Go together like a Horse and Carriage

As you can tell, I’m kinda on a “Salvation Army” distinctive rant at the moment. I think it’s probably because I’m passionate about our Army. I’m passionate about the movement we were, and the movement we are called to be. I’m concerned about some of the present trends and practices, and I’m reflecting on what I believe about them – keeping in mind that as an Officer in The Salvation Army – in the future, I will be in a position of leadership, at the very least (though I think it’s the most!) at a local level.

One of the things I’m really concerned about is the almost complete isolation of our Social Services and our Corps from each other. There are many amazing integrated ministries across our Territory, but at this stage, not every Social Service/Programme is attached to a Corps. More concerning for me though, is that not every Corps has aligned itself with a Social Service/Programme.

William Booth quoted many times the importance of having both, though I’m sure he never had in mind the split we have at the moment. Booth proclaimed “Soup, Soap, Salvation!” in that order… and was quoted as saying “But what is the use of preaching the Gospel to men whose whole attention is concentrated upon a mad, desperate struggle to keep themselves alive?” You see, yes, we were indeed called to be a Christian Movement, to spread the love of God to everyone we meet, to share the message of Jesus, and to bring people into the Kingdom. There was always, and should always, be a leaning towards the poor and marginalized within our community.


Booth also warned against becoming purely a Charity when he stated:
“To get a man soundly saved it is not enough to put on him a pair of new breeches, to give him regular work, or even to give him a University education. These things are all outside a man, and if the inside remains unchanged you have wasted your labor. You must in some way or other graft upon the man's nature a new nature, which has in it the element of the Divine.”

Corps & Social, Social & Corps…they go together, the are not separate entities. When we look at Jesus ministry, did He ever say “Well today, I’m all about building my church, let’s leave the work of healing the sick to the doctors, and serving the poor to the social workers, I’m called to build the church!”…. NO!! (“TEN THOUSAND TIMES NO!!”) Jesus constantly and consistently led His disciples to the poor, to being on the move, serving community after community, person after person, exactly where they are at. Not expecting them to go to a fully established service with professionals, or to come to a church and act as they should, in order to be accepted. No! It was quite the opposite… Jesus went out, and served people where they were at, and in turn, those people became followers of Him. So if we are truly honestly Christians (which is to say we are FOLLOWERS of Christ) then we are called to do likewise… to serve people and love them exactly as they are… and in turn, to trust that their Saviour will fill them with the hope they need to fight their battles and demons. How can we do that, when we are so comfortable in our churches?

Now I’ve worked in both Corps & Social, I see the value in both. I love both. I am able to see that one cannot, and must not exist without the other. I’m tired of Salvationists whinging and moaning that our Social Centres are staffed by non-Christians. To those that do, I say… where are you? Have you gone and studied, to become qualified in a field, so that you might serve our Social Centres? The buck has to stop with someone… can it stop with you?

We are so quick as Salvationists to judge the Army, but often, I find, we’re not overly quick to do anything about it! If you are an accountant, are you working for the Army? If you’re a teacher, are you working for the Army? If you are a social worker, are you working for the Army? How about if you are a cook, or a cleaner, or a receptionist? Because we’re desperate for all those roles, and whilst Salvationists are not getting trained up and working in them, we’re having to employ non-Christians. Perhaps if you can't work for the Army, you've got a few hours a week to help out at one of our Centres? You have no idea how much that would bless the staff!

Those of you who are qualified and are working for the Army, are you being a true expression of Salvationism within your job? Are your co-workers respecting you because you are giving above and beyond your job’s requirement? Or do you slack off and expect to cut corners because you’re a Salvo? This isn’t a judgement, I know many many BRILLIANT Salvationists who are serving God by using their skills and giftings by working for The Army. But sadly, many of our Social Centre managers have not such a great idea of Salvo’s working for The Army, and it had to come from somewhere. These are questions I ask of myself constantly in my work. When I turn up to work at welfare or in housing, am I a good example of The Salvation Army, not only to the clients, but also to my colleagues? Because if I’m not, I’m part of the problem not the solution!

And in our Corps… when someone from one of our Social Centres come along, do you introduce yourself? Do you offer to get them a coffee, or lend a listening ear? Do you sit with them, and explain what’s going on in our Services? Or are you expecting others to do it? You see, if we truly want to see our Corps grow, we need to start asking these tough questions of ourselves. We were not designed to be a middle-class church, we were created and formed to be a movement showing the love of Christ by serving others.

We’re a hard core movement… are you ready? Are you willing? Would you lay down your life for it? Because the Army needs militant Salvationists… it needs people who are going to say “Here I am Lord, take ALL of me”, because without those Salvationists, we’re nothing but a happy clappy church or a charity… the future is in our hands… decisions need to be made… I’ve made mine… have you?

I leave you with a challenge from our Founder, General William Booth in 1910 (most of you know it already, and some bits are possibly misquoted, to which I apologise):


“I am glad you're enjoying yourselves. The Salvationist is the friend of happiness. Making heaven on earth is our business. "Serve the Lord with gladness" is one of our favourite mottos. So I am pleased that you are pleased.

But amidst all of your joys, don't forget the sons and daughters of misery. Do you ever visit them? Come away and let us make a call or two.

Here is a home, six in family. They eat and drink and sleep and sicken and die in the same chamber.

There is a drunkard's hovel, void of furniture, wife a skeleton, children in rags, father maltreating the victims of his neglect.

Here are the unemployed wandering about seeking work and finding none.

Yonder are the wretched criminals, cradled in crime, tracking in and out of the prisons all the time.

There are the daughters of shame, deceived and wronged and ruined, travelling down the dark incline to an early grave.

There are the children, fighting in the gutters, going hungry to school, growing up to fill their parents' places.

Brought it all on themselves do you say? Perhaps so, but that does not excuse our assisting them. You don't demand a certificate of virtue before you drag the drowning creature out of the water. Nor the assurance that a man has paid his rent before you deliver him from the burning building.

But what shall we do? Content ourselves by singing a hymn, offering a prayer or giving a little good advice?

No, ten thousand times, no.

We will pity them, feed them, reclaim them, employ them. Perhaps we shall fail with many -quite likely. But our business is to help them all the same and that in the most practical, economical and Christ-like manner.

So let us haste to the rescue for the sake of our own peace, the poor wretches themselves (seen as the children) and the Saviour of us all.

But you must help with the means. And as there is nothing like the present, who in this company will lend a hand by taking up a collection?”