alongside. Some of the churches may have had an apostolic worker left behind by the apostle to continue the building work in some settings until the church is ready to be left alone. Some churches will have apostolic workers (as opposed to apostles) in them for a season in advance of the apostle arriving to lay the foundation 'properly.' (See Paul's relationship to Precilla and Aquilla and then Apollos). The apostle basically establishes the DNA of the body amongst a group gathered around Jesus which is then replicated at each point.

Now, the second is what I am advocating. Firstly because it bears closer resemblance to scripture and secondly, because there is something important about it that people are only starting to realise today.

Decentralised organisations are expanding at a tremendous rate. They tend to be bound together by common values and purpose. They are closer knit and when attacked, they spread out further and become stronger, making it difficult to quash them. The are fluid and mobile. The picture you can use to contrast these models is that of the starfish and the spider.

There is a book which explains this principle better than I can, but here it is in brief. The Spider has a head and 8 legs. If you cut off a spiders leg, providing he doesn't lose too much fluid, he will eventually grow back a leg which is attached to his body & head. If, however, you stand on his head, the whole thing is dead and suffers badly. The first picture about is the spider model.

The starfish, however, is different altogether. There is no head and each 'leg' has the same organs in each, the same parts. When you separate one part, you actually get two starfish because it has everything it needs to be a full entity. I will come back to this in another blog, but the point I am making here is that each leg of the starfish contains all the dna and information needed to be a starfish where as the spiders leg is just a leg with no heart.

I've heard it said that we need the command (spider) structure in the first picture because we are at war so that there is a clear chain of command. However, I don't think that is as potent as it may first seem. Rather than point to a modern example of Al Qaeda terrorist cells, let me share another story I picked up from 'The Starfish and the Spider.'

Take the Spanish Army of the 16th century. They conquer the Incas and the Aztecs by marching in, cutting off the big cities and capturing and killing the leaders, Atahuallpa and Montezuma respectively. They take down the civilisations in two years.

Then take their assault on the Apache indians (their next target). Apaches weren't structured the same as the other civilisations. They weren't centralised, didn't build towns and even if they did, they were such that if you took it down, they would just move out and settle somewhere else. They also had a shared political government. The only 'leaders' identifiable were what were called 'Nant'ans' who were cultural and spiritual leaders (Geronimo was one). As soon as the Spanish tried to kill these, others just rose up. They were important to inspire the people, but not indispensible because others could carry the story (the history of the people). if the Apaches decided to attack a Spanish settlement, they only had to talk about it in one place, spread the idea around, and you'd get local initiative acting spontaneously. The Spanish couldn't beat it.

The Apache's held out 200 years against the Spanish and were only conquered when the Spanish gave them cattle and farms. This automatically created a heirarchical structure and they they started to fight among themselves which led to their own destruction. Therein lies a tale.

When you consider the early church, we see the effects of this decentralisation. Persecution send the church out, sent them deep. You couldn't kill it, it just grew like virus. Every person carried the story, the virus. The underground church in China is the same. Its outlawed and largely leaderless in the conventional sense yet inspite of that it grows because Jesus is Lord, the body function together and 'pastors' are working in apostolic roles, encouraging the small cells of believers.

Another picture. The institutional structure is like a train travelling on a set of tracks previously laid down but perhaps going a place where no-one wants to go or needs to go, all at great speed. The relational network structure is like a group of people out for a walk. They are ultimately slower, but they are more able to respond to the nuances of the terrain and able to go where the train can't. Picture Jesus wandering around Gallile with a band of twelve! The point is that you gain flexibility and fluidity.

As Christendom crumbles, when the money isn't there to pile into the massive stuctures we have set up around us (including paid 'clergy', buildings, programmes etc etc), we run the risk of collapse and we see this in our Army. If you take lack of money, increasing lack of heirarchical leaders (read officers) the whole structure begins to crack. The way to deal with this is not to stick our heads in the stand and hope that post-Christendom blows over (because it won't). We need to re-evaluate and realign ourselves with a sustainable model which just so happens to find more root in New Testament as opposed to the Christendom clergy model.

