MISSION IN COMMUNITY

In 2006 IHQ published a report on The Salvation Army’s Integrated Mission entitled significantly, Mission in Community. Commissioner Phil Needham's study in Salvation Army ecclesiology was titled Community in Mission. Now the emphasis has been placed on Mission in Community. In the introduction, General Larsson wrote: “There is no doubt that when everything we do as an Army is added together, The Salvation Army is the very embodiment of integrated mission. . . . Ideally every unit, every programme, however specialized, should reflect to some degree the breadth of vision that integrated mission represents – salvation as physical, mental, social and spiritual health for every person.”

As the concept of integrated mission has gained acceptance around the world, essential beliefs have emerged as vital to this approach to mission:
• Care is love in action
• Care is holistic – body, mind, spirit and relationships
• People have capacity to care and to respond to their own issues
• Care encourages more care
• Active caring causes people to hope and change
• The grace of God is felt and revealed through our caring

The theological roots are found in the Incarnation [God with us], Grace [God before us], Redemption [God at work for us and in us], and the Body of Christ [God working through us]. The emphasis is on being with the people we serve in their living reality, moving out of our buildings into the homes and neighborhoods we serve. Listening to understand and learn is vital. Long-term relationships, wherever possible, build trust and indicate respect for the dignity and capacity of those we serve. [Rwanda – ‘You came, you stayed, you touched us!’] Integrated mission is about being available and working together to find solutions and create hope. Such caring should be the natural overflow of life in Jesus Christ.

The report includes many moving examples of integrated mission that is grounded in community and results in change – and salvation. But none more relevant than a story very close to home.

Pakistan is one of the Muslim countries in which the Army has flourished. In 2007 Pakistan celebrated the 125th anniversary of Army ministry in this dominantly Muslim land. It is now an Army of 60,000 senior soldiers. The Army has a presence in nearly 700 communities in Pakistan putting us in vital connection with the real issues of life in these centers. Already present in so many communities, the Army was able to respond quickly to the devastating 2005 earthquake. The SAYB reports, “The officers live with their people; strong relationships exist, affording a unique position to influence the development of individuals and communities.” Literacy programs have been organized and projects launched enabling the people to become more economically self-sufficient. In all of this, the report concludes, “The gospel’s power is evident in the lives of more than 7,000 first-time seekers recorded during the year” (SAYB 2008:195).

In 2007 when this report was written, the territorial leaders for Pakistan were Colonels Bo and Birgitte Brekke -- he a Norwegian and she a Dane. In September 2007 Colonel Bo Brekke was shot to death by an assassin in the discharge of his duties at the Army's territorial headquarters in Lahore. He was one of the most gifted leaders in the Army world. Before taking up the leadership of the Army in Pakistan, he and Colonel Birgitte Brekke served with courage and compassion in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Eastern Europe, Denmark and his home country. In Bangladesh they reached out to the poorest of the poor, providing programs of micro-credit to enable slum dwellers to attain some measure of self-sufficiency. For a group of homeless former prostitutes they provided literacy classes and work opportunities, forming Sally Ann products, a commercial fair trade venture, and arranging for the handwork of the women to be marketed around the world. Sally Ann products are produced by units in Bangladesh, Kenya, Moldova, Chile, Brazil and Peru. Pakistan and Ghana will soon come on line. There is a flag ship Sally Ann store here in Oslo. The Brekkes embodied the kind of commitment that transforms communities and individual lives.

In 2005 Colonel Brekke published an account of the development of the Sally Ann Fair Trade program. It is a truly remarkable and deeply moving account of the development of the program and the ways in which it has touched lives and transformed communities.

Jessore is a town of 200,000 in Western Bangladesh. There is a large community of commercial sex workers in a place called, Hatkhola Lane -- 285 women prostitutes -- 300 women and 100 children in all. Joseph Das has been working there for the Army since '97. Took years to build up trust. Joseph and his team belong. So much so that people in Jessore sometimes refer to the brothel in Hatkola Lane as the Salvation Army brothel!

