I have a question that’s been nagging at me for quite some time in regards to people who resign from Salvation Army officership. It’s relatively simple: what would have made enough of a difference for you to remain as an active officer?
As a college student contemplating officership, I wrote a paper on the Adult Rehabilitation Center programming and realized that there was little research available regarding the people who took part in that program. Little did I know at that time, but that early observation was to be a common factor as I encountered Salvation Army programming in a variety of venues. We may track statistics, but at least as far as I’m aware of, we do little analysis outside of research papers for – guess what – college courses. We’ve got lots of anecdotal evidence but little solid research pretty much across the board.
If we as a movement are concerned about the retention of officers – which I believe we are – might we learn something by asking those who have left about their experience? And guess what? We now have a ready-made research base of 300+ former officers. Is it time to ask some questions?
Would a change of appointment have made a difference? Would longer appointments or more input into change have helped to avoid a resignation? Would mediation concerning divisive corps issues or disagreement with headquarters have impacted the decision? Would more money have helped – either in salary/allowance or in resources for ministry? What about single spouse officership options? A sabbatical? The possibility of secondment (assignment outside of the normal officer positions) for one or both spouses? Was professional counseling offered? Did it help to clarify the presenting problems? Was the major problem with the work you were doing, the structure of the Army, or doctrinal concerns? Did lack of affirmation play a role?
Was there adequate interaction with the supervising officer (DHQ, THQ) or the pastoral care officer prior to the termination/resignation being finalized? If asked to resign because of misconduct or ineffective service, was there a plan for restoration or improvement of service? What happened to the spouse in the case of misconduct? Was there information about resignation or early retirement options that might have helped?
And no, I don’t have the time to do the research – I’ve got my own Kroc fish to fry these days, and I’ve paid my dues with research papers over the years. Whether as a student paper or something that comes from the administration, it would seem that by asking the right questions of enough people, we could get a better sense as to whether we should give more time and effort to retention (as would appear to be the case based on the personal testimonies of those on the FSAOF blog), or if there really is little that can be done on that end, leaving us to concentrate on recruitment rather than retention. But beyond that, asking the right questions may provide a sense of hope to those on the brink of resignation as well as help those within the Army to be more sensitive to the needs of their peers and those they supervise.
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.
From the FSAOF blog Administrator
THE FSAOF RECENTLY POSTED OUR 3RD BLOG POLL IN A EFFORT TO CLARIFY CERTAIN ISSUES PERTAINING TO PROFILE OF OUR THOUSANDS OF VISITORS.
ON JUNE 5, 2010 WE WILL POST A FURTHER SURVEY FOCUSING DIRECTLY ON WHY SA OFFICERS RESIGN AND THE DURATION OF THEIR LENGTH OF ACTIVE SERVICE.
AND IN MID-JUNE WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH: WHAT, IF ANY FACTORS, MIGHT HAVE CAUSED 'FORMERS' TO REMAIN IN OR RETURN TO ACTIVE SERVICE. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO FORWARD QUESTIONS YOU DEEM RELEVANT TO THE SURVEYS.
FOR THOSE 'FORMERS' WHO JOINED OUR FELLOWSHIP IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS OR SO, PLEASE TAKE TIME TO READ THROUGH SOME OF THE HUNDREDS OF COMMENTS IN OUR PRIVATE FSAOF FB SITE.
FINALLY, PLEASE READ DEB'S NOTE ON THE FB PAGE. IF YOU ARE NOT YET INCLUDED IN THE FORMERS' DISPO.
9 comments:
JoAnn,
Thank you for your articles that are very informative and to the point. I think one of the reasons for resigning is because of some of the apathy of DHQ or THQ leadership. Of course this is not in all cases but I think it is often prevalent. Differences of opinion or disagreements are major reasons for vacating an appointment. One way of showing displeasure for poor treatment is to seek a different appointment in another division or to leave and resign. I have seen it many times. Good leadership should dictate change and more understanding. I find good Biblical, godly leadership lacking where many resignations have taken place. Once again it ends up being a leadership problem at both ends of the spectrum.The officer resigning and the immediate supervising officer (Dept Head or Divisional Commander), may be both to blame.
Pride and control if left at the altar would stop many resignations. Too many "I am Sorrys" are left unspoken. God will not honor a system that does not seek fairness , love , and understanding.