The Army needs to be a leaner and meaner movement if it us to navigate the future. Corps need leaders who can help navigate the people through these changes at the level appropriate to the corps. For those of us in situations like mine (almost starting again from scratch), we need to adopt a new model from the start, and build these qualities into the nucleus for effective expansion. We need to prepare for the future now...but can we? More than that, will we?

Thinking out loud about leadership (1) A confession

2010-03-01T23:42:00.005Z

I want to start back here at Army Renewal in confession mode. I've been thinking a lot about leadership. More specificially leadership I've given and leadership that is the current 'flavour' in the Army at the moment. I'm going to spend a few blogs exploring leadership, because it is key for our movement in these times. I have a conviction, which may be slightly controversial to some, about how the future of leadership will need to look for the Army. I also have a conviction that our current modes of leadership...ie, what it has turned into, is currently moving counter to where we need to go.

What I want to do, however, after this brief confession (which will follow shortly) is rather than focus on the negative I see in the current leadership modes and structures, I want to paint what I believe it should be in order to paint a different image. I will then contrast that with what sometimes happen and leave you good folks to make the conclusion.

The confession: although I may have made some good leadership decisions and seen some good things come out of my leadership, I acknowedge and confess that as a whole my leadership has been poor so far in my officership. To be brutally honest, in many senses I feel it should disqualify me from being a leader at all. Am I being overly hard on myself? Perhaps, however I recognise that there are many times where I could have led much much better and hurt much fewer people in the process.

What have I been doing? Well, I write this here not to make excuses for myself, but to put out one of the main reasons I've discoved I've been leading poorly. I recognised that I have become an institutionalised leader. For so long, the perpetuation of the ministry of The Salvation Army has taken priority over being a catalyst in the Kingdom. I will bring out those contrasts in posts to come. But please hear my confession as brother and sisters.

I have allowed my dependance on The Salvation Army for my living (they house me, clothe me, feed me, transport me, pay me) to shape my identity (and therefore my security and significance as a person) instead of being who I am in Christ. In many circumstances, I've put the Army before Jesus. I've fallen into the trap of perpetuating the Army, bolstering and promoting officership and even officership covenant as a means of ensuring denominational survival in order that my 'profession' is safe and that there is a future rather than for what they can be under God's Kingdom economy.

I have confessed before the Lord the many times that I've put the institution before Him. I've begged that he would forgive my idolatry for allowing something to take his place, and I've asked him to lead me forward. Friends, I don't yet know what that 'forward' looks like. However, here I am seeking to learn from my mistakes. In fact, mistakes only remain mistakes when we don't learn from them.

Institutionalised? You may or may not know that I spend a bit of time in prison as a chaplain. There, as I've been 'ministering' to the men, I've learned something very important. I've learned from observation, conversation and a good few books that seem to refer to the film, The Shawshank Redemption, that the walls of a place can get inside your head. I meet men there so dependant on the prison walls that within an hour or so of being out of prison, they are already planning how to get back in. Its where their identity, security and significance is found. Life is too scary outside the walls.

Inside the Army I may have my own sense of importance, my rank, my role, my position, how people see me. Take me outside the Army, if all I'm relying on is that, I'm literally nothing. I'm unemployable (I have little skills other than constructing a three point sermon) and a bit of a social mis-fit because I have few friends who aren't my friends because I work with them in some capacity. Contrast this institutionalisation with what we have in Jesus. He says that if we know the truth, the truth will set us free. If our identity, significance and security is in Him, we do indeed live a full life which sets us free from the constructs and limitations of the boxes we end up finding ourselves in.

A couple of days ago, I posted the message translation of Paul writing to the Galations about his own institutional law-bound days. Thing is, there is every liklihood that Paul went on to keep the law as a Jew (many of them did) but in Christ he would have seen the true value in it but yet there he is very careful to point out that to go back to slavery, to miss the point, is almost unthinkable.

For me, my key task in these days is to reinstate Jesus back at the Lordship of my life. That process actually invovles laying down a few things. It also involves a shift in priorities and focus. it involves all of me coming in line with all of Him.

