The Salvation Army has today announced its new world leader and the 19th General will be Canadian-born Commissioner Linda Bond.
Commissioner Bond becomes the third woman and the fourth Canadian to hold the post of General of The Salvation Army since the international church and charity organization was founded 146 years ago.
The Commissioner, who currently heads up the church and registered charity’s work in the Australian Eastern Territory, was elected by The High Council of The Salvation Army made up of senior leaders from around the world who met this week in Sunbury-on-Thames near London.
Commissioner Linda Bond (64) will have the title General-Elect until she succeeds the current world leader General Shaw Clifton, who retires at the beginning of April.
Once in post as General of The Salvation Army, the Commissioner will become the head of more than one million Salvationists in 123 countries. The Salvation Army also has more than 100,000 employees who between them communicate in 175 different languages.
In recent days and months, The Salvation Army has been involved in relief work in the aftermath of the Australian floods, the devastating mudslide in Brazil, floods in Sri Lanka, and the New Zealand earthquake.
Commissioner Bond comes to the role of General of The Salvation with 42 years experience of Christian ministry and leadership.
Since 2008 Commissioner Bond has headed up The Salvation Army’s work across Eastern Australia, a huge territory with its headquarters in Sydney. This includes the recently devastated state of Queensland where The Salvation Army continues to be heavily involved in assisting victims of widespread flooding.
Prior to this, the Commissioner worked at Salvation Army International Headquarters (IHQ) in London, as the Secretary for Spiritual Life Development and International External Relations. This was her second spell at IHQ where she had previously served as Under Secretary for Personnel in the mid 1990s.
As a Salvation Army officer (ordained minister of religion and leader) Commissioner Bond has served in local corps (church) ministry, on the staff of Salvation Army national and regional (divisional) headquarters and as part of the training staff for new officers in her home territory of Canada and Bermuda. During those years she also served as a divisional and subsequently a leader of The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda.
Other appointments have included divisional leadership roles in the Manchester region of the United Kingdom between 1998 and 1999, and as Territorial Leader in the USA Western Territory of The Salvation Army.
Top photo: General-elect Commissioner Linda Bond salutes the world immediately following the public announcement of her election to be the Salvation Army’s nineteenth General. Credit: Paul Harmer.
From your homeland of Cape Breton, all the way to Australia. Heard the news from Blanche Brewer of your great new appointment. Congratulations, and maybe someday I will be able to visit you at your main office in London, England. If you ever come to Nova Scotia, especially Sydney, give me some lead time so you can address the Kiwanis Club of Sydney on a Thursday noontime meeting.
Regards, your friend, Wayne.
Congratulations,Commissioner Bond. Everytime I read your articles through the Pipeline I am always blessed and thank the Lord for your life. I am confident that the Lord will use you to further His Kingdom. May God’s shines through you wherever you go.
God Bless the General-Elect! May your leadership always be a high example of followership – as a devoted follower of our precious Lord and Saviour.
GOD BLESS YOU COMMISSIONER GERNAL-ELECT LINDA BOND ! AS SREVE OUR LORD
AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST THE ONLY ONE FOR ALL! BLESS YOU IN YOUR WORK FOR US ALL!GOD GIVE YOU HEALTH ALSO !
Dear General-Elect, Linda,
Congratulations! Just want you to know that your family here in Canada are very proud of you! We know that you will lead the Army with great inspiration and wisdom in the days ahead. Love your cousin Kourtney Bond Rowney (Keith & Ceny’s 3rd daughter).