USA East former
For me assistance would have made all the difference in the world. As a single officer it was a fairly substantial appointment previously held by a couples with or without assistants. I begged for an assistant but non could be found until the time of my departure when I was replaced by a couple and an assistant. What a slap in the face. And testimony to what they considered my value to be.
Perhaps any interaction at all by the DHQ/THQ would have caused them to notice I was sincere in my request but alas it was not to be. They just don't care unless it is about numbers or bucks; not people, not officer people anyway.
USA South
Hello JoAnn,
Thank you for at least asking the questions. In my case, divorce was to blame. The Army did provide counseling, but without success. Though there was "misconduct" on his part, he wanted to continue officership. I was invited to provide “evidence” that would terminate him, but chose not to do so that he would be employed and could provide some support for our four children. I was then evicted from the quarters and didn’t receive the separation grant until he left the work eight months later. I requested a leave of absence during the separation, but because I took outside employment to support my children, I was terminated. I left wounded, in shame, with no one to speak for me.
Though my termination happened years ago, the pain from the rejection and injustice lingers. This hurt makes me unable to worship with The Salvation Army or ever consider returning to work that I loved. My new church cared for me when the Army abandoned me.
My greatest concern is for future officers tossed away or wronged by their spouses, then dealt another blow from the Army’s policies. Who is accountable for the treatment of officers terminated? After nearly 20 years of service, shouldn’t someone acknowledge the service? Or does the shame of divorce devalue the person beyond redemption? Is grace not for former officers as well?
Former, USA West
The chaos and unrealistic demands on officers is why many leave. I even wonder about the concern for restoration when needed. Too bad so many feel that they were tossed away, but it is a true feeling based on what has actually happened. So many situations are so sad that it looks like neglect from leadership or an immature power struggle. This should not be among God's people.
USA East
Whilst many of the reasons that are often talked about also applied to me, they were not the reason I left. I was prepared to live with all those injustices because I knew it was people making decisions - not God.
What caused me to leave was theological differences and the outworking of those differences. My theology had become quite liberal - which was tollerated (barely) considering how many liberals there were in my home territory, and the fact I was prepared to still live within the bounds of the conservative theology of TSA. What pushed me over the edge was a situation in my last appointment that resulted from the conservative theology of TSA.
I was Assistant Officer at the largest residential Drug & Alcohol rehab in Australia. There were a number of gay clients there. One of which had full blown AIDS and was on medication. Back in those days, treatment meant an extremely rigid regime of medication at a particular time, and regular blood tests at a particular time and on certain days. For medication, there was a 10min window to receive it or the drugs became ineffective as the virus was able to mutate to tollerate the drugs. If the medication wasn't received at exactly the right time - too early - it was toxic and possibly fatal for the person. Too late, it was ineffective.
I knew that as I had a number of friends with AIDS and had done a lot of voluntary work with AIDS organisations outside TSA and informed the management etc. The response was 'It's his fault he's in that condition. We can't alter our program for him. He gets treated by doctors and nurses when everyone else does.' This effectively put his life at risk.
The other point with this patient was that his partner was the only positive influence in his life - and actually convinced him to get treatment for his addiction. TSA once again - through program policies etc., determined that being gay was what caused his addiction, and that he must not see his partner. All the other addicts where allowed regular visits with their partners (at least twice a week),but he wasn't because he was gay. This was born out of ignorance and TSA's conservative theology.
I had enough. When the theology started putting people's lives at risk and showing such severe ignorance - I realised that there was no relationship with God in TSA.
If TSA were to have changed their theology and policies, then I would have stayed - in fact, I would still return. But I fear this will not be in my lifetime.
Yours,
Graeme
Former Australian East.
The question is a simple one...and the answer will be the same.
What would've made the difference for us to remain as active officers?
If we had been left at our last appointment longer than a year. We had moved every year the previous 3 years, and not just to different appointments but to different states and different divisions. I asked for reconsideration when we got our final "move call" and the answer was "Move or Resign".
USA Former
ativan pharmacy ativan withdrawal - ativan for vicodin withdrawal
Visit my blog post; ophiocordyceps-sinensis.com
http://technologiesuae.com/#use how to pass a drug test in 24 hours + xanax - took 3 xanax bars
Post a Comment