THE GENERAL; SHAW CLIFTONOfficership is never an easy path . We do not want it easy. We need challenge and testing, lest we fail to grow stronger. Yet, neither do we seek out hardship, for crosses can come all too often on their own accord. General John Gowan’s song reminds me tellingly that my discipleship and obedience could ‘cost me dearly to be the servant of my servant Lord’.
Obstacles and set backs are inevitable, though I heard of a man of whom it was said he had never known a day’s illness all his life. One young fellow, remaking on this to his mother, was surprised to hear her respond, “I feel sorry for that man. How then will he grow if he has not known trial?’
The great 16thC religious reformer, Martin Luther, used to tell his students that it takes three things to form a minister of the Gospel: prayer, study and afflictions. The first two do not surprise us, but the third is unexpected. Luther was right. If we have never known suffering, how can we understand the lot and the lives of our flock?
Belonging to Jesus is no guarantee of immunity from hardship. Neither is a calling to Army officership. Trials are often only just around the next turning in the pathway. Sometimes those trials can have a profound impact.
I think, for example, of colleague officers who feel they must step back from their officership. Each year I receive the global annual statistics for officer resignations and dismissals. Those for the calendar year of 2007 show that fewer colleagues left officership than in 2006. Of approximately 16,500 active officers, 257 or 1.6% left in 2007 (274 or 1.9% in 2006). Each resignation or dismissal is a cause for sorrow, but we give thanks that the trend is downward and that the numbers and percentages are so low compared with other religious bodies.
In 2007 fewer colleagues left officership than in 2006. Of 16,500 active officers, 257 0r 1.6 % left officership.(274 or 1.9% in 2006).
"Each resignation or dismissal is a cause for sorrow, but we give thanks that the trend is downward and that the numbers and percentages are so low WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER RELIGIOUS BODIES.
REASONS:
Domestics, marital or family: 65 (25.29 %)
Dissatisfaction, for example, appointment/remuneration: 54 (21.01) %
Misconduct: 49 (19.06) %
Unsuited for further service: 25 (9.7 %)
Transfer to another church:16 (6.23 %)
Marriage to non-officer: 15 (5.8 %)
Feeling discouraged: 14 (5.4 %)
Health issues:14 (5.4 %)
Health of spouse: 1 (.4 %)
Doctrinal issues:4 ( 1.55 %)
(Many of those who left had no choice due the army's position on marriage/divorce. FSAOF Editor)
It is recognized that some officers represented in these figures left officership not wishing to do so, such as those leaving because a spouse was obliged to leave through misconduct or marital breakdown (not every territory has embraced the option of ‘single spouse’ officership) Thus the total of those positively wishing to leave officership is actually well below the 257 figure given above.
Shaw Clifton, GeneralIHQ
LONDON
11 comments:
Interesting, and would have been welcomed 7 years ago... Will wait for part two before responding in depth.
Former
USA East
I hear the police here have the same low drop out rate, in fact the lowest ever, it is called a recession.
Wait for part 2 then.
Former
New Zealand
It is good to look at that list of reasons for resignations and to realize that it is never the Army’s fault. We are the ones dishonest, unsuited, discouraged…
Luis,
Former
Spain
I wonder what reason the Army gave for my resignation. I was never asked to give one.
Is it the Army's practice to define the reason for an individual officer's resignation? If so, I would think that in many cases the reason they give is not the same as the reason given by the resigning officer.
Former
USA Central
In reading comments here and in the private FSAOF FB site I'm more than a little surprised that some have already totally dismissed the General's comments- part two hasn't been posted yet. Doesn't speak for open or receptive minds in my book.
Former
UKT
I appreciate the fact that the General is addressing this issue. I understand that it is perhaps a positive indicator that fewer officers have resigned, but these statistics sadly come after the fact.
I would, however, be interested in the statistics of why active officers today are contemplating resignation. Personally, I think those statistics would be much more difficult to ascertain but would give an enlightening view of reality. How else can struggling officers be guided and counseled in a meaningful way?
Former
USA South
I have a couple comments/questions. My first comment is that I agree with Peter. The recession in the last couple years has obviously made it a much harder decision to resign. My wife and I decided just over a year ago that we could not do it anymore..."it" meaning moving nearly every year for our 7 years of officership. 53 weeks ago today we recieved a phone call for moving orders...which would have been our 6th appointment. It made no sense for our family and we did not beleive it was from God. God is not a God of chaos, but of order. Moving a family of five every year for 5 years causes chaos.
Related to Peter's comment about the recession is the fear in general of leaving with absolutely nothing. When we made the decsion to resign we owned our clothes, 2 TV's, clothing and some books...not much else, and not nearly enough in savings due to the lack of monetary compensation officers receive. There is a real fear that after their resignation they will be living on the streets. But we knew we had made the decsion God wanted to because within those last 5 weeks we signed a lease for an apartment, founds jobs in another state, given furniture and a car (without having to ask for it). In the last year we have started online schooling to finish our degrees which leadership never allowed us to do, built up our savings, bought a 2nd vehicle and found a church that loves us.
My one question is the same as one of the anonymous comments. What reason did my DC give for our resignations? What did he tell THQ? Was our letter used in those stats and passed on to IHQ?
Former from USA East wrote
"When we made the decsion to resign we owned our clothes, 2 TV's, clothing and some books...not much else, and not nearly enough in savings due to the lack of monetary compensation officers receive."
I wonder how you would have fared in the UK ? By comparison USA officers have a very comfortable living standard, and I hadn't realized we were in the work to be stuffing money into a savings account.
"In the last year we have started online schooling to finish our degrees which leadership never allowed us to do, built up our savings, bought a 2nd vehicle, etc."
It seems that every USA officer coming to the ICO completed their education at army expense. Wonder why you were turned down? And you now have two cars... I'm guessing you had two in your appointment. I've been an officer almost 30 years and still have no car.
"My one question is the same as one of the anonymous comments. What reason did my DC give for our resignations? What did he tell THQ? Was our letter used in those stats and passed on to IHQ?"
In the UK an employer is obliged by law to open all files kept on employees if requested to do so. In doing a quick search on the internet I learned a similar law is on the books in the USA.
Hope and pray your new ministry brings you greater joy and blessings than the army apparently did.
Active officer
UKT
For active officer, UKT: What are you doing on a private site? As for the article from General Clifton, I'll wait for the 2nd part.
Has there been a part 2, I can't find it
Note- this is a blog site available to the whosoever... the FB site though is private.
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