The full text of the General's keynote address to senior leaders of The Salvation Army at the International Conference of Leaders held in July 2009.
International Conference of Leaders 2009: Keynote Address
1. Salutations and introductory comments
Good morning to you all. I extend once again a very warm welcome to everyone present for the International Conference of Leaders 2009. This morning we begin our first full day of the Conference.
Earlier today, when together in prayer, we asked God for his abundant blessing to be upon us as we gather to listen and to learn from one another for the sake of the Kingdom, and to strategise under God for the Army's part in the Kingdom's extension. Let us be in no doubt that our prayers are heard, nor in any doubt that they will be answered.
The eyes of the Army world are upon us. Salvationists are waiting to hear from us. We will seek to share the spirit of this event with all of them, to assure them: that we have been faithful here together in the Lord's presence; that we have sought and responded to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our thinking and speaking together; and that we remain open and available to God for the future and all that this might hold for us as an Army and individually.
It is a very great comfort and encouragement to us all to realise that many are in prayer for us in these days. The Conference has been well publicised to the Army world. Details of our agenda and our schedule have been shared by me with retired senior leaders, and their ardent prayer support has been requested. So we are held, surrounded by Christian love and intercessions, before the Throne of Grace. This heartens us today as we set out upon the Conference experience together.
We will debate, listening to one another, seeking the divine will as we go. Let us strive for honesty with humility in our deliberations and discussions, and in this way bear one another's burdens as colleagues together and as representatives of the Army across the globe.
Our agenda is very full. Thank you for your suggestions about possible Conference topics. We shall hear from many speakers during the Conference. There will be ample opportunity for free-flowing responses and interaction each day. I thank you warmly in advance. The Lord will help us by his Holy Spirit.
Before going further, please allow me to signal that I want once again to follow my self-imposed principle for all General's Consultative Council Keynote Addresses and will therefore, in the later sections of this paper, report to you in a spirit of accountability on actions and decisions made from the office of the General.
I now indicate the overall shape of the remainder of this Keynote Address which will seek to address the following matters:
I come therefore to the priority matter of the spiritual health of Christian leaders.
2. The spiritual health of leaders, and thoughts on Christian leadership
Please forgive me if I now make a statement of something very obvious: it is vital that spiritual leaders stay spiritually healthy. Physical health is of course to be desired and we must take care of our bodies since they are the temple of the Holy Spirit. However, our spiritual health is of equal, or even greater, importance. I am sure you say Amen to that.
It is for this reason that our Conference has been planned with ample space, time and opportunity for the spiritual aspect of things. We dare not spend most of our time here talking to one another, but not to God. We dare not spend most of our time here reading the prepared papers and other documents, but then not reading the Scriptures together. I want to suggest that the most important thing we can do here is to be in prayer together for the world, for the Army, and for ourselves, and to be gathered together around the Scriptures, waiting for God to speak to our souls once again. The rest of the Conference agenda is important, but not as important as these directly spiritual things.
So let us take full hold of the opportunity afforded to us this week through the planned Covenanted Silent Hours, when we will covenant together to be alone and silent for one hour at a time, speaking to no person other than Almighty God and focusing our minds and hearts upon the deeper Christian truths.
Let us also grasp fully the evening Bible Study hours as we gather in smaller groups around the Scriptures. God will speak to us as we ponder his Word afresh.
Our morning and evening prayers will be rich in blessing as we start and end each day at the Throne of Grace.
Then Sunday will be our final full day of the Conference when again we will worship and praise him together, waiting on him for guidance and blessing, pleading again with him on behalf of the whole Army around the world.
As I speak to you this morning, reminded of your good work in so many territories and commands, and conscious of your godliness, my mind turns to timeless examples of godly women and men and to the undergirding principles of spiritual leadership. We think of the Lord Jesus Christ himself and his perfect, timeless example to us. He is eternally our chief role model.
As leaders we cannot avoid being associated with the word authority. In some secular cultures today, not least in the West, this is not a popular word, for authority is sometimes seen as oppressive and cruel, or as an object of ridicule, or as something to be constantly challenged. These secular, worldly attitudes have also crept, to some extent, into the Body of Christ, and this can make it very costly to be a spiritual leader these days. This is why we must always look to Jesus for our example, our
role-model. He had authority, yet never misused it to abuse others. He taught with authority (Matthew 7:29). He had authority over evil spirits (Mark 1:27). He gave authority to the Twelve (Luke 9:1). In 1 Peter 3:22 we are given an image of Jesus in Heaven with the angels and with authorities in submission to him.
Therefore the authority we carry as Army leaders must always be held and exercised in submission to him. He exercised real authority as the truly authentic, listening leader, but he never needed to say, 'I am in charge'. We look to Jesus to see how authority can be exercised with strength, yet with love, with patience, with wisdom, and with spiritual sensitivity.
Let me offer you further encouragement for your roles as spiritual leaders. It is found in the book of Malachi. Here are some inspiring verses for us all:
Guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith (2:16b).
Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty (3:7b).
Those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honoured his name (3:16).
Before we leave Malachi, let us feast again on the wonderful promises enshrined in Malachi 4:2, where we read:
These are indeed words to inspire us in our spiritual warfare! We take fresh heart as we hear them again.
