Now recruiting

Major Beverly Baker introduces the territory’s new strategy for employing corps leaders.

For many years, in addition to the crucial ministry of officers and territorial envoys, The Salvation Army has welcomed and valued the Christian ministry and leadership of employees who live out the mission of The Salvation Army. Today, employed roles as well as officer roles exist in several positions that were traditionally reserved for officers.

Examples include spiritual directors, divisional youth specialists, chaplains in Homelessness Services, Older People’s Services and prison ministry, and, more recently, pioneer leaders of fresh expressions, reaching new people with the gospel of Jesus in new ways and in new places and spaces.

This change has emerged as a pragmatic response to missional need at a local level, but it is also the result of a strategic decision rather than a reactive response.

Our territory’s senior leaders prayerfully continue to seek God's direction for The Salvation Army, balancing the need to be consistent with our history and theology with the need for creative approaches to current contexts.

The discerned way forward is to strategically move towards a flexible leadership model. As part of this, a new role of employed corps leader will be introduced. This role will exist alongside the continued availability of roles such as pioneer leader and chaplain.

In giving attention to how we employ leaders for ministry, we have developed a wider territorial framework. This will ensure a consistent approach to the recruitment, assessment, training, deployment, support and oversight of those who enter into an employment contract to lead a local setting of The Salvation Army – including corps, pioneer or fresh expressions, as well as chaplaincy in residential settings.

We continue to affirm and encourage the opportunity and privilege of officership and territorial envoyship. Officership and territorial envoyship are not jobs, but a way of life and lifestyle that is liberating and enabling of living out a life responsive to the calling of God.

As a result of this focus on leadership, we have recently increased the flexibility possible within officership and envoyship to accommodate, for example, family and caring needs.

Salvation Army ministry is based in covenant, with soldiers, officers and territorial envoys in covenantal relationship as a denominational extension of the profound biblical and theological concept of covenant that runs throughout Scripture.

There are many Salvationists who would like to be an officer but, for lots of valid and practical reasons, cannot offer the kind of commitment required. Many want to use their talents and faith to serve him in the Army, but bypass officership and seek other forms of full-time ministry.

We acknowledge, therefore, that contracted employment may be appropriate for some. The roles of employed corps leader and pioneer leader will both have an occupational requirement to be a soldier. For corps leaders, this is because they are leading Salvation Army worshipping communities and mobilising Salvationists for mission.

For pioneer leaders, this is because they are seeking to establish new, fresh expressions of The Salvation Army.

For chaplaincy roles in residential settings, there is an occupational requirement to be a committed Christian and to uphold the vision, mission and values of The Salvation Army. This is because they are supporting people in exploring Christian faith, and potentially signposting faith communities rather than leading Salvation Army corps.

This broader requirement expands the pool of potential applicants where we have traditionally struggled to fulfil these crucial roles.

Employed spiritual leaders will have more self-determination in terms of where they live and serve, provided that there is an opportunity for ministry in their chosen location. However, long‐term security will be less sure as, if the need for a role ceases or a different strategic direction is taken, they would not be automatically moved to another appointment as an officer would.

As the territory responds dynamically to diverse and emerging opportunities for mission, as well as celebrating and further developing existing models and practices, our hopes and prayers are that people will continue to be open to exploring the call of God and will take opportunities to deepen their discipleship and service, including through officership, territorial envoyship or through employment with The Salvation Army. 

For some, employment might also be a bridge towards making a longer‐term commitment.

There will be an ongoing vital role of oversight for all envoys and employed spiritual leaders to be supported and supervised by officers – we are grateful for the way they generously live out their ministry, and the encouragement they give to all those exploring calling and opportunities to extend their service where they are.

Are you open to considering the diverse opportunities for mission and ministry available that God is calling you to? Are you regularly seeking God’s will for your life, in the short‐term and the long‐term? 

Are you open to exploring what officership might mean, or what territorial envoyship might look like, rather than assuming that they are not for you? How might you test that sense of calling? Could it be through employment with The Salvation Army?

Prayer requests

• Pray for those exploring officership and territorial envoyship, and for those prompted to apply for employment in Salvation Army leadership.
• Pray for those you know who enter and serve in Salvation Army leadership roles, locally and territorially.