Captain Albert Mir joined the team as a volunteer. Born a Muslim, he met Christ many years ago. He became an officer and works still in the brothel. At Christmas, he planned a one-man Christmas service in the brothel courtyard. Whores, pimps and customers stood around. Victims and abusers. A Jesus kind of crowd. The Captain read the Christmas story and spoke of love come down at Christmas. They didn't understand it all, but they knew Jesus understood poverty and knew what it was to suffer indignity. Then he brought out a Christmas cake and the brothel owner was asked to cut it. Cheers went up for Jesus, cheers for Captain Mir who cared enough to share the story. Cheers for themselves so important in God's eyes!

Do they make a difference? Brothel cleaner. Health care available. Condoms used more generally. More children go to school. More than 20 have been helped to leave the brothel. Organized into small production and savings group. Several work for Sally Ann. Ask Mina Rani Das -- a prostitute for 18 years. She still works in the brothel. She is there every day. She is one of Joseph's team. She wears The Salvation Army's blue sari uniform. "Something in Joseph's presence made an impression on her. The team's determination to continue their work in the brothel touched her. Captain Mir's gospel message moved her. She met Jesus in the brothel, and he changed her life!"

The Salvation Army is on a journey from Community in Mission to Mission in Community – patiently working together, walking together through suffering toward hope, trusting God to reveal His love and grace in the process. Without the vitality of the Community of Faith, instructed by the Word, energized by life in the Spirit and committed to mission, mission in community cannot be adequately sustained. "The mission of the Church," writes Commissioner Needham, "is inextricably tied to the life of the fellowship . . . . Only as the Church is gathered for nurture can it be scattered for mission. Only as it worships can it serve. . . . Fellowship without mission dies of spiritual suffocation. Mission without fellowship dies of starvation" (1987:75-76). Both emphases are appropriate to living out the call to be the People of God Together.

MOBILIZING THE FULL FORCE -- WOMEN AND MEN TOGETHER IN MINISTRY

No feature of Salvation Army life and mission is more unique than the effectiveness with which it has since the beginning employed the gifting of women in ministry and leadership. The principle of appointing women on the basis of their gifts and abilities rather than their gender once established, the task of leadership has been to ensure that the principle becomes a promise fulfilled. One could wish it had always been so. I have asked Commissioner Rader to share with you her passion for releasing the full potential of women for ministry. I fully share that passion. Together we have worked to affirm women in claiming their God-given right, as God calls and equips them by his Spirit, to preach the Gospel, to lead and to minister in His name.

We now consider the uniqueness of an Army with an unprecedented number of women who were included on an equal with men from the beginning. As early as 1895 the Orders and Regulations for Staff Officers drafted by the Founder, William Booth himself, made clear the Army’s official position on gender equality. It read,
• One of the leading principles upon which the Army is based is the right of women. . .to an equal share with men in the great work of publishing Salvation to the world. . .She may hold any position of authority or power in the Army from that of a Local Officer to that of the General. Let it therefore be understood that women are eligible for the highest commands – indeed, no woman is to be kept back from any position of power or influence merely on account of her sex. . .Woman must be treated as equal with men in all the intellectual and social relationships of life.

Evidence of this unique characteristic of the movement is seen clearly in Scandinavian Salvation Army history.

For example, Lt. Marie Hammer, along with one other woman and two men led in the opening of the Army in Denmark. A Danish officer, Mrs. Polvson, promoted to Lt. Commissioner in her own right was appointed leader of Woman’s Social Services in Sweden.

A former married woman officer leader, Commissioner Flora Larsson, who with her husband served in Finland, sometimes spoke of The Salvation Army in Finland as “an Army of women led by a man.” The majority of Finnish officers have always been women.

