Heaps of
officers leave the ranks, for all kinds of reasons. General Clifton
outlined them during his term as publisher of The Officer (as General!).
Dissatisfaction, ‘unsuited’, health issues, and doctrine issues were the main
categories. (The article was posted in its entirety in the FSAOF blog)
Well,
look, these aren’t necessarily permanent.
Dissatisfaction isn’t necessarily permanent. It could be a result of a tough
local front, difficult people in the corps, attacks from outside the corps, a
‘promotion’ you missed, the grass being greener on the other side of the fence,
etc. After five or ten (or 25 or 20!) years doing something else, it
might dawn on some of these people that life is just as hard and probably less
rewarding (less influential) as a former officer. So, why not restore
covenant?
‘Unsuited’
isn’t necessarily permanent. Maybe for the next five years you
get the experience and maturity and humility and whatever else is implicitly
missing in this category. And then you try out a returnship…
Health issues aren’t necessarily permanent. People get healed.
Hallelujah.
Doctrine issues aren’t necessarily permanent. People change their
doctrines. We might sort this out in two quick ways: a. better salvo
orthodox teaching at the training colleges and in the corps; b. stop funding
officers to train at non/anti-salvo theological institutions. It’s
simple, really…
All of
that to say this –
If there reason for your departure
from officership not longer exists, then there is no longer a reason for you to
stay departed.
The good
news is that we can steal an idea from the business world and apply it
seamlessly to officership. It’s called ‘returnships’ - http://hbr.org/2012/11/the-40-year-old-intern/ar/2
Returnships
are like internships but for people with a gap in their experience /
service. They usually apply to mothers who have pulled out of the work
force to raise children and then find that they need a way back in.
Six month internships – ‘returnships’ – for these people with skills and old
experience but with a time gap to make up provide opportunities to catch up on
the latest practices, acculturate to current conditions, and clarify where/that
they fit in.
The
Salvation Army could try this. In the west we have lots of
openings. So we find a good former captain who got sick and pulled out,
or a former lieutenant who was ‘unsuited’ a decade ago, or a former major who
was dissatisfied for a season under a certain appointment and leadership, or a
former lieutenant-colonel … - you get the idea – and we plug them back in for a
six-month stint to allow both them and The Army to sort out what might happen
next.
Pass the
idea on to your personnel secretary. You know it has potential.
----
62 years
ago, General Albert Orsborn had this take on Officership:
"Should
we make a mistake if we accept as axiomatic for the S.A. the principle – FIRST,
THE OFFICER.
(a) Security
and success must depend upon the Officers. Who was it once scathingly referred
to a force of British infantry as “an army of lions, led by asses!”…. a bitter
comment in importance of leadership.
(b)
Annually we now receive for Training between 800 and 900 candidates (world
figure). These to maintain our 26,550 active officers... a figure as high as it
has ever been.
i.-
Though of course we can rejoice in large number of officers if they mean a
larger and better Army marching behind them.
ii.- If
the officer is a producer, and not merely a figure marching at the head of a
column, or a caretaker of the work of others."
Amen (so,
60 years later the two numbers quoted are pretty close to the same – the IHQ
online stats lack the totals - http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/statistics
- but you can get them in your dead-tree version of the year book).
Edmonton,
Canada
12 comments:
Nice article and appreciated sentiments. Your thoughts are congruent with "redemption" [nothing to do with recycling bottles for the deposit, but all corps should be redemption centers]. Odd: the Army would appropriately rejoice if a backslider, homeless shelter resident, drug or alcohol addict, or some other "stereotypical sinner" was to be saved, sanctified, and commissioned; but yet many formers have felt so isolated and ostracized that they could not find a way to become a soldier, volunteer, or employee. Formers are a great pond to fish in. Okay, leaving is difficult, but life outside sometimes is easier for many other reasons. Many formers get advanced degrees and make substantial contributions to society. For the staggering cost of training a cadet, one might refit a former who meets the stringent and important criteria for being an officer. Thanks for your contribution to the blog. --Robert O. Chase, former officer, USA-East, satisfecho@aol.com
--Robert O. Chase, former officer, USA-East, satisfecho@aol.com
I have to admit to finding this article a little insulting, not understanding the reasons people leave etc.
Are people going through a divorce unsuited? Those who have doctrinal issues - Could it be that TSA actually needs to re-think it's doctrines? We need to send Officers to non-TSA educational centres to get recognised accreditation, and when TSA teaches in its' colleges, it needs to teach what will be recognised or in many countries (like Australia and the UK) TSA will not be allowed to legally do the social work it does. People may actually mature away from TSA doctrine. I know I started out being very conservative, blood & Fire 'Army, but then my theology changed, my understanding of life changed, and I was asked to leave. There is no way TSA would ever have me back - as much as I would love to have a regular platform in TSA again, or manage a social centre.
The article assumes that the reason people leave is because there is something wrong with them. Perhaps the reason people leave is because there is something wrong with TSA, and those who are Blood & Fire 'Army are just too deluded to realise?
Instead of asking people to change so that they can come back, why not write an article asking TSA to seriously re-think its' doctrine and pastoral care approach? It needs to do this or else it will become like the rest of the traditional churches - a dinosaur that is out of touch with reality and the real issues that people face on a day-to-day basis.