The Lord is still with his people! And we who are Salvationists are among those who can rightly be called his people. We stand in direct line of spiritual descent from the people of Israel, called to be his chosen people. It was to them, and therefore also to us, countless generations later, that he gave the Mercy Seat. Whenever we read the description of the first Mercy Seat, as outlined in Exodus 25:10-22, we realise again the power of this symbol of the presence of God with his people. Verse 22 holds the eternal promise concerning the Mercy Seat: There I will meet with you and give you all my commands.
That promise to meet with his people is a pivotal promise for Salvationists and that is why (even more than our crest or our uniforms, or our flag) the Mercy Seat is our most eloquent symbol of Salvationism. The Mercy Seat represents a meeting place between the seeker and the Saviour, between us and the one true God who made us. As that articulate evangelist, General Clarence Wiseman, used to say with passion and power, The Mercy Seat is the Army's most potent, most powerful symbol. It is our heartbeat, our pulse, because it symbolises the meeting place between a merciful God and his seeking, faithful children. If you want to understand the Army's heart, if you seek to grasp the Army's true spiritual identity, you must first understand the meaning of the Mercy Seat.
Today we have a Mercy Seat in our midst, right here at the focal point of our conference room. It stands as a powerful symbol of our sacred mission under God to lead others to Christ. It reminds us that but for the mercy and grace of God none of us would be here today. He has called us, he has equipped us, and he has led us to this place. It is all by grace.
After the last High Council, at the welcome meeting in London's Kensington Town Hall, I tried to turn the spotlight on to the place and symbolism of the Mercy Seat. I felt led to speak that night about being under the feet of Christ. I shared my vision of the whole Army being under the feet of Christ, as we kneel together at the Mercy Seat and as we look up to see him there before us. Daring to look up, the first thing we see are his nail-pierced feet, and we are kneeling together at these sacred, wounded feet, awaiting and expecting the blessed touch of his nail-pierced hands upon us.
I pray that this will be our shared spiritual posture, our united desire, throughout this Conference.
3. The Conference themes and main content
I record warmest thanks to those of you who have responded to my invitation and have submitted suggestions for the subject-matter of this Conference. It has been possible to respond positively to the majority of these suggestions and the conference main-themes reflect this. Listed in the order in which we will address them together, they are as follows:
We gather against a backdrop of ever-increasing secularisation in the world we are called to serve with both passion and compassion, and also in a context of ever-growing materialism. This is the world of shifting values, to use the words of General John Gowans's song.
I believe the great Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn was absolutely right when he said in an address to students at Harvard University, Boston, USA in June 1978: We have lost the concept of a Supreme Complete Entity which used to restrain our passions and our irresponsibility. We have placed too much hope in political and social reforms, only to find out that we are being deprived of our most precious possession: our spiritual life. In the East, it is destroyed by the dealings and machinations of the ruling party. In the West, commercial interests tend to suffocate it. This is the real crisis. The split in the world is less terrible than the similarity of the disease plaguing its main sections.
These words, spoken over 30 years ago, have a haunting relevance still. They depict the global context in which we are called to work and witness. It is in this context that this week we will review the size of the Army and talk together about setting some good faith goals for future Kingdom-growth. We will do this knowing that, by the grace of God, today the Army is numerically larger than it has ever been, but also knowing that in some places the work of soul-winning is exceedingly hard. God will guide us in our deliberations on this.
4. Commitments made to the High Council in January 2006
It was on 2 April 2009 that I completed three years in office as the General. This Conference is thus a timely opportunity to be properly accountable to my senior colleagues for promises made at the High Council that elected me, and also to render account for any other main actions of a policy nature taken in the last three years.
Before going into detail I wish to record here my deep sense of gratitude to my wife, to the Chief of the Staff, to all the commissioners who have served on the International Management Council, and to other senior colleagues who have met with me in the context of the General's Consultative Council. I have been blessed to be the recipient of much wise counsel.
Please allow me now to list the promises made at the 2006 High Council and to review in outline what progress has been made. We must remember that members of each High Council know very well that all High Council promises given by the various nominees are merely conditional. This is because they are stated before taking office and hence before knowing in depth the full state of affairs in relation to a particular issue.
Here are the principal promises that were made in my replies to the formal questions, plus a short word, in brackets, on progress to date:
*Let me return in greater detail, for a moment, to the matter of using more women officers in senior roles, as mentioned in paragraph 4h above.
For too long we have denied justice to those women who have more than adequate capacity for senior roles. I do not hesitate to express this concern in terms of justice and fairness. The root of the matter is that we have not readied the women in sufficient numbers. This is the great omission. Therefore I have indicated that attention needs to be given especially, but not exclusively, to the position of Divisional Commander. I have asked that you be highly intentional and strategic about placing women, whether married or single, into these positions, and that you plan with intelligent determination for this and for placing women into other more senior roles. I have also requested, as you know, to see more and more proposals from you for women officers in the crucial role of DC. We cannot go on sometimes appointing average men in neglect of above-average women.