Linda I remember well those days we chummed about & played in the cornet section at St. James Winnipeg ; when you announced your calling to be come an officer in the salvation Army.It was a transition for You, and with GODS blessing & support of family all about ,it wasn’t long before bags were packed and we saw you depart for C.F.O.T. Toronto. How GOD has blessed your calling since.I honor you & regard the commitment that you have made to the LORDS work in The Salvation Army. Today I want to congratulate you on becoming General-elect Linda Bond …..WE…the Bond family in Toronto are proud of you as are family in Winnipeg and Glace Bay.I know your leadership will be spirited,in Salvationism and evangelism because you embody these qualities.I pray for you as you step up to meet the challenge,as GENERAL,and as you lead this World wide Army. …..GOD Bless The Salvation ARMY
Dear General-Elect, Linda,
Congratulations! Just want you to know that I am very proud of you! as I am praying that God would Choosing you as His Servant to elected as The Salvation Army world wide Leader,I know that you will lead the Army with great inspiration and wisdom in the days and years ahead. I am agree with Your statements,.. “the Salvation Army need to be an Army of praise and thanksgiving to God and we must place our trust in God. We need his Holy Spirit to come mightily on The Salvation Army”,… The Salvationist around Indonesia praying for you and waiting for you to come and visit again,… Bali! God bless you my General, God bless The Salvation Army,… Christ for The World, The World for Christ. Hallelujah!
Love and Prayers
Made S. Petrus – Major
Dear Linda,
Congratulations on your appointment as the new General of The Salvation Army.
Lorraine and I sat and watched your “acceptance” speech on the web. We are still very interested in your career.
You haven’t changed much; you look the same as you did when you taught us in training college.
All the best.
My congratulations’to you General-Elect Linda Bond.
I met you with my wife Phyllis at Laymens’Seminar in Toronto and you taught me a lot about serventiude.I have a high respect for you and am so excited for you as our General-Elect ,you are a wonderful lady.I look forward to where you will lead our Army with the guidance from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,and God be with you.
I am a soldier at Botwood Citadel,Newfoundland,Canada
I met you for the first and only time at parliament house on the 7th december and was so impressed i went back to my table and said that lady will be General one day. I am the guy who came after you to say thank you for your comments in answer to Jim Luthy’s response.Congratulations and I hope you bring the same down to earth approach to the Big Job.
We pray for the mercy of the Almight to be with you as you assume the office of the General. May you song be ” Nearer to thee Lord nearer to thee” God Bless.
Dear General-Elect Linda Bond,
I am an employee of the Salvation Army here in Papua New Guinea. I do not know you personally and you do not know me either, however, from the responses and from the magazines that I’ve read since you were announced as the new General-Elect, I found your story encouraging and full of hope and love for the Lord. I am not a Salvationist but I do admire the work that the Army is involved in – The work of the Lord. I believe the Lord has appointed thee to lead the Army so follow where the Light leads!
Congratulations on becoming General. I worked at IHQ when you and Commissioner Dwyer did so much for us lay staff, that has never been forgotten.You are truly a people’s person. May you be blessed in your ministry as general.
Congratulations Commissioner. I have to confess I knew nothing of you before the High Council, but have been very impressed with all I have read since, particularly your responses to interview questions. Your love for and commitment to Jesus shines through all you have been reported as saying. It is very encouraging to this Sally. God bless and keep you.
The new general said something about the Army needing “a mighty outpowering of God’s Holy Spirit” but first there needs to be a reconciliation with ex-officers. Not ex because they chose to be. Can the Salvation Army make these wrongs right or is there still too much pride to admit how wrong they treated those who actually believed they were called to be Corps Officers and had that calling disrespected so profoundly.
First of all congatulations on your appointment as General of the SA. My wife and I will be praying that our God and saviour will endue you with power and wisdom from on high, and that He will re-fill you with His Holy Spirit so that you will have wisdom and a fresh anointing From the throne.
not a shepherd boy but a miners daughter .
GOD sees the potential in all of us.
