Ecumenical and Interfaith

The Salvation Army belongs to the universal Church and its members are united by the Holy Spirit with other Christians.

This spiritual unity is expressed visibly as Salvation Army members across the United Kingdom and Ireland join with other Christians in:

• Worship – including regular or occasional Sunday services
• Witness – such as open-air services on Good Friday and at other times of the year
• Work – for example food banks, Street Pastors, chaplaincies, children’s projects, older people’s work, environmental projects and social justice advocacy

Corps officer Major Katrina Greetham (Swanage) says, ‘The Army has a special ministry and other churches are also doing amazing things. We can work in partnership, so let’s be involved.’

The Salvation Army recognises the value of building good relations and working with people of other faiths. In some parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland, Salvation Army members are linked to local interfaith groups and join in interfaith events and community action projects.

Wimbledon Corps hosted a scriptural reasoning event for Interfaith Week 2022. Participants enjoyed a Syrian meal before Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Muslim representatives spoke about verses from their Scriptures that relate to poverty and justice. Small groups then discussed the verses, which deepened their understanding of the issue and of different faiths.

Divisional Ecumenical Officers, who are usually corps officers, support the ecumenical engagement of corps within a division or part of a division. They may also represent the Army in county or regional Churches Together Groups.

Central and Southern Scotland*

• Captains Emma and Les Heal

Central, Southern and Channel Islands

• Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire – Major John Parry
• Dorset – Major Katrina Greetham
• Wiltshire – Major Jonathan Greetham

East Midlands

• Lincolnshire – Captain Callum Thompson
• Northamptonshire – Captain Alison Chapman
• Nottinghamshire – Captain Wendy Brown

East of England

• Cambridgeshire – Major Angela Wilson
• Essex and East London – Major Ian Mountford
• Norfolk and Waveney – Major Paul Robinson

Ireland

• Major Scott Cunliffe
• Divisional Commander Colonel Neil Webb is a member of the Executive Committee of the Irish Council of Churches

London

• Vacant

North East England

• Captain Callum Newton

North Scotland*

• Vacant

North West and Isle of Man

• Cheshire – Major Gareth Dickens
• Cumbria – Majors Mel and Steven Scoulding
• Isle of Man – Captain Dylan Nieuwoudt
• Lancashire – Captain Tracy Collis
• Merseyside – Major Allister Versfeld

South East

• Vacant

South West

• Bristol – Major Mark Sellers
• Cornwall – Captain Susan Tidball
• Devon – Major Robert Elliott

Wales

• Captain Kathryn Stowers
• Divisional Commander Lieut-Colonel Jonathan Roberts is a trustee of the national ecumenical instrument for Wales, Cytûn

West Midlands

• Vacant

Yorkshire and Humber

• North of the division – Majors Michael and Nicola Barker
• South of the division – Major Diane Pryor

* The Army is represented nationally in Scotland by the Scotland Office.

Major (Dr) Paul Robinson is the Territorial Ecumenical Officer and Major David Evans works part-time in retirement as the Territorial Ecumenical Support Officer.

The work of the unit involves:

• supporting and encouraging ecumenical engagement at all levels, especially in the development of missional partnerships
• facilitating the work of the Territorial Ecumenical Council
• resourcing and training officers and others in ecumenical and interfaith involvement
• advising territorial leadership, divisional leadership or any group or task force on ecumenical and interfaith matters
• representing territorial leadership at national events and gatherings
• liaising with and supporting the Army’s national ecumenical representatives in Ireland, Scotland and Wales (see details under Divisional Ecumenical Officers)

The Army is represented on several ecumenical and interfaith groups, including:

• Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
• Churches Together in England
• The Free Churches Group
• Evangelical Alliance
• The Conference of European Churches
• The Interfaith Network UK
• The Christian Muslim Council
• Council for Christians and Jews

• ecumenical@salvationarmy.org.uk
• 020 7367 4941