Here are some statistics of progress in the last two years or so since I raised the profile of this issue. Women officers have been appointed as follows:
This is a total of 45 women officers recently placed in senior appointments (DC or above). So we have made some progress, but I would call it no more than modest progress. Nevertheless, the pace has quickened, awareness has been heightened, and expectations have been made clear. I am very grateful for all of that. Together we can and should do even better, and I am sure we will. My request again to all of you is to be prayerfully strategic, highly intentional, and wisely bold in this matter.
I need now to mention also, for completeness, those matters raised at the High Council upon which clear and decisive action yet remains to be taken:
In offering this accountability review to you today, please keep in mind that countless other matters receive attention regularly through the International Management Council and the other boards at IHQ. The workload is considerable. More of the main issues addressed by the IMC are mentioned below. As you know, I am very open to dialogue with you on any such matter.
5. Policy issues not raised at the High Council
Allow me now to mention briefly the additional main policy issues that have been addressed and actioned in the last three years but which were not highlighted at the 2006 High Council. These are as follows:
I record deepest thanks for excellent counsel offered to me, and to all who have participated actively and positively, in these various policy matters.
6. The Army as an ecclesial entity
The publishing of the short but clear Ecclesiological Statement mentioned in 5 f) above proved timely. I am greatly heartened by its warm reception around the world and I record deep thanks to everyone who contributed to its final shape, not least the chair and members of the International Doctrine Council.
It is important that each generation of Salvationists finds a way of articulating who they see themselves to be under God, and hence this current Statement. I hope future generations of Salvationists will continue to ponder deeply the same issues and find ways of expressing their sense of identity to the world and to other Christian bodies.
We all know that a small, but sometimes vocal, minority in the Army do not think the Army is a church. Some colleagues feel that the term church carries a negative image in the public mind and that, if we use the term for ourselves as the Army, it will lead us into staleness and formality unhelpful to our mission. There is certainly that danger, but it exists regardless of how we describe ourselves, and staleness can sometimes arise whatever terminology we use to define ourselves.
I want to emphasise that feeling theologically and socially free to refer to the Army as a church does not in the slightest way deprive us of the freedom to refer to ourselves in other ways as well. It all depends on the need of the moment and who it is we are addressing. Thus we can and should - with holy pride most certainly and joyfully call ourselves an Army. Or we can say we are a permanent mission to the unconverted, or an evangelical body, or a Christian social agency, or a hospital for sinners, or a Christian organisation, or a community, or a fellowship, or a Christian movement, or in some lands a Christian charitable body, and so on. None of these good and often useful terms is incompatible with our being also a church. Each useful expression serves its purpose depending on the audience.
Whatever language we choose to use to describe ourselves as an Army, we must never, ever forget that God raised up the Army, that we are Christ's, that we are utterly dependent upon the Holy Spirit for everything that matters, that we are called to be a distinctive people for the sake of Christ, that we must continue to be Spirit-filled and God-sent, and that we will always be a 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 people, that is to say, not many wise by human standards, not many influential, not many of noble birth, but that God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and the weak things of the world to shame the strong, and that he alone is our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore we boast only in him.
7. Reaching out from the office of the General
Knowing how vital and unifying it is for the whole Army to feel that the General is deeply concerned for every Salvationist and for every part of the Army world, I am very pleased that it has been possible to launch the new website for The General of The Salvation Army. This continues now to keep visitors to the website up to date on the Generals travel schedule, other public commitments, policy statements, and interviews of various kinds. Approximately 64,000 different people visit the website over the course of a calendar year.
Also, you will know of the introduction of regular Pastoral Letters by the General, sent out by email to anyone wishing to receive them. Just over 3,000 people have subscribed to receive the Letters direct by email, with a host of others getting them through forwarded-email or via hard copy distribution. The subject matter of these Letters is intentionally pastoral in tone, avoiding discussion of technical or policy issues, and aiming to be a unifying influence among us. I am encouraged by the feedback that reaches me, often from unexpected sources and distant parts of the Army world. The Letters are sent out approximately every two months. I welcome all feedback from you and others.
Of course, the role of the General presents also the wonderful opportunity to travel internationally. My wife and I, with Major Richard Gaudion, appreciate most deeply the warmth of the welcome shown to us in every part of the world. We often feel that we receive more than we give, and we come away from international visits truly blessed and encouraged.
8. Winning children for Christ
It would be remiss of me to close this Keynote Address without making specific mention of our divine mandate as an Army to win children for Christ. This matter will receive attention later in the week as a key topic in its own right, but I feel it is so important that it deserves specific mention in this opening Keynote Address.
During the Conference we will hear from the Chief of the Staff as she shares with us the outcomes of the Zonal deliberations on this matter, these Zonal groups having been set up as a result of the General's Consultative Council meeting late last year which focused on the winning of children for Christ as a major issue for discussion and action. I record warm thanks to the GCC members and to all who were participants in the subsequent groups in the Zones.
It is not possible to overstate the centrality and importance of this matter for us as an Army.
Our mandate from God still includes the winning of children for Christ.
William Booth, at first sceptical about soul-winning among children, came to see the need with total clarity and accorded a very high priority to the souls, and social needs, of children, declaring on one occasion when speaking about winning India for Christ that the winning of the children was 10,000 times more important than winning adults! Do we still have this keen vision in all parts of the world? My hope, my prayer is that we do.
9. Further expressions of appreciation
In moving now to the concluding portions of this address, let me express further words of deep thanks to you all for your lives, your leadership and your presence and participation here this week.
Allow me to mention certain groups and colleagues individually. I record warm thanks to the members of the International Management Council, the International Appointments Board, and also to the General's Consultative Council. I value deeply the wise advice coming to me from these sources.
I thank also Commissioner Dunster, the Chief of the Staff, for unfailing counsel and most effective support at all times. The whole Army has profound cause to be grateful to her.
The same must be said of the World President of Women's Ministries who works unstintingly to support and encourage me both in public and in private. I cannot imagine discharging the duties of the office of General without her at my side.
Finally, I want to record warmest thanks to the officers who have given, and still give, such splendidly helpful and consistent support on the first floor at IHQ: Lieut-Colonel Miriam Frederiksen, who has recently retired but is helpfully with us at this Conference; Lieut-Colonel Rob Garrad, who has succeeded her as Executive Secretary to the General; Major Richard Gaudion, my Private Secretary; Major Mark Watts, who has recently joined us to assist the Chief of the Staff; and Captain Teresa Everett, who supports the WPWM and WSWM. These comrades make a splendid and gifted team.
10. In conclusion
In conclusion, I commend you all to the matchless love of Christ.
Our crucified, risen and ascended Saviour remains the only Saviour and the only hope of the world.
Our triune God, the Creator of all that is, and the One who raised up the Army, is present among us by the Holy Spirit and will guide us in these days of being together.
We open our hearts afresh to him. We yield ourselves anew to him. With longing, loving hearts we re-gift to him in humility both ourselves and the Army we represent.
God bless God's Army everywhere! God bless all who trust in Christ as Saviour!
General Shaw Clifton is the international leader of The Salvation Army.
International Conference of Leaders 2009: Keynote Address
1. Salutations and introductory comments
Good morning to you all. I extend once again a very warm welcome to everyone present for the International Conference of Leaders 2009. This morning we begin our first full day of the Conference.
Earlier today, when together in prayer, we asked God for his abundant blessing to be upon us as we gather to listen and to learn from one another for the sake of the Kingdom, and to strategise under God for the Army's part in the Kingdom's extension. Let us be in no doubt that our prayers are heard, nor in any doubt that they will be answered.
The eyes of the Army world are upon us. Salvationists are waiting to hear from us. We will seek to share the spirit of this event with all of them, to assure them: that we have been faithful here together in the Lord's presence; that we have sought and responded to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our thinking and speaking together; and that we remain open and available to God for the future and all that this might hold for us as an Army and individually.
It is a very great comfort and encouragement to us all to realise that many are in prayer for us in these days. The Conference has been well publicised to the Army world. Details of our agenda and our schedule have been shared by me with retired senior leaders, and their ardent prayer support has been requested. So we are held, surrounded by Christian love and intercessions, before the Throne of Grace. This heartens us today as we set out upon the Conference experience together.
We will debate, listening to one another, seeking the divine will as we go. Let us strive for honesty with humility in our deliberations and discussions, and in this way bear one another's burdens as colleagues together and as representatives of the Army across the globe.
Our agenda is very full. Thank you for your suggestions about possible Conference topics. We shall hear from many speakers during the Conference. There will be ample opportunity for free-flowing responses and interaction each day. I thank you warmly in advance. The Lord will help us by his Holy Spirit.
Before going further, please allow me to signal that I want once again to follow my self-imposed principle for all General's Consultative Council Keynote Addresses and will therefore, in the later sections of this paper, report to you in a spirit of accountability on actions and decisions made from the office of the General.
I now indicate the overall shape of the remainder of this Keynote Address which will seek to address the following matters:
- The spiritual health of leaders, and thoughts on Christian leadership
- The Conference themes and main content
- Commitments made to the High Council in January 2006
- Policy issues not raised at the High Council
- The Army as an ecclesial entity
- Reaching out from the office of the General
- Winning children for Christ
- Further expressions of appreciation.
I come therefore to the priority matter of the spiritual health of Christian leaders.
2. The spiritual health of leaders, and thoughts on Christian leadership
Please forgive me if I now make a statement of something very obvious: it is vital that spiritual leaders stay spiritually healthy. Physical health is of course to be desired and we must take care of our bodies since they are the temple of the Holy Spirit. However, our spiritual health is of equal, or even greater, importance. I am sure you say Amen to that.
It is for this reason that our Conference has been planned with ample space, time and opportunity for the spiritual aspect of things. We dare not spend most of our time here talking to one another, but not to God. We dare not spend most of our time here reading the prepared papers and other documents, but then not reading the Scriptures together. I want to suggest that the most important thing we can do here is to be in prayer together for the world, for the Army, and for ourselves, and to be gathered together around the Scriptures, waiting for God to speak to our souls once again. The rest of the Conference agenda is important, but not as important as these directly spiritual things.
So let us take full hold of the opportunity afforded to us this week through the planned Covenanted Silent Hours, when we will covenant together to be alone and silent for one hour at a time, speaking to no person other than Almighty God and focusing our minds and hearts upon the deeper Christian truths.
