“I love the mission and the sacred work of The Salvation Army,” says Major Carson Decker, territorial candidates secretary, “sharing the love of Jesus, meeting human needs and being a transforming influence.

“It’s been a beautiful journey, filled with incredible moments, and I can’t imagine doing anything else. And if I had to do it all over again, I would still say yes.”

A LIFE IN SERVICE

Major Decker was raised in a Salvation Army family in Woodstock, N.L., a small outport community. Church attendance was important in their home. He remembers falling asleep one evening while his mother attended an evening service and his father looked after the sleeping little boy.

“When I woke up,” he recalls, “I remember being very upset that my mom had left me home from church. And so my dad had to put up with my mood and my disappointment.”

Major Decker was involved in all aspects of church life: junior soldiers, corps cadets, youth group and other corps activities.

“It was a place that fostered my own spiritual journey and discipleship,” he reflects. “I was encouraged by people in the corps who saw something in me. Officership was often spoken over me as I was growing up, and I did sense, as a young boy, the calling. I wasn’t sure what that meant then, but I knew God had set me apart for something. And I wanted to be obedient to that.”

After high school graduation, Major Decker went right to the training college that was located in St. John’s, N.L., at that time. As an officer, he has served from coast to coast—from Newfoundland and Labrador to Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Ontario. This coming June, he will have been an officer for 28 years. 

A NATURAL FIT

Having served for nine years as a divisional youth secretary with responsibility for candidates, Major Decker found that that role resonated with him.

“It was a sacred part of the ministry, and I enjoyed journeying with people, hearing their stories, seeing their potential, offering encouragement and support.”

So, when he was asked in 2023 to step into the role of territorial candidates secretary, it felt like a natural fit for him.

“The weight of responsibility is significant, but it does come with incredible joy,” he says. “I don’t take any of that for granted, and I consider it a sacred privilege. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity.” 

IT TAKES AN ARMY

The territorial candidates secretary role is based out of territorial headquarters in Toronto, and focuses on recruitment, strategy and resourcing. Major Decker believes this role is important because it helps steward God’s call on individual lives.

“In my role,” he explains, “I ensure that those who are sensing a call to Salvation Army officership and ministry are prayerfully guided and supported to help them respond faithfully to God’s leading. It ensures a healthy sustainable flow of called and prepared leaders who will carry the mission forward in the years to come.”

The territorial candidates secretary role, along with support from the divisional candidates secretaries, helps translate that calling into faithful action.

The importance of this role, Major Decker feels, lies in its unique combination of strategy and pastoral support; it involves implementing strategies, while also journeying alongside an individual in their discernment. The balance ensures that recruitment is not merely about numbers, but deeply spiritual, thoughtful and aligns with the values of Salvation Army officership.

“However, recruitment is not the work of one individual or one department,” he says, “but is the responsibility of the whole Army.”

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MADE FOR A DIVINE PURPOSE

The candidates department focuses on call and commitment each year, usually choosing a new theme. This year’s theme, rooted in Jeremiah 15, is: “Made for a Divine Purpose.”

It reminds us that God has set us apart for something and he has an appointment for us to serve.

“For some,” says Major Carson Decker, “that will be Salvation Army officership. For others, that might be other things, but we’re all created with intention and purpose.

“Our hope this year is that people will take time to pause, reflect and consider how God might be setting them apart, and what that appointment looks like for them in their lives. We hope that people will respond faithfully to whatever God is asking of them.

“This theme launched in February across the territory, and we’re excited for the conversations that will happen, how God will speak to people and how people will respond,” he concludes.

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