Friends, I want my lesson to be something which maybe you can learn from. Its why I've felt so strongly that I should 'come out of hiding' and share it. Maybe you have found yourself making the same mistakes, whether you are an officer or not. Explore the walls in your life. Look at your heart, 'test yourself and see if you are in the faith' said Paul to the Corinthians (2 Cor 13:5). Take the road to reJesusing your life...putting him back on the throne to the extent that there is no doubt in your own mind whose you are. As you do that, you'll recognise that to follow Jesus actually means leaving behind everything. Luke reports Jesus saying "²⁶"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26-27). Sounds a bit tough..wife, children, brothers, sisters, mother father? Hate them? Salvation Army? Hate it?

Our love for Jesus and our abandonment to him, in other words, should our love of those other things seem like hatred because he is the Lord. It means he is the point. It also means that everything else takes its place in line behind Jesus and his Lordship.

God help us.

Back

2010-03-01T10:53:00.003Z

The recess was shorter than expected...the time was all I needed really for a perspective on some of the things I have been thinking through. I want to share with you a few things that have been on my heart and mind for some time now and wil begin doing so later.

Thanks for your continued visitation of this blog whilst it has been off air and thank you for listening. I hope that in the weeks to come there will be something which will cause you to think and re-evaluate a few things.

in Jesus
Andrew

My testimony for these days

2010-02-26T11:43:00.001Z

Galatians 2:20 (The Message)

19-21What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that.

Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

In Recess!

2010-01-14T18:45:00.003Z

I've been blogging here for around 6 years. Blogging has been a discipline that has been really useful to me over the years and its certainly not my intention to give up. The topic of this blog is to comment on Salvationism, the Army and to speak into issues which perhaps warrant comment with the hope of adding something to the conversation. It has also been partly a reflective tool, where lots of theology and practical stuff has been worked out in practice. On-going reflection is important.

However, for me at the moment, there is still much at stake for us. Long term followers of the blog will not have failed to notice that the last few years in particular have been a difficult journey as we work out how to be faithful as officers in the context of a few things. The honest position is that we as a family are still on the exploration, and there are elements of life and ministry we are reflecting on amongst ourselves!

You may have noticed that comment here has not only been fewer, but also, perhaps, not quite so engaging than it might have been at one point. Part of that is that there are things I've felt I couldn't write on without starting a war, but also things I'm working on that even for quite an outspoken blogger, aren't for airing publically.

So, what of the future of blogging? I am taking a rest from blogging comment on this site. There will still be posts, but it will be news sharing, maybe some good book recommendations and maybe even some extracts of those simply to keep the blog 'live' until such times I re-engage more fully with it. I'm guessing it may be a 6 to 9 month rest initially.

Another of the reasons for change of blog is that I'll be looking at maintaining a different kind of blog. Its difficult to blog consistantly and fully in two places, but from very soon, I'll be blogging here. http://theblindbeggar.blogspot.com/ But as I say, keep Army Renewal on your feeds.

Those of you who are au fait with The Salvation Army will recognise the significance of that. In our ministry here in Torry, we're going back to the very basic elements of ministry. We're returning more and more to the streets of our community and engaging there and my utmost attention must be there for this crucial season. So, The Blind Beggar will be more of a journal of our work day-to-day as we seek to navigate this new season of ministry. It will also hopefully be a joint blog between Tracy and I. I hope it will be a blessing to you as much as a helpful tool for us in reflection.

Why am I doing this publically? Several reasons. We're human and we need the encouragement from those who are interested in our ministry, but we also feel that we owe some communiction to those who go above and beyond to support us. I also value the prayer that goes into covering our ministry, and that prayer needs to be informed prayer. It gives opportunity for the blogsphere community to comment, encourage, challenge which is just really vital for me. Finally, it documents the story of what God is doing here....and thats always exciting to track.

So there it is, my blogging focus is shifting a little. Thank you all so much for reading, especially those who have started reading this blog as it appears on Facebook, and who have added so much more to the conversation. I look forward to hearing from you at The Blind Beggar.

Salvation Army Opens Work in 119th Country

2010-01-11T21:44:00.002Z

"GENERAL Shaw Clifton is pleased to announce that the work of The Salvation Army has been officially established in the west African country of Sierra Leone, bringing the total number of countries in which the Army operates to 119.

"An enquiry was first made as to the possibility of The Salvation Army establishing a presence in Sierra Leone in 2003. That led to a long period of discussion, prayerful consideration, careful research and waiting upon the Lord to reveal his will in this regard. Further enquiries came in 2005 and then, in 2006, Auburn Corps in the Australia Eastern Territory expressed a keen desire to support any project the Army might consider running in Sierra Leone.