Yours in Christ,
Graeme Randall
Former Australian East in London
Maybe the Army could start to provide Sabbaticals as other churches do - time to regenerate and spend time alone with God. I have had friends leaving lately who were suffering with possibly terminal illnesses - not a shred of empathy or support from the DC or anyone else in Army circles. As Bob says how can we help those in need with alcholism etc., but not the officer? I served in Canada, but now retired & back in the UK and God has blessed me with providing lay preacher in Methodist & Baptist churches in the area.
Stephen Court serves in Canada, a SA territory that has suffered from Officer attrition more than most others in the world. In fact this year there are fewer Cadets being trained in our college than there are active officers being retired. In the space of just a few decades the number of cadets has gone from several score to a couple of handfuls.
What is the Canada and Bermuda territory doing to turn this around?
Former
Canada
To begin with, good piece on looking at an alternative way to restore formers to the ranks of active officers. However, one thing stands out to me. You wrote, "stop funding officers to train at non/anti-salvo theological institutions." In reflecting on the many (I would say hundreds) of formers who I am familiar with (some very intimately and others I know only with surface relationships) I can't think of one who left due to their receiving theological training in non-salvo institutions. I know quite a few who have received such training post-departure from officership but honestly don't know a one (though I am sure they are out there) who left due to doctrinal differences that came during officership through the training outside of salvo schools.
Having said that, I am a HUGE proponent of higher education (am a college professor and have myself earned a masters and PhD post-officership). If this is a factor, when is The Army going to wake up and realize that the world of ministry is in fact benefited by higher education? I appreciate that officership does not require an extreme level of education (there were people in my session in the USA west who were attending training without a high school diploma and in fact were studying for their GED (high school equivalency diploma) at the same time as going to training. This tells me that there is an openness to people from all walks of life including those who had not previously focused on education and in turn have been fantastic officers.
However, is it time that we begin to look at officer training as something different than higher education? I am not sure what the current trend is at the college but when I was commissioned in 1994, we were granted an associate's degree. In the outside world, my having an associate’s degree in ministry from The Salvation Army was fairly meaningless. For my ministry as an officer, it was fairly meaningless. However, the practical courses that I took at training are what were of value. How do I counsel a woman whose husband just left her children? How do I pray with a teen at the Mercy Seat who sees no hope? How do I speak with the shakers and movers in the community in order to raise money to feed the hungry? How do I…. how do I… how do I… ?
Is formal higher education for officers important? ABSOLUTELY! Where should it occur? Well, in the current Army world it has to occur in outside institutions because there are no resources for officers to earn true theological (and other discipline) training within The Army but is this something that should be available? YES! I know of no other large denomination (and we keep saying that The Army is first and foremost a church) that does not have some type of church-sponsored graduate programs. Some churches come together and sponsor seminaries together (my husband graduated from an Episcopal / Baptist / Church of Christ seminary).
If it is indeed a factor that is significant enough to be mentioned under doctrinal issues in Major Court’s article, it is significant enough to find a way to offer genuine theological training in true salvo institutes of higher education.
Just my two cents’ worth.
Patti Williams
Former USA West Officer
pattikaywilliams@yahoo.com
There are many formers who are now at retirement age or beyond who still have a few good years left in us. What about us, Major? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
My reason for leaving the Army was exactly that...the Army. I was an officer in good standing but couldn't be part of an Army in a territory which was losing the vision of ministry amongst the last, lost and least and which was losing the burning heart to pioneer new ministries.
I left broken hearted because they just couldn't see it. Now, the minute the General offers an amnesty with accompanied apology and reinstatement (which she herself, as a once FORMER must have received), along with a commitment that the Army will BE the Army, then I may just sell my bed and sign up.
Former, UK Territory
Soldiers could also be included in your ideas. Those who left for some reason could very well be interested in returning to the army again if somebody asked them.
Former Sweden
(a territory with dramatically declining numbers...)
From my FB page:
This realistic, down to earth approach commends itself to me greatly. Our God-given aspirations are part of who we are and what our heavenly Father wants us to be. Blessings on you.
Commission Harry Read (retired UK)
Stephen Court:
I've followed up on some criticisms of this post in today's - Returnships Redux - here- http://armybarmyblog.blogspot.ca/2012_11_01_archive.html
Much grace.
I am not sure as a "non-Officer former" that I am entitled to comment here. And I ask forgiveness if I am not!
I had given all my spare time to the Army, banding, running YP Bands, teaching youngsters to play: but the time came to leave [no doubt because if an out of his depth officer totally unable to cope with the situation].
Leaving the Army, my young family discovered they had a dad, I went first to University for a BA [Hons] and then on for a Masters degree. With that came promotions within a Government Department, and a progressively increasing salary which in turn enabled us to enrich our children's lives with wider experiences than within the narrow ideological confines of the SA. Happily all four are graduates and having successful careers. I do not regret leaving the Army, I just regret that the Army as represented by the Corps Officer felt unable to use what I had to give.
Some 30 years later, at 70, I was invited to join a Fellowship Band open to former Bandsmen in so far as they accept the Army's "principles". So already there exists a successful mechanism for returners. Some 24 ex-bandsmen have rejoined Army activity and in consequence more than a half have rejoined Corps bands.
Kind regards
Old Hornblower
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