Hanna Ouchterlony with 4 helpers held the first Salvation Army meeting in Sweden on December 28, 1882. This resulted in the Army spreading all over both urban and rural areas of that country. During a time of public opposition to the Army in Sweden, among those sentenced to 3 – 48 days in prison were 38 Salvation Army officers, 14 of whom were women.

Major Ouchterlony, later Commissioner, also led a campaign to begin the Army in Norway. By 1888 the Army was established. We are told that the first officer to be commissioned from the Training College in Norway was a woman, Captain Bertha Hansen. The fact that The Salvation Army granted women equal rights and opportunities with men in the 1880s appealed strongly to young and eager champions of women’s rights in this country and some quickly joined The Salvation Army and became officers. One, a woman named Othilie Tonning, later became leader of Woman’s Social Work for Norway and in 1910 was awarded the King’s Gold Medal for her contribution to social work.

In the words of the Founder, William Booth, “The Salvation Army employs women.” To this day The Salvation Army sets a fine example in numbers of women ordained and commissioned. Having said this, there are those within The Salvation Army who find unsettling parallels between existing attitudes within the Church regarding the ordination of women and their accorded roles and prevailing attitudes within the Army regarding ordained/commissioned women officers and their roles.

For example, it is particularly unsettling that we in the Army understand clearly the struggle within the Church of England when in recent years, representatives of the Anglican Church’s Working Party Concerned with Women in Ordained Ministry, faced with the issue of ordination of women to the diaconate, opined, “”Having willed the end, the Church is now faced with the challenge of willing the means.”

As the Church is faced with the challenge of willing the means, so is the Army. Moving from the radical theology and practice of an early Army of unlimited female leadership to recent times and more conservative/limited leadership roles for women officers in the Army has been and is a concern which demands our constant vigil. Salvation Army leaders are aware of the fact that although The Salvation Army does hold a very definite view and has a policy of equality between the sexes, it is doing so against a powerful, historical and cultural background concerning attitudes towards women. The misunderstanding of the word ‘equality’ and its practical outworking can create difficulties. Hence, the dilemmas in “willing the means.”

“A basic doctrinal principle,” says Salvation Army historian Roger Green, “was established as policy of The Christian Mission and this policy continued. It was strengthened with the birth of The Salvation Army. The principle was, ‘people were placed in positions because of ability and not because of gender.’”

This uniqueness of The Salvation Army is a treasure worthy of loving protection. Whenever our useable past is either forgotten or ignored, we seek to revive it. Pathways forgotten due to neglect or disuse we seek to rediscover. To lead women officers onto open roads to tomorrow is our ultimate goal.

Even before the Christian Mission became The Salvation Army, William Booth declared his intention to employ women fully in the work of ministry. He appointed women, married and single, in charge of many of the growing number of Christian Mission stations. They were expected to preach. They were the leaders. They had the example of Catherine Booth, the Army Mother and her remarkable daughters. Beginning in 1859 until her death in l890 she preached constantly with great power and effectiveness. Indeed, when Catherine Booth died in 1890, the November issue of Bible Christian Magazine, declared her to be “the most famous and influential Christian woman of her generation.” Her own preaching and writing persuaded many Christians of the value of women’s ministry.

Catherine knew that if she did not preach she would be disobeying God. She could not resist the urgent call of the Spirit. In responding to that call to preach she bequeathed to every woman officer, married or single, the privilege of proclaiming the Gospel in public ministry. There is no doubt that it was contrary to the cultural expectation for women’s roles at that time. It was contrary to the culture of Jesus’ time for women to be regarded as credible witnesses. To this Catherine Booth responded, “The women were last at the Cross, first at the tomb.” So from the women the news was first given of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. It was they who took the word to the apostles. They were the first missionaries and ministers of the resurrection message.

Nevertheless, the idea of women being sent out into the malicious degradation of the 19th century world horrified many. Crowds pelted them with all manner of flying objects and told them to go home. A letter to the editor of the East London Observer in 1881 expressed the shock of seeing the Salvation Army women at work, said, (quote) “It is hardly consistent with one’s feelings to see a woman standing at the corner of a street – preaching – and to what purpose? Why? To give encouragement to the roughs to deride, and to skeptics the opportunity of indulging in sarcastic remarks about the manner in which Christians publish their beliefs?”