"Later in 2006, Major Robert Dixon – then serving as Officer Commanding of the Liberia Command – undertook a feasibility study in Sierra Leone. There was a positive response from the government at that time. When serving at International Headquarters as the General’s Representative for World Evangelisation, Colonel (now Commissioner) Dick Krommenhoek visited Sierra Leone, met with government officials and other authorities, and submitted a positive report to the General.

"At a meeting of the International Management Council in December 2009, Commissioner Amos Makina (International Secretary for Africa, IHQ) reported that The Salvation Army had been legally registered to operate in Sierra Leone and officers from Liberia (Captains John and Roseline Bundu) had arrived in the country, ready to start work with the group of local people who had already expressed interest. Captain John Bundu originates from Sierra Leone.

"The General has thus approved the official opening of The Salvation Army’s work in Sierra Leone, under the supervision of the Liberia Command, as from 1 January 2010."

Five Key advances for the Decade

2010-01-03T16:09:00.003Z

Again, from Stephen Court's blog. So good it has to be shared wider. Here is his five recommended and needful advances for this decade. What will you part in it be?

1. Finish the 'every nation' part of the great commission by 2020. 82 are left. That's just over eight each year. If we are intentional and if God endorse it, we can do it.

Why? This is what we're about - winning the world for Jesus. Let's drag as many people into heaven with us as we can.

Why it hasn’t happened yet? I’m not sure. Political factors in different countries have been and will be difficult, that financial realities have been restricting, and that the challenges on existing fronts have been demoralizing. But they needn’t hinder a resolute force. Not every national invasion might be through the front door in uniforms and with a flag (though this is the current process)…

2. Return holiness and covenant to their rightful place as priority in The Salvation Army. The General has started this process with holiness. A universal embrace of covenant (soldiership particularly) will reverse fragmentation and decline).

Why? The universal embrace of covenant will bring about a unity that commands a blessing. The pervasive holiness will be like adding a rocket booster to every initiative in which we engage.

Why it hasn’t happened yet? We got side-tracked by commercial Christian influence that is almost exclusively non-holiness and non-covenant (books, CDs, tv, MP3, internet, etc.). We have a couple of generations (at least) nursed on the inevitability of sin and the futility of covenant. Ours is ‘new’ doctrine to most today.

3. Get our praxis right on women. Teach Biblical equality. Live it. How will it look? It might be reasonable to make 60 married women DCs in the next two years, a dozen married women CSs (from the 60) in the two years following, a handful of married women TCs (from the dozen) in the two years following that. That might mean that by the High Council to elect the 20th general there will be several married women TCs.

Why? Some of Booth's best men are women. Why should we fight an unleashed and desperate enemy with one hand tied behind our back? There are excellent women leaders who could be significantly improving our effectiveness in senior responsibilities if we get this right. This will affect every marriage, every family relationship, every corps throughout the Army - it could revolutionise our warfighting.

Why it hasn’t happened yet? The most lame excuse I have heard (and I have heard it more than once) is the husband couldn’t handle it emotionally/socially if his wife was promoted 'above' him. That is so pathetic that I cannot address it seriously. In other words, it seems like we have not been serious about winning the war, as measured by our action on this issue, to date (huge claim).

4. Internationalise Salvation Army leadership. The next steps might look like this. Appoint African and Asian leaders as TC in western FITs (Financially Independent Territories). This has never been done. From a human standpoint, it removes the hindrance to electing such leaders general.

Why? There appear to be great leaders in some of these places who have proven track records of supernatural advance. Why should western FITs be deprived of their expertise and authority? Why should they be limited to territorial commands if they have a global anointing?

Why hasn’t this happened yet? It looks like institutional racism from the outside. But it is more likely the self-replicating dynamics of bureaucracy and organizational networking.

5. Nail the Ss. We're saved to save. Even those who refuse to line up behind General Booth on this important point must realise that if they insist that they are saved to serve, they must at least determine that they are saved to serve the Lord and not the whims of the people.

