The 15 most frequently mentioned concerns of more than 400 responses from former officers...

 Ljungholm said...

The 15 most frequently mentioned concerns; most common of more than 400 responses

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1. Not receiving pastoral care while we were officers, nor after we resigned.

2. We felt unwelcomed in the corps that we attempted to get involved with after we resigned, including our home corps. 

3. The Army's neglect of personnel structures, legal policy, etc. 

4. The SA sees personnel (or HR) as basically two things: moving people and damage control. 

5. No/little Counseling/dialogue prior to resignation

6. Access to personnel files/final evaluation/recommendations

7. Officer friends unable to keep in touch with me when I resigned; lack of contact info 

8. I didn't feel like I could reach out to Army people - it would have been comforting if Army people could have reached out to me.

9. A recommendation be made that when an officer resigns and THQ sends out a memo directing everyone to "remove from dispo", the very same memo include the 'formers' contact information. 

10. We request that the dispo include the 'former's' contact info for 24 months subsequent to resignation at the discretion of the former.

11. Private ombudsman at THQ for formers to maintain official contact

12. A newsletter with pertinent SA information focusing on 'formers', including internal SA employment opportunities.

13.Make leave of absence OPTION available with an open door for return

14. A system should be introduced whereby officers (of any rank) can file and process matters that concern unethical/unjust abuse, physical and/or psychological.

15. Officers who have discussed resignation not being offered the alternative appointments that were offered/promised to them

Anonymous said...

Following a multi-year poorly evaluated HQ assessment, our corps leadership skills were deemed disappointