MRS. MAJOR N.O. ALLOWANCE -Part 1-

The current Salvation Army (USA) policy on allowances for married officers which provides for one allowance that is in the husband’s name is one that has been in place for many years, with varying impact upon Salvation Army families and individual officers, particularly married women officers, who make up approximately 45% of the officer corps. The common rationale for the current policy is that it maximizes the financial benefit for married officers in retirement, but the downside to that policy has implications that I believe outweigh any possible financial advantage. As a policy, it is built upon cultural assumptions regarding the roles of women that are not accurate in this century.

Imbalance of Power.

When one spouse receives no compensation for the work she does, this can lead to an imbalance of power within the marriage relationship. If the Salvation Army supports the theological position of egalitarian marriage, then its policy would appear to be in opposition to that position. Orders and Regulations for Officers, as modified 5-31-2002, indicates that “married officer couples should recognize the individual vocation of each spouse, whether their ministry be joint or separate. Each should honour the officership of the other by giving consideration and support to the other’s personal well-being, spiritual development, calling and fulfillment in service.” When only one of those spouses is the recipient of compensation for that ministry, a message about the value of that service is sent to both spouses.

It is well documented in the literature regarding family violence that one of the prime factors in an abusive relationship is the limiting of resource to the spouse (in most cases the wife). For relationships that are troubled, the lack of separate financial resource for the wife is of concern. While it is hoped that most officer marriages have a modicum of health, experience proves that not to be true in all cases, and there are known cases where Salvation Army women were subject to on-going abuse that was multiplied by their lack of access to money.
Compensation for Work

In contemporary American culture, people are compensated for the work they do. That is a simple fact of life that is reflected in the popular culture, as well as in income tax reporting. Most women work outside the home, and those who chose to remain at home, particularly when the children are young, make a financial sacrifice in order to do so. While the language in the Undertakings for an Officer speaks to the fact that there is no contract of employment with an officer, and that the officer’s allowance is not a wage, salary, reward or payment for services rendered, there still is the recognition that this is compensation as a minister of The Salvation Army (as recorded on the 1099 tax form).

An officer is covered by worker’s compensation, and certainly if an officer refused to work, he or she (single women do receive compensation) would not be able to draw an allowance check forever. There is an expectation that an officer “show up for work,” and that expectation applies to men and women, although it is recognized that there is some flexibility for women with small children in the home. Women who are married to a Salvation Army officer in the US must also be an officer, and cannot choose to seek other employment, being expected to perform some tasks in regards to the appointment. Outside of the corps level, women are given separate appointments and expected to do the work associated with those appointments.
One argument that surfaces during discussion around this subject is that some – many – married women officers are not fully active in their appointments. While that may be true of some women, it may also be true of some men. However, an informal survey of married officer women in the NEOSA division in 2003 indicated that the average work week (self-reported) of those responding was 62 hours per week. It is also to be noted in regards to this argument that the work traditionally done by women as officers may be less defined than that of men, and may take place outside the corps building to a larger extent than does that of the traditional male role, particularly if that role is administrative in nature.

When considering scriptural teachings on work and compensation, Paul speaks of the need to work if one wants to eat (II Thess. 3:6-13), while the Proverbs 31 woman is valued for her work ethic. While it may seem a simplistic comment on this topic, in speaking to the seventy-two (Luke 10:1-7), Jesus affirmed that “workers deserve their wages.” Given that in Christ, there is neither male nor female, it is likely that his words would include married officer women within today’s culture.

- Part 1 of 3 -

Major JoAnn Shade ministers with her husband Larry as the corps officers and Directors of the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center. She received a B.A. in sociology from S.U.N.Y. at Binghamton, a M.A. in Pastoral Counseling, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Ashland Theological Seminary in June, 2006. She is a prolific writer, lecturer, and busy counselor and has contributed to this blog since its inception.