Why? Settling this subject will keep us from teetering back and forth with every wind of the latest trendy approach to Christianity. It is one thing to lurch from church growth to Sunday Schools to men's ministry to mega churches to seeker sensitivity to emergent church to postmodernism to justice to ... but when the ship is global (as is The Salvation Army) and the moves are happening territorially there is significant stress on the system. Remember, the goal is to win the world for Jesus, and these changes are aimed at helping to do that.

Why hasn’t this happened yet? Well, as we’ve mentioned before, it is hard to sleep at night when you aren’t seeing people saved and sanctified and discipled. So it is easier to sleep if you can point to SOMETHING – and feeding and clothing and sheltering people is a good thing and can be measured. And a couple of generations (at least) of us have been hoodwinked by the significant change in William Booth’s and the Army’s fundamental raison-d’etre.

Resolutions

2010-01-01T20:15:00.001Z

From Stephen Court at armybarmy blog (at right):

New Year is a good time to assess what is important and avail ourselves of the means of grace to enable us to live up to what we have already attained, and in some cases have yet to attain.

Here are Five For Fighting:

- rations - jacking up your rations in time, depth, intimacy, consistency cannot but help you grow in your relationship with God. If you are not 7/7 each week, this is the clean slate to shoot for 365/365.

- discipling - if you aren't discipled, get disicpled. If you are, then disciple someone else. Do it.

- evangelising - resolve this year to throw out all the excuses for not evangelising. Get trained up, prayed up, and then lock it into your schedule - evangelise regularly.

- worship - why not determine to worship full out at every corporate opportunity, not being afraid of what other people think, not being distracted by anything outside the room, not being intimidated by demons, and worship like you were in heaven?

- stewardship - I once heard a preacher tell people to ask the Lord how much to give ... and then to add a zero. Why not determine this year to be extravagant in your giving, frugal in your spending, and generous in your sharing? Sometimes the gospel is slowed by lack of these characteristics in our stewardship

Books 2009

2010-01-01T12:17:00.003Z

A little list of books I've read (and some, re-read) this year...all come as recommended (except McLaren!)

- Larsson, J. (2009). "1929: A Crisis That Shaped the Salvation Army's Future"

- Hirsch, A. (2009). "ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church"

- Hirsch, A (2007). "The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church"

- Hirsch, A. (2009). "The Forgotten Ways Handbook: A Practical Guide for Developing Missional Churches"

- Claiborne, S. (2006) "The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical"

- Halter, H & Smay, M. (2008) "The Tangible Kingdom: Creating Incarnational Community"

- Cole, N. (2005) "Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens"

- Noland, J. (2000) "No Limits Together"

- Murray Williams, S (2004) "Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World"

- Murray Williams, S (2005) "Church after Christendom"

- Murray Williams, S (2008) "Planting Churches: A Framework for Practitioners"

- Bonnke, R (2002) "Evangelism by Fire"

- Comfort, R (2006) "The Way of the Master"

- McLaren, B (2008) "A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey"

- McKenzie, G (1998) "Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace"

- Wagner, P (2002) "Radical Holiness for Radical Living"

- Munn, O & Court, S (2007) "The Uprising: a Holy Revolution"

- Northumbria Community (2005) "Celtic Daily Prayer"

- McManus, E (2009) "The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within"

- McManus, E (2007) "Soul Cravings"

- Tomlin, G (2008) "Provocative Church: and study guide"

- Wimber, J (2007) "The Way In is the Way On"

- Booth, W (2009) "Essential Measures"

- IHQ (2008) "The Salvation Army In The Body Of Christ"

- IHQ (1930) "Orders and Regulations for Corps Officers"

Thinking about the decade

2009-12-30T23:28:00.002Z

Lots of reflection going on in the old SA blogsphere (aka Salvosphere) about significant happenings in the last decade. I've been thinking from the context of my own territory, noting some of the things that have stood out (good, bad and indifferent). Not commenting...just highlighting some biggies.

1. Starting with a recent one: the resignation of Major Chick Yuill, Russell Rook and Phil Wall from significant roles in the UK Territory. These guys are still around, but no longer in places of influence in the Territory...all doing their own thing outside the movement.

2. Massive impact of 24/7 prayer movement on the UKT. Championed by the excellent leadership of Commissioner Alex Hughes, but fuelled by so many passionate people. Add in this one the impact of Roots. Linked to this, the promotion to Glory of Major Jo Norton. Significant happenings, all of them.