Let us also grasp fully the evening Bible Study hours as we gather in smaller groups around the Scriptures. God will speak to us as we ponder his Word afresh.
Our morning and evening prayers will be rich in blessing as we start and end each day at the Throne of Grace.
Then Sunday will be our final full day of the Conference when again we will worship and praise him together, waiting on him for guidance and blessing, pleading again with him on behalf of the whole Army around the world.
As I speak to you this morning, reminded of your good work in so many territories and commands, and conscious of your godliness, my mind turns to timeless examples of godly women and men and to the undergirding principles of spiritual leadership. We think of the Lord Jesus Christ himself and his perfect, timeless example to us. He is eternally our chief role model.
As leaders we cannot avoid being associated with the word authority. In some secular cultures today, not least in the West, this is not a popular word, for authority is sometimes seen as oppressive and cruel, or as an object of ridicule, or as something to be constantly challenged. These secular, worldly attitudes have also crept, to some extent, into the Body of Christ, and this can make it very costly to be a spiritual leader these days. This is why we must always look to Jesus for our example, our
role-model. He had authority, yet never misused it to abuse others. He taught with authority (Matthew 7:29). He had authority over evil spirits (Mark 1:27). He gave authority to the Twelve (Luke 9:1). In 1 Peter 3:22 we are given an image of Jesus in Heaven with the angels and with authorities in submission to him.
Therefore the authority we carry as Army leaders must always be held and exercised in submission to him. He exercised real authority as the truly authentic, listening leader, but he never needed to say, 'I am in charge'. We look to Jesus to see how authority can be exercised with strength, yet with love, with patience, with wisdom, and with spiritual sensitivity.
Let me offer you further encouragement for your roles as spiritual leaders. It is found in the book of Malachi. Here are some inspiring verses for us all:
I have loved you, says the Lord (1:2).
Guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith (2:16b).
Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty (3:7b).
Those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honoured his name (3:16).
Before we leave Malachi, let us feast again on the wonderful promises enshrined in Malachi 4:2, where we read:
For you who revere my name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Then you will trample down the wicked, and they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things, says the Lord Almighty.
These are indeed words to inspire us in our spiritual warfare! We take fresh heart as we hear them again.
The Lord is still with his people! And we who are Salvationists are among those who can rightly be called his people. We stand in direct line of spiritual descent from the people of Israel, called to be his chosen people. It was to them, and therefore also to us, countless generations later, that he gave the Mercy Seat. Whenever we read the description of the first Mercy Seat, as outlined in Exodus 25:10-22, we realise again the power of this symbol of the presence of God with his people. Verse 22 holds the eternal promise concerning the Mercy Seat: There I will meet with you and give you all my commands.
That promise to meet with his people is a pivotal promise for Salvationists and that is why (even more than our crest or our uniforms, or our flag) the Mercy Seat is our most eloquent symbol of Salvationism. The Mercy Seat represents a meeting place between the seeker and the Saviour, between us and the one true God who made us. As that articulate evangelist, General Clarence Wiseman, used to say with passion and power, The Mercy Seat is the Army's most potent, most powerful symbol. It is our heartbeat, our pulse, because it symbolises the meeting place between a merciful God and his seeking, faithful children. If you want to understand the Army's heart, if you seek to grasp the Army's true spiritual identity, you must first understand the meaning of the Mercy Seat.
Today we have a Mercy Seat in our midst, right here at the focal point of our conference room. It stands as a powerful symbol of our sacred mission under God to lead others to Christ. It reminds us that but for the mercy and grace of God none of us would be here today. He has called us, he has equipped us, and he has led us to this place. It is all by grace.
After the last High Council, at the welcome meeting in London's Kensington Town Hall, I tried to turn the spotlight on to the place and symbolism of the Mercy Seat. I felt led to speak that night about being under the feet of Christ. I shared my vision of the whole Army being under the feet of Christ, as we kneel together at the Mercy Seat and as we look up to see him there before us. Daring to look up, the first thing we see are his nail-pierced feet, and we are kneeling together at these sacred, wounded feet, awaiting and expecting the blessed touch of his nail-pierced hands upon us.
I pray that this will be our shared spiritual posture, our united desire, throughout this Conference.
3. The Conference themes and main content
I record warmest thanks to those of you who have responded to my invitation and have submitted suggestions for the subject-matter of this Conference. It has been possible to respond positively to the majority of these suggestions and the conference main-themes reflect this. Listed in the order in which we will address them together, they are as follows:
- Social Justice and the Army's Role;
- Kingdom Growth through Army Ministry and Mission: New Openings, International Faith Goals;
- The World Today: Global Fiscal Recession;
- The Islamic Context;
- Post-Modernism;
- Gender Issues;
- Youth Ministries;
- Ecumenical Relations;
- Today's Children, Tomorrow's Leaders: Mission to Children;
- Preparing Future Leaders;
- Under the Feet of Christ: Holiness, Prayer, Praise, Testimony, Rededication.
We gather against a backdrop of ever-increasing secularisation in the world we are called to serve with both passion and compassion, and also in a context of ever-growing materialism. This is the world of shifting values, to use the words of General John Gowans's song.