Women have played and still play important roles during difficult periods of history. American author, Janet Hassey, reminds her readers of the vigorous nature of women in ministry during the evangelical resurgence between the American Civil War and the rise of fundamentalism in that country. She notes that during that period evangelical theology opened the door for women’s adventures on behalf of the gospel and outlines several factors that were at work.

She lists them as:
1. The horrible fate of the unsaved which motivated believers to ignore social convention for the good of the lost.

2. A sense of the nearness of the Second Coming of Christ which predisposed believers to see women’s gifts as part of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. . .these women received public encouragement from the leading ministers of the day.

3. The social factors at work such as the social upheaval of the frontier and the desperate needs of the urban areas which created an action-oriented atmosphere in which social convention withered and women’s ministries blossomed.

Later, the Church withdrew its enthusiasms and women were relegated to less important roles, indeed, roles that placed them just short of anonymity.

Reaching farther back into time, writer and historian, Paul Johnson, insists that women have played a structural part in Christianity, particularly during crisis times. For example, he says that the number of Christian women who were martyred reflected the resentment they aroused among pagan authorities. “Indeed it is likely,” says “Johnson, that women formed the majority of the martyrs during the decades of crisis and persecution.”

Once the crisis was over, baptism was accepted, Christianity made lawful and in time, powerful, women were pushed into the background, the principle of masculine superiority reasserted itself.

“When during the Dark Ages the Church remained in a critical condition,” says Johnson, “sometimes obliged to fight for its existence against paganism, it continued to call upon women to play a leading part in its survival. However, having resolved the crisis in the Church’s favor, women were again pushed aside and the masculine order prevailed virtually everywhere.”

Johnson points out that during the Reformation no way was ever found to mobilize women – no place was found for them in St. Ignatius’ Society of Jesus; they were excluded from the Counter-Revolution in education and invisible at the Council of Trent. So a great opportunity was missed and as a result, the Church lost half Germany and the Low Countries, the whole of Scandinavia and England.

Historian Paul Johnson foresees an approaching spiritual crisis in which women will be in the front line. He concludes, “It behooves us to learn the lessons of the past and ensure that women are allowed – indeed encouraged – to exert themselves powerfully when the next major crisis strikes the Church.”

It is unfortunate that pastoral directions forbidding women to speak or lead that were addressed to a particular historical situation by the apostle Paul have been taken as normative for the whole church by some theologians and church leaders. At the same time, the example of Jesus in his attitude to women and the practice of Paul, have been largely ignored. In her book, Women as Leaders, Katherine Haubert says, “Dogmas, much like those of the Pharisees, have sought to put a stranglehold on the life and liberty Jesus accorded women. The challenge for the church is to allow the redeeming results of the Cross and Jesus’ attitude to shape its views. The church needs to take the sickle of truth and cut through the barbed wire of cultural customs and taboo in order to follow the One who promised both men and women, “If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

Paul declared, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) Having made this liberating declaration, the apostle Paul lived it out in his relationships with women in the Church.

In Romans 16 he is careful to express appreciation for the contribution of women in the life of the Church. They played key leadership roles in teaching and ministering and he was quick to recognize their contribution and to thank God for them: Priscilla, who with her husband, Aquila, instructed Apollos in the way (Acts 18;26 and Romans 16:3); Junia, ‘outstanding among the apostles’ (v. 7); Tryphena and Tryphosa and Persis, “women who work hard in the Lord.” (v. 12, 13). Even his relationship with the troublesome women, Euodia and Syntyche (Philippians 4:2), gives insight into his attitude toward women. These women may have had serious disagreements, but Paul knew how important they were to the life of the Church at Philippi. They were not to be ignored, nor their contribution discounted. So Paul pleads with them to be reconciled. We find the same appeal addressed to the whole church in Acts 2:2 that they be of ‘one mind.’ Even more, he asks that special help be given them in sorting out their disagreements. “They have contended at my side for the cause of the gospel.” (Philippians 4:2-3). Not beneath him as inferiors, not behind him, but alongside him as equals. He depended on them. Paul does not take sides in their dispute. He does not scold them as children, he pleads with them as equals. Paul’s pattern in ministry was to work side-by-side with his partners in the Gospel, both women and men. (Philippians 1:5)

