Change of Appointment Part 2

With 32 years of Salvation Army officership under my belt, I somehow am still able to have a foot in both the idealist and the pragmatist camp. While ideally I would like to see a systemic overhaul of the appointment process, my practical reaction is that this is unlikely to happen in the near future. Most of the time the system works, and when it doesn’t we’ve been conditioned to accept the changes as God’s will for our lives. This is what we signed up to do, so how dare we complain when it happens?

Yet it would appear that there could be some possible “tweaking” of the system that could consider the process as to its effectiveness and support the officers during the time of decision-making and of transition. Here’s a radical possibility – what about a survey – anonymous, of course – set up on survey monkey to ask about how the transition is experienced. Does it work well in 95% of the situations? Or are 40% of the officers on The List distressed over their up-coming move? What helps? What doesn’t? All we have to go on to actually have informed dialogue at this point are our own experiences and the stories of others, often heard anecdotally. What if we took a cue from John Gowans and actually asked those impacted?

Oh, yes, the larger question remains – is there room for informed discussion that might make this process less painful for officers and corps? That, too, is an important question in more areas than appointments, but since all officers experience these transitions 6-8-10 or more times during their lifetimes, shouldn’t there be some room for input?

I have the utmost appreciation for those who have to make the changes – and who are also subject to changes from above themselves. They’ve inherited a system from generations of SA leadership, and do work to improve its functioning. So I simply want to toss out a few possibilities for consideration from the perspective of a long-term field officer who’s never had to make those calls (for which I am grateful), but also from one who has heard the pain of my own heart, as well as from my brothers and sisters who receive those calls.

We’ve heard bandied around the term “consultation,” where there could actually be specific conversations between the leadership and the individual officer as to the possibility of a change in appointment. A respectful conversation in January or February that says, “We’re thinking about a reassignment for you to another corps, a different kind of work, another division. Are there reasons this would be difficult? What are they? What would this look like for you?” We are adults – hopefully if we can be trusted to lead a corps, we can be trusted to understand when changes in plans have to be made or changes don’t happen, but at least with honest conversation at various points in the process, the officer feels included – and that makes a huge difference.

Why? Jim Wallis writes: “The recognition that each of us is created in the image of God means that what is at stake in how we treat one another is nothing less than how we regard the image of God in us.” Do we love and respect each other, reflecting the image of God in us, when officers are totally kept in the dark in regards to decisions that will change the course of their lives – and their children’s lives? I Cor. 13:5 tells us that “love does not dishonor” (TNIV).

Even at the time when the officer is being informed of the change of appointment, it is affirming to have a conversation with the leader making that call as to at least some of the reasoning behind the change. As in: “we know this is a challenging appointment for you, but here are some of the reasons why we believe this will be a good fit.” Or, “we know this isn’t a very good time for you to move, but we really need you in East Podunk because . . .” And if there are some concerns about performance that have led to a change, it is vital to know that as well – after all, we give our employees job evaluations and warning notices.

Now, will someone please explain to me why the DC calling cannot tell the officers what position they will have in the receiving division? The “you’ll have to call your new D.C.” are words that bring their own dose of anxiety. Is that still policy or has that changed?

Timing. How hard would it be to send an e-mail to all the officers in the territory to say: it is anticipated that phone calls will be made on Wednesday, May 10 and that the moves will be posted Friday, May 12 at noon. Certainly some people seem to know that – but why leave those less connected guessing as to whether the phone will ring? What about a twitter message that "all calls have now been made - you can rest well tonight if your phone didn't ring" (I'm kind of kidding, but the anxiety of not knowing can be really hard to deal with - especially like the one year when I was at a Cleveland Indians game and was hoping for the phone to ring - and it never did - and the Indians got clobbered as well). Or simply a LN message that the appointments have been posted to the bulletin board.

And speaking of timing, how much time is actually needed to prepare for a move? Does the timeframe used in the United Kingdom make more sense when moves are announced months in advance? From a practical standpoint, how much time is needed to do everything that has to be done and to be emotionally and spiritually healthy to provide a supportive environment for our children, congregation and staff – and to enter the new assignment without being utterly exhausted? It did seem as though the moves were announced a week earlier this year, and if that was deliberate, thank you, whoever did that. An extra week might actually give me enough time to go through my Lotus Notes.

What about something that could be extremely practical? What might be the possibility of a territorial database of information that could include pictures of the quarters, the corps building, and the local elementary and secondary schools. We have the technology to make that secure, and we have most of the information through the annual ACR – wouldn’t it be great to be able to show our children a picture of our new house and our new corps, as well as the school they will attend?

And let's not even talk about the farewell brief . . .

And, just like last night's NCIS, this is to be continued . . .


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 been a valued contributor to this blog since its inception.