I believe the great Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn was absolutely right when he said in an address to students at Harvard University, Boston, USA in June 1978: We have lost the concept of a Supreme Complete Entity which used to restrain our passions and our irresponsibility. We have placed too much hope in political and social reforms, only to find out that we are being deprived of our most precious possession: our spiritual life. In the East, it is destroyed by the dealings and machinations of the ruling party. In the West, commercial interests tend to suffocate it. This is the real crisis. The split in the world is less terrible than the similarity of the disease plaguing its main sections.
These words, spoken over 30 years ago, have a haunting relevance still. They depict the global context in which we are called to work and witness. It is in this context that this week we will review the size of the Army and talk together about setting some good faith goals for future Kingdom-growth. We will do this knowing that, by the grace of God, today the Army is numerically larger than it has ever been, but also knowing that in some places the work of soul-winning is exceedingly hard. God will guide us in our deliberations on this.
4. Commitments made to the High Council in January 2006
It was on 2 April 2009 that I completed three years in office as the General. This Conference is thus a timely opportunity to be properly accountable to my senior colleagues for promises made at the High Council that elected me, and also to render account for any other main actions of a policy nature taken in the last three years.
Before going into detail I wish to record here my deep sense of gratitude to my wife, to the Chief of the Staff, to all the commissioners who have served on the International Management Council, and to other senior colleagues who have met with me in the context of the General's Consultative Council. I have been blessed to be the recipient of much wise counsel.
Please allow me now to list the promises made at the 2006 High Council and to review in outline what progress has been made. We must remember that members of each High Council know very well that all High Council promises given by the various nominees are merely conditional. This is because they are stated before taking office and hence before knowing in depth the full state of affairs in relation to a particular issue.
Here are the principal promises that were made in my replies to the formal questions, plus a short word, in brackets, on progress to date:
- to seek to hear and release young people in the Army (see item f below);
- to address issues of social justice (the establishment of the International Social Justice Commission has addressed this matter in many different ways);
- to encourage a two-way flow of officers between the territories (we have managed to make a high number of appointments that give effect to this hope, including the appointing of officers from the so-called missionary territories into other first-world cultural settings, and maintaining the international mix of officer personnel at IHQ);
- to emphasise our holiness teaching and to encourage new literature on this (I have tried to seize every opportunity to do this, both in writing and in speech, and have initiated a new and vigorous book publication programme at IHQ, which has resulted in the publication by IHQ of 20 new books in the last three years, with three more to come out before the end of this year);
- to hold to the spirit of world evangelisation (in the last three years we have opened fire officially in seven new countries: Burundi on 5 August 2007, Greece on 1 October 2007, Namibia on 3 January 2008, Mali on 10 January 2008, Kuwait on 1 August 2008, Mongolia on 13 October 2008, and Nepal on 30 April 2009, making a total of 118 countries in which the Army now works officially, and there are further possible new openings appearing on the horizon, for instance the Solomon Islands, as God leads us gently and wisely forward for his sake).
- to consider holding an international youth event (the World Youth Convention will take place in Stockholm in Sweden in mid-July 2010);
- to bring on younger officer talent (various appointments at senior level have been made in pursuit of this goal, evidenced in part by some of those attending this Conference, and by an emphasis upon the desirability of recruiting younger candidates for the training colleges);
- to bring on women officer leaders (I want to comment below more fully on this in a moment*, but for now will record simply that I have requested all of you to place more emphasis upon the need to appoint many more women as divisional commanders so that they gravitate toward even more senior roles, and last year in London we held the first-ever senior leadership orientation course for women officers from many lands, with further courses planned to follow);
- to work for more open consultation on senior appointments (soon after taking office I instituted the International Appointments Board, to enable wider and more consistent consultation on senior appointments, in addition to the normal consultations that take place between my office, or the office of the Chief of the Staff, and leaders in the territories);
- to seek to give good pastoral care and interest from the office of the General (this basic and essential relational role gets expressed through personal visits, through many email and telephone contacts, and through the newly introduced Pastoral Letters from the General);
- to work for better international co-ordination of our human trafficking initiatives (this has been achieved, and continues to be addressed, through the office of the World President of Women's Ministries, and is now most helpfully augmented by the work of the International Social Justice Commission);
- to consult widely on the reform of the General's Consultative Council (this has taken place, so that the GCC no longer duplicates the detailed policy work of the International Management Council, but instead addresses in reflective manner larger themes relevant to every part of the Army world);
- to consult widely and privately upon the appointment of the Chief of the Staff (I did this as soon as the last High Council ended, seeking views from a higher number of senior leaders than had been the custom previously, leading to the appointing of Commissioner Dunster, and will do so again in relation to the identification of the next Chief of the Staff at the appropriate time);
- to reconsider the wider use of the rank of Lieut-Colonel (recognising that the rank system is not our main priority or focus, this consultation took place unhurriedly over two years or so, and the outcome is the introduction of the system of Senior Reserved Appointments in the larger territories, with the retention of the concept of Reserved Appointments);
- to accelerate the sharing of our resources across the globe (despite the global recession now affecting all parts of the Army, this is ongoing through various measures, evidenced by holy generosity from the wealthier territories, along with equally welcome measures toward greater financial independence being initiated in many less well-off parts of the Army).