It is significant that Paul’s ministry in Philippi began in a prayer meeting of women, apparently led by Lydia. It was her heart that the Lord opened to respond to Paul’s message (Acts 16:14). We can be sure that when Paul later wrote to the church at Philippi, he included these women in his greeting (1:1): “To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus.” In the verses that follow, four times he uses the phrase ‘all of you’ (vv. 7, 8). He gives them an all-inclusive greeting in v 1. He gives them an all-inclusive assurance of his prayers of thanksgiving for them in v. 3. He is grateful for their partnership – all of them. He holds them in his heart – all of them, women and men. (v. 7) They shared with him in his suffering. They shared with him in experiencing God’s grace together (v. 7) He longs for them all with the love of Christ (v. 8). There is no hint here of discrimination against the women. The women are not excluded from any of this. He does not intend to ignore their full participation with ;him in the work of the Gospel.\

“Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ!” Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers (I Corinthians 11:1). It is his example and the example of Christ we are to follow. What did Jesus do in his relationships with women? And what did Paul do in his relationships with women who were his fellow-workers?

Women need to be affirmed in their individual calling, their covenant and their commission. Their individual ordination as ministers of the Gospel of Christ must be recognized and affirmed beyond academic preparation within halls of learning. My concern is that women who are called by God to preach feel the full freedom to preach and to lead. We need to hear the voices of women from the platform and pulpit all around the world. Within The Salvation Army this is a privileged heritage.

In The Salvation Army we thank God for the leadership of women like the present Chief of the Staff, Commissioner Robin Dunster, the territorial commander for Zimbabwe, Commissioner Venice Chigariro; the territorial commander for India Western Territory, Commissioner Mary Rajakamari, for Commissioner Christian Macmillan, International Director for Social Justice and others. At every level, women leaders have been anointed by the Spirit.

A former General of The Salvation Army, Frederick Coutts spoke eloquently of the privilege of women to lead and to preach. He said, “In church order, theories of what ought to be so often break before the fact of what is. In the economy of the Kingdom, God’s ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts, our thoughts. . .seeing that the grace of the Spirit and the gift of the office of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher have been and are so undeniably granted to women as well as men, ‘ for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,’ (Ephesians 4:11-12) who are we to withstand God?”

This places the emphasis on women and men as equal partners in mission; partners fulfilling God’s purposes for mission, ministry and making a difference in our world.

From a strategic perspective, William Booth long ago understood that we cannot expect to fulfill our mission without employing the full force, the whole Body of Christ, both women and men. The Salvation Army is intentional in its resolve not to allow cultural bias or traditions of interpretation of other views to deny women the right to fulfill their God-given calling as fully ordained ministers of the Gospel. Men and women need one another. I am impressed with how often the Word of God tells us to encourage one another. We all need encouragement. A word of affirmation can change the direction of one’s life and release one’s spiritual gifting. This is never truer than in the arena of women and men as equal partners in ecclesiastical ministry.