GOD SAW LINDA AND SHE SAW HIM BACK
SHEPHERD BOY. Words and music by Ray Boltz and Steve Millikan
One by one Jesse’s sons
Stood before the prophet
Their father knew a king
Would soon be found
And each one passed
Except the last
No one thought to call him
Surely he would never
Wear a crown
CHORUS:
But when others see a shepherd boy
God may see a king
Even though your life seems filled
With ordinary things
In just a moment He can touch you
And everything will change
When others see a shepherd boy
God may see a king
One by one problems come
And dreams get shattered
And sometimes it’s hard
To understand
But things like chance
And circumstance
They don’t really matter
Our Father holds tomorrow
In His hands
CHORUS
Well it wasn’t the oldest
It wasn’t the strongest
Chosen on that day
And yet the giants fell
And nations trembled
When they stood in his way
CHORUS
General Linda. I would like to congratulate you on becoming General . I do
believe that we need to pray for each other at the corp level.I prayed for
a family and boy did i get the cold shoulder,it was as if they did not need
prayer., and if I do knee drill , people just look at me as if you I am
crazy, are we getting away from prayer : for psalm 91:15 states, He shall
call upon Me and I will answer Him: I will be with him in trouble; I will
deliver him and honor him . This is what brought me out of the Presbyterian
Church, and into the Salvation Army . This is what I thought we were suppose
to do and that is pray for each one .Another thing that I use to belong to
was a group of people that got together and came up with ideas which would
help the Salvation Army , however nothing was ever done to put our ideas
to work for the Army . We the soldiers just feel that we are to sit in our
seats and do nothing . At present I am trying to get my Chaplain papers for
the fire dept, as I am a fire dept worker . Thanks.
Congratulations General! We are extremely proud to say that we knew you when! I have watched your career all of these years since training college days in 1979-1981 and have been very happy to see that God has blessed you greatly! What an honour you have been chosen for! May He Continue to Bless You and Everything You Put Your Hand To! My Prayers are with you!
Congratulations on becoming General. Now you are my sister’s boss. She is Major Joyce Stuckless. She was Joyce Tilley. Correct me if I’m wrong , are yoy sister in law to former Ruby Tilley Now Ruby Bond. She is my 1st cousin and she married Byron Bond From the Whitney Pier area. Please respond if you would please.
conguratulation commissioner linda bond for becoming salvation army leader. my the lord guide you in all your doing so that his kingdom may be glorified.(caleb from kenya west territoty)
work hard and God will uplift you from one glory to the other
Congrats Aunt Linda you are in our payers and thoughts.
jim and nadine
Congrats to you General Linda Bond. I remember you as our Western Territorial Commander and was proud to work under your leadership. You have truely deserve this high calling in which you walk always In His Steps. I was happy to hear from friends of mine who are still officers and were kind enough to email me about your recent promotion. I am sorry to say that I am no longer with the Army due to circumstances that I could not accept, but I know that my heart will always remember that day as a teenager someone took the time to bring me to the Army through the band and finding Jesus Christ as my pesonal friend and Savior. I may have left the Army, but my life is still fixed on Jesus. I am happy to have found another home church, but I know that the Army blood will always be in me. May God bless you and The Salvation Army as you continue to faithfully follow Him and preach the Good News. God bless you General Linda Bond.
Congrats the great leader of the Army of the Lord General Linda Bond. I met you when you came to Pakistan to teach at the Brengle time ten years ago. I was a student there. I pray for you daily. May God bless you and The Salvation Army as you continue to preach the Good News. God bless you General Linda Bond.
At last we are returning to the grassroots of the Salvation Army which is as General William Booth wrote in his Book ‘Purity of Heart’. The teachings of Holiness & the love, compassion for lost souls, homeless, hurting, rejected mankind who need our Saviour & Lord Jesus Christ in their lives. Thank you General Linda Bond for lighting the flame in my heart to a roaring fire knowing that we are going to move out of the four walls & enjoying the us four & no more bless me clubs that we have become. Once a salvanist always a salvationist it is truly in our DNA. I continue to pray that the Salvanists will experience a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit for Spirith growth & a fresh baptism of the Holy Ghost & Fiire for service in the Kingdom of God & become once again the ‘Triumphant, mighty Army that we were called & ordained to be going where angels fear to tread & make disciples. God Bless you & keep you in the Garden of His Present, strengthening you from within as you take us forward into the battle set before us. One Army, One Mission, One Vision in Christ Jesus our Messiah. Shalom. Amen. Amen.
Dear Linda, I am in awe. I have just found out about your wonderful accomplishments.
We did play together in the Junior band in New Aberdeen, Glace Bay, Nova Scotia.
It is so unfortunate that we lose track of our childhood friends. The only one I have kept in contact with through the years has been Shirley (Hann) Budden.
I truly hope that at some point you would be able to write to me.
Wishing you all the very best in your new appointment.
Hugs
Gloria