*Let me return in greater detail, for a moment, to the matter of using more women officers in senior roles, as mentioned in paragraph 4h above.
For too long we have denied justice to those women who have more than adequate capacity for senior roles. I do not hesitate to express this concern in terms of justice and fairness. The root of the matter is that we have not readied the women in sufficient numbers. This is the great omission. Therefore I have indicated that attention needs to be given especially, but not exclusively, to the position of Divisional Commander. I have asked that you be highly intentional and strategic about placing women, whether married or single, into these positions, and that you plan with intelligent determination for this and for placing women into other more senior roles. I have also requested, as you know, to see more and more proposals from you for women officers in the crucial role of DC. We cannot go on sometimes appointing average men in neglect of above-average women.
Here are some statistics of progress in the last two years or so since I raised the profile of this issue. Women officers have been appointed as follows:
- Territorial Commanders: three (one first-time in South Asia; two to their second TC roles in respectively Africa and Australia);
- International Secretary: one (at IHQ);
- Chief Secretaries: six (one in South Asia; one in Africa; two in South Pacific and East Asia; two in Europe; none in the Americas and Caribbean);
- Cabinet Roles: 15 (two in Africa; four in South Pacific and East Asia; two in Europe; seven in the Americas and Caribbean; none in South Asia);
- Divisional Commanders: 20 (three in South Asia; three in Africa; six in South Pacific and East Asia, of which four are in Australasia); one in Europe; seven in the Americas and Caribbean).
This is a total of 45 women officers recently placed in senior appointments (DC or above). So we have made some progress, but I would call it no more than modest progress. Nevertheless, the pace has quickened, awareness has been heightened, and expectations have been made clear. I am very grateful for all of that. Together we can and should do even better, and I am sure we will. My request again to all of you is to be prayerfully strategic, highly intentional, and wisely bold in this matter.
I need now to mention also, for completeness, those matters raised at the High Council upon which clear and decisive action yet remains to be taken:
- to consider the instituting of an annual Samuel Logan Brengle Day for the Army world;
- to examine the need for a new English language Song Book (very preliminary work has begun);
- to revisit the legally complex policy question of which officers will be eligible for membership of a High Council.
In offering this accountability review to you today, please keep in mind that countless other matters receive attention regularly through the International Management Council and the other boards at IHQ. The workload is considerable. More of the main issues addressed by the IMC are mentioned below. As you know, I am very open to dialogue with you on any such matter.
5. Policy issues not raised at the High Council
Allow me now to mention briefly the additional main policy issues that have been addressed and actioned in the last three years but which were not highlighted at the 2006 High Council. These are as follows:
- the re-introduction of a vigorous book publishing programme by IHQ (see point 4d) above);
- the re-issuing of the current two volumes of: 1) the Handbook of Doctrine, and 2) its Supplement, to be published soon as a user-friendly single volume, not changing the contents of the Handbook, and still using the best material from the Supplementary volume, and no longer relegating Bible references to vague lists at the end of each section, but placing them at their relevant point in the main text;
- the consistent promoting of officership, its sacredness and dignity, and its emphasis upon the solemn spiritual covenant into which all officers enter, thus differentiating officership theologically and ecclesiologically from other forms of (helpful and effective) Army service;
- the addressing, through a new and widely welcomed international Minute, of the need to retain international and theological consistency, ecclesial dignity, due solemnity and sacredness along with cultural relevance, in the commissioning ceremony for Army officers;
- the expansion of the work and witness of God's Army into new settings as the Holy Spirit leads, resulting in the official opening of work in seven new countries in the last three years;
- the articulating of our self-understanding as part of the Body of Christ, through the publication, after thorough consultation, of a formal ecclesiological statement, published by IHQ in English, French and Spanish between the same covers (see section 6 below);
- the ongoing work of being in relaxed, constructive dialogue with other churches and church councils in the Body of Christ, in order to increase mutual understanding and to offer mutual encouragement in ministry and mission;
- the widening of the role of the International College for Officers so that it functions also as a Centre for Spiritual Life Development.
I record deepest thanks for excellent counsel offered to me, and to all who have participated actively and positively, in these various policy matters.
6. The Army as an ecclesial entity
The publishing of the short but clear Ecclesiological Statement mentioned in 5 f) above proved timely. I am greatly heartened by its warm reception around the world and I record deep thanks to everyone who contributed to its final shape, not least the chair and members of the International Doctrine Council.
It is important that each generation of Salvationists finds a way of articulating who they see themselves to be under God, and hence this current Statement. I hope future generations of Salvationists will continue to ponder deeply the same issues and find ways of expressing their sense of identity to the world and to other Christian bodies.
We all know that a small, but sometimes vocal, minority in the Army do not think the Army is a church. Some colleagues feel that the term church carries a negative image in the public mind and that, if we use the term for ourselves as the Army, it will lead us into staleness and formality unhelpful to our mission. There is certainly that danger, but it exists regardless of how we describe ourselves, and staleness can sometimes arise whatever terminology we use to define ourselves.