There is a world to win – a world of sin and suffering, of brokenness and bondage, waiting to hear the liberating Word and to feel the transforming touch of the Saviour’s love through us – all of us. As we look to future challenges, part of the new paradigm for the Church will be an expanding role for women.
PARTNERS IN MISSION

The Church of Jesus Christ around the world, and The Salvation Army as a vital part of the global force for mission and ministry, are facing unprecedented challenges and unanticipated opportunities. As never before the Army has mobilized to engage global issues of social justice.
While our history is not without dramatic precedents, as a matter of policy the Army's avoidance of political alignment and antigovernment activities in addressing issues of injustice has caused us to shy away from entanglement in justice concerns. However, the issues surrounding the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the threats to the value and dignity of human life and the horrors of human trafficking, with its roots in poverty, oppression, the abuse of women, and the spread of pornography, have awakened the Army to a more aggressive stance on these and other issues, including advocacy for religious liberty. As never before the Army is standing up and speaking out. In August 2008, General Shaw Clifton dedicated The Salvation Army International Justice Center in New York City. It is positioned near the headquarters of the United Nations where Commissioner Christine Macmillan, International Director for Social Justice is concomitantly the Army's liaison with the United Nations. It represents a firm step forward as the Army enters the arena of the fight for human life and dignity with renewed resolve.

On the occasion of the dedication, General Shaw Clifton declared:

The establishing of our new International Social Justice Commission is designed to give strong and articulate support to social justice initiatives by Salvationists around the world. It will allow us to network intelligently and sensitively with international bodies, like the United Nations in New York, in Geneva, in Vienna and in Nairobi. All this is, as far as we are concerned, simply a further step of obedience to God. The price of silence or of inactivity in the face of modern instances of social injustice is simply too high. . . . We will sometimes have to take risks with our reputation, and if need be with our fiscal resources. . . . We know that our contribution may have to be modest, but we will do what we can and we will combine with others of goodwill and like-mindedness in order to achieve the achievable, soaking it all in prayer. Prayer keeps us centred and grounded

As we face the unique challenges of these days new partnerships are being formed within the global Army and beyond in the sharing of resources and expertise, providing opportunities for the cultivation of leadership and the expansion of opportunities for mission. The metaphor for our time is not walls of isolation and self-sufficiency, but webs of collaboration and partnership as we share together in the work of mission.

The Army has traditionally found resources within itself to pursue its mission. We have tended to resist cooperation with other groups that might obscure our uniqueness as a movement. In a word, we were not at all sure that we needed anyone else and sometimes have been suspicious of others. The Army did not want to be seen to be competing with the churches. General Orsborn declared: “We are, and wish to remain, a movement for the revival of religion, a permanent mission to the unconverted, one of the world’s greatest missionary societies; but not a sect, not a Church, except that we are a part of that body of Christ called the Church Militant” (1945:5).

However, as we have seen, in the years that followed the Army has begun to accept its identity as a church body. Our position has now been further clarified with the publication this year of The Salvation Army in the Body of Christ: an Ecclesiological Statement authorized by General Clifton. An introductory summary statement introduces the more detailed explanation that follows:
• The Body of Christ on earth comprises all believers in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
• Believers stand in spiritual relationship to one another, which is not dependent upon any particular church structure.
• The Salvation Army, under the one Triune God, belongs to and is an expression of the Body of Christ on earth, the Church universal, and is a Christian denomination in permanent mission to the unconverted, called into and sustained in being by God.
• Denominational diversity is not self-evidently contrary to God’s will for his people.
• Inter-denominational harmony and cooperation are to be actively pursued for they are valuable for enriching of the life and witness of the Body of Christ in the world and therefore of each denomination.
• The Salvation Army welcomes involvement with other Christians in the many lands where the Army is privileged to witness and serve.”

WHAT OF THE FUTURE?

Ÿ Uniforms will continue to change, perhaps to more informal and comfortable designs. But the Army will remain visible, and available, even when it makes us vulnerable -- and we will remain unashamed of the Gospel of Christ which will ever be the power of God unto salvation for all who will believe.

Ÿ Musical idioms will continue to change. The bands may admit more woodwinds and their repertoire is becoming more and more contemporary. The praise worship tsunami has already swept across the world. One hopes that our rich tradition of hymnody which connects us to the whole Church in every age, will not be lost.