3. The creation of Alove "The Salvation Army for a New Generation".

4. The impending sale and relocation of William Booth College, Denmark Hill which, when I was in training, was as good as happening to the extent that we were getting ready to literally re-locate. Change of territorial leadership, decision quickly reversed.

5. Removal of some key support positions at DHQ level, such as property, fundraising and PR. These have had significant impacts on the work on the local fronts, and the workload of officers and other DHQ staffing.

6. Significant disappearance and subsequent (very) gradual return of officers from management posts in Salvation Army social service centres.

7. The publishing of the Strategic Mission document and the fact that now no-one will know what I'm talking about. What Strategic Mission document? Like wise, the peak of the 2020 vision concentration and the subsequent dissappearance of any reference to it.

8. The rank thing has already been aired, but the disappearance of the new but now defunct Lieutenants system in the UK is significant for many folks. It was pretty fully embraced in this Territory. Non-officer spouse arrangement fully engaged in this Territory too.

9. Four Territorial Commanders in 10 years for the UK (if you include 1999) in the form of Gowans, Hughes, Clifton and Matear. Two progressive radicals, two restorationist radicals. We've almost had a microcosm of what has happened Internationally in the Territory....still stating facts! No comment! Also commented elsewhere, the last three Generals have, at some point, been in territorial leadership of this territory.

10. New IHQ building in London which gives us all an opportunity to pop in for a very expensive sandwich, a peak at the General and the Cheif through the windows as you walk past between St Pauls Cathedral & the Tate Modern along the Millennium Bridge, and a nosey to see which IHQ commissioner eats what for lunch through all the glass.

Holy Christmas to all Army Renewal Readers

2009-12-25T00:06:00.004Z

18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-24

Freedom for Christmas

2009-12-21T01:02:00.003Z

Have you all seen the film Braveheart? Good film. There is one particular scene in the film I like. The Scottish Army are assembled and looking at their opponents, a wee bit doubtful of their chances of winning and are about to turn round when Wallace rides on with his face painted blue and white and gives is probably fictional speech.

“You've got to fight as free men, and free men you are.

"What will you do without freedom? Will you fight? Fight and you may die, run and you'll live, at least a while. And dying in your bed many years from now would you be willing to trade all your days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they'll never take our freedom.”

It’s all very passionate stuff.

We’re getting very close to Christmas, only just round the corner. Went to see my little girl in the nativity....you know shepherds, kings, donkeys, inn keepers etc etc. All very pretty, but quite unlike the original scene, I imagine.

I was reminded of that passage in Luke 4 that shows us that Jesus came with a huge agenda, and it was a freedom agenda. A massive message for the poor, for the captive, for the sick, for the blind, for the stranger, the lonely, the whoever....actually, for me. Jesus is declaring his intentions to bring release and freedom where it matters most...to the very heart of who we are. Freedom from our sin that presses against us, separates us, and freedom from ourselves who so often mess things up. However, this isn’t just something he started working out later in his life and through his death on the cross.

God made a huge statement to us when he worked it out for Jesus to be born in a manger. On that night, I don’t reckon it was much of the case of the typical manger scene. I reckon it was a cold, smelly, dirty, messy barn...totally not the place where you’d want to give birth to your first born, and certainly not one fit for Jesus as the King of Kings.

I’m encouraged by the muck, because it shows me that God meant business with Jesus. Yes, he wants to bring great messages for the poor, the oppressed, the captive, sick and blind...but most of all, he was willing, 14 years ago, for the presence of Jesus to be born in the muck, sin and mess of my life.

He stood before me, as a young guy willing to run away from life and said I’m here to fight for you, in you and through you. In the bible, the gospel writer John puts it all in perspective with one sentence. He said, God became human and made his dwelling among us….or, in other words, God became one of us and moved in next door. God came as a smelly, burping, puking, screaming baby into a dark dingy, smelly, animal infested barn to a young woman who was just about grasping what it was all about supported by step-dad, Joseph, consumed with the thoughts of what his neighbours would be saying now.