I want to emphasise that feeling theologically and socially free to refer to the Army as a church does not in the slightest way deprive us of the freedom to refer to ourselves in other ways as well. It all depends on the need of the moment and who it is we are addressing. Thus we can and should - with holy pride most certainly and joyfully call ourselves an Army. Or we can say we are a permanent mission to the unconverted, or an evangelical body, or a Christian social agency, or a hospital for sinners, or a Christian organisation, or a community, or a fellowship, or a Christian movement, or in some lands a Christian charitable body, and so on. None of these good and often useful terms is incompatible with our being also a church. Each useful expression serves its purpose depending on the audience.
Whatever language we choose to use to describe ourselves as an Army, we must never, ever forget that God raised up the Army, that we are Christ's, that we are utterly dependent upon the Holy Spirit for everything that matters, that we are called to be a distinctive people for the sake of Christ, that we must continue to be Spirit-filled and God-sent, and that we will always be a 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 people, that is to say, not many wise by human standards, not many influential, not many of noble birth, but that God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and the weak things of the world to shame the strong, and that he alone is our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore we boast only in him.
7. Reaching out from the office of the General
Knowing how vital and unifying it is for the whole Army to feel that the General is deeply concerned for every Salvationist and for every part of the Army world, I am very pleased that it has been possible to launch the new website for The General of The Salvation Army. This continues now to keep visitors to the website up to date on the Generals travel schedule, other public commitments, policy statements, and interviews of various kinds. Approximately 64,000 different people visit the website over the course of a calendar year.
Also, you will know of the introduction of regular Pastoral Letters by the General, sent out by email to anyone wishing to receive them. Just over 3,000 people have subscribed to receive the Letters direct by email, with a host of others getting them through forwarded-email or via hard copy distribution. The subject matter of these Letters is intentionally pastoral in tone, avoiding discussion of technical or policy issues, and aiming to be a unifying influence among us. I am encouraged by the feedback that reaches me, often from unexpected sources and distant parts of the Army world. The Letters are sent out approximately every two months. I welcome all feedback from you and others.
Of course, the role of the General presents also the wonderful opportunity to travel internationally. My wife and I, with Major Richard Gaudion, appreciate most deeply the warmth of the welcome shown to us in every part of the world. We often feel that we receive more than we give, and we come away from international visits truly blessed and encouraged.
8. Winning children for Christ
It would be remiss of me to close this Keynote Address without making specific mention of our divine mandate as an Army to win children for Christ. This matter will receive attention later in the week as a key topic in its own right, but I feel it is so important that it deserves specific mention in this opening Keynote Address.
During the Conference we will hear from the Chief of the Staff as she shares with us the outcomes of the Zonal deliberations on this matter, these Zonal groups having been set up as a result of the General's Consultative Council meeting late last year which focused on the winning of children for Christ as a major issue for discussion and action. I record warm thanks to the GCC members and to all who were participants in the subsequent groups in the Zones.
It is not possible to overstate the centrality and importance of this matter for us as an Army.
Our mandate from God still includes the winning of children for Christ.
William Booth, at first sceptical about soul-winning among children, came to see the need with total clarity and accorded a very high priority to the souls, and social needs, of children, declaring on one occasion when speaking about winning India for Christ that the winning of the children was 10,000 times more important than winning adults! Do we still have this keen vision in all parts of the world? My hope, my prayer is that we do.
9. Further expressions of appreciation
In moving now to the concluding portions of this address, let me express further words of deep thanks to you all for your lives, your leadership and your presence and participation here this week.
Allow me to mention certain groups and colleagues individually. I record warm thanks to the members of the International Management Council, the International Appointments Board, and also to the General's Consultative Council. I value deeply the wise advice coming to me from these sources.
I thank also Commissioner Dunster, the Chief of the Staff, for unfailing counsel and most effective support at all times. The whole Army has profound cause to be grateful to her.
The same must be said of the World President of Women's Ministries who works unstintingly to support and encourage me both in public and in private. I cannot imagine discharging the duties of the office of General without her at my side.
Finally, I want to record warmest thanks to the officers who have given, and still give, such splendidly helpful and consistent support on the first floor at IHQ: Lieut-Colonel Miriam Frederiksen, who has recently retired but is helpfully with us at this Conference; Lieut-Colonel Rob Garrad, who has succeeded her as Executive Secretary to the General; Major Richard Gaudion, my Private Secretary; Major Mark Watts, who has recently joined us to assist the Chief of the Staff; and Captain Teresa Everett, who supports the WPWM and WSWM. These comrades make a splendid and gifted team.
10. In conclusion
In conclusion, I commend you all to the matchless love of Christ.
Our crucified, risen and ascended Saviour remains the only Saviour and the only hope of the world.
Our triune God, the Creator of all that is, and the One who raised up the Army, is present among us by the Holy Spirit and will guide us in these days of being together.
We open our hearts afresh to him. We yield ourselves anew to him. With longing, loving hearts we re-gift to him in humility both ourselves and the Army we represent.
God bless God's Army everywhere! God bless all who trust in Christ as Saviour!
General Shaw Clifton is the international leader of The Salvation Army.
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On Wednesday, April 7, 2010, Beth Roberts said:
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