Ÿ Evangelism will always be our priority as a 'permanent mission to the unconverted' but it will more often be pursued in a context of caring and shared suffering, walking with the poor and together discovering God's transforming and reconciling grace.

Ÿ Our structures of administration and styles of leadership may change. The linking of Army personnel in 117 countries through the Lotus Notes network has already made our world flat in new ways (to borrow the metaphor of Thomas Friedman). It has changed our corporate culture significantly and altered the way in which we do business.

Ÿ We will not compromise our internationalism, the organic unity of the Army worldwide. But the territories will no doubt exercise greater autonomy.

Ÿ We will continue to explore developing technologies for communicating our message and facilitating our ministries.

Ÿ Our ministry will be marked by integrated mission, not just as coordination of our services to people, but by entering into the life and community of those whom we serve in the name of Christ.

Ÿ We will continue to find expanded roles for women, married and single, in pastoral leadership, preaching and leadership responsibility.

Ÿ In our globalized world we will see a freer exchange of resources and a renewed willingness to cross national and cultural barriers to share the Gospel.

Ÿ The future holds a heightened concern for justice issues addressing the challenges of global poverty and powerlessness, hunger, the exploitation and abuse of women, the increase of sex trafficking, the spreading threat of pornography and other issues.

Ÿ Without compromising who we are as soldiers of Christ, we will find new ways to work in partnership with others in pursuing our common mission and in meeting human need in the name and spirit of Jesus.

Ÿ We will watch the unfolding of God's purposes for the Church and for the Army filled with wonder and praise.

The Army will change and adapt in many ways. It is in our DNA to do so. But the Army will be The Salvation Army -- one Army, marching under one banner, women and men shoulder to shoulder, with a clear mission to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human need in His name without discrimination -- marching on until our Heavenly Captain returns in glory and we rise to meet him in the air.

FOLLOWING THE VISION

The Founder of The Salvation Army had a grand vision for the future of the movement. He spoke of it in a series of messages to Army staff officers gathered in council following the 1904 International Congress in London, (international, for the Army flag was already flying in 49 countries!) (Booth, 1904:47-58). The language is colorful, eloquent, gripping. To have been there would have been to be captivated by the urgent authority of his unmistakable voice, the intensity of his delivery, the very sight of the aging prophet.

"I see a conflict -- a fight -- no! More than a fight--a long-continued war. . . .I see again a vast multitude of the miserable, the lonely, the outcasts of earth . . . the cry of whose agony has come up to Heaven. And I see everywhere among them the mighty blessings conferred upon them by our Social operations." Booth sees colonies for the hopeless all over the civilized world -- land Colonies growing to be 'Salvation Cities.' And there are orphanages, reformatories, medical colleges and nursing institutions that rise before his eyes, with officers and others streaming out across the suffering world bringing healing as they valiantly quest for souls. "I look," says the Founder, "and there rises up before my eyes the mightiest and most practical body of Salvation missionaries as yet known upon the earth." "Not less than 100,000 officers, men and women, of all nations, races and tongues, whose business it is to make Salvation known." There is more: "The World's University for Training men and women to deal with the universal sins, vices and sufferings of humanity, is at last an accomplished fact, and a glorious fact."

Everywhere he sees the 'Salvation Citadel', for no city or village can be found without one -- a house of prayer and a 'Battery of Salvation' and center of "every conceivable humanizing and spiritualizing influence and activity." Then the Founder rises to the climax of his vision in his final peroration: "I tell you that the eye of my imagination is resting on the first universal gathering of The Salvation Army's triumphant hosts on the Elysian fields of the Paradise of God." Millions and millions more. "Who are they? They are Salvationists. They were Salvationists on earth; they are Salvationists for ever," gathered at the Throne of God on that Triumphant Day" (Booth, 1904:47-58).

Much of that vision has been realized. On many things he proved truly prescient. We may not be there yet, but brothers and sisters, this I can tell you, The Salvation Army is marching on!

PAUL RADER, GENERAL (R)