This Jesus grew up, not to be a big religious hot shot with a big hat, cape and an attitude to match with chauffeur driven camels, but a simple carpenter come wandering rabbi who had no-where to call home, who was hated by the authorities and misunderstood by everyone he was close to. Crucified as a criminal on a roman cross as he died for the very reason for which he was sent in the first place.
Instead of coming to the world as a saint with bright lights behind his head, he comes like a man carrying our bail money on our back. John encourages us to recognise that we are in need of a real Jesus.

John later tells us that God loved the world so much, that he sent his only son, that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

The best way of having a smashing Christmas is to allow Jesus to pay your fine, turn away from your sin, trust in Jesus to bail you out so that when you stand before God as the judge he will be happy to let you go free because your debt has been paid. The biggest challenge of Christmas is to look beyond the baby and see the cross.

Have a blessed Christmas, have a peaceful Christmas…but most of all, have a real Christmas!

Operation Christmas update.

2009-12-18T11:19:00.005Z

Operation Christmas has been a busy one this year but just stopping by here to give a little report.

We had a good crowd of around 50 in for the dedication of little Teara and for our Advent celebration which really helped get Operation Christmas off to a good start. All were given invitations to attend Alpha in the new year.

Our Blast! Kids' drop-in family night went really well...great to see parents come along and play with their children, mix with other parents and get to know us a bit. A really positive night all round. The following week, over 40 children attended our Blast! Christmas Party and the kids had a great time. Really great to be building up links with all these children which will no doubt continue into their teenage years as they 'move up' through Blast and on to our Friday night drop-in for teens. We thank God for them.

Last night, we had the carol service at the Prison and were chuffed to have around 30 prisoners at the service. There was lively upbeat carol singing like you've probably never heard in your life and great live music from the worship band who came in to lead the carols. My talk seems to hold their attention and a few guys spoke to me afterwards about the Lord. We also gifted the guys with a bar of chocolate and a 'Why Christmas?' booklet, along with an invite to attend the Alpha Course we're running in the prison in the new year. We're praying for a good response to that.

Earlier the same day, a group of prisoners watched the film, The Nativity Story and the message was brought fresh to them. We'll be talking about the film next Thursday in our group.

Our little corps carol service was a great success again. We had Peterhead SA Band, Aberdeen Citadel Singing Company and the dance school that use our hall came and did a few slots. This is just a low key carol sing along with some 'items' and a message (having said that, if was much more 'formal' that anything else we do!) We used the 'Retooning the Nativity' clip in the previous post in this box and the folks were invited to take God out of the box they may have put him in. All were invited to attend Alpha in the new year. Altogether, it was good to see around 60 folks in attendance, including mums, kids and grannies from our Blast! drop in and some young folks from our youth cell.

Ahead of us now is some more carolling, our Free Christmas Gift Wrapping event, our Lunch Club Christmas meal, and a few prison based activities. Oh...and I'm out on a Street Pastor shift this coming Saturday...that will be a busy night!

I guess all this goes to show that in our ministry as the Army at this time of the year, we can punch way above our weight in terms of our influence. We have a core team here of around 5 or 6. How much can you do with more? Lets continue to use the opportunity of Christmas to point people towards Jesus.

Retooning the Nativity (Video)

2009-12-05T22:20:00.000Z

Operation Christmas!

2009-12-04T01:45:00.006Z

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

2009-11-26T12:22:00.001Z

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

2009-11-25T14:55:00.003Z

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

2009-11-16T01:24:00.004Z

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

2009-11-11T10:52:00.002Z

“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

2009-11-06T00:23:00.005Z

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

2009-11-01T22:11:00.004Z

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'

2009-10-29T22:01:00.006Z

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

2009-10-29T11:01:00.003Z

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

2009-10-28T11:32:00.005Z

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

2009-10-12T01:15:00.004Z

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

2009-10-11T23:35:00.002Z

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'

2009-10-06T23:03:00.005Z

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

2009-10-06T21:22:00.000Z

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

2009-10-05T09:38:00.004Z

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

2009-10-02T22:45:00.003Z

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

2009-10-01T23:50:00.000Z

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

2009-09-28T22:41:00.003Z

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

2009-09-27T18:16:00.052Z

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.

24/7 Prayer

2009-08-13T22:22:00.003Z

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

2009-08-06T19:30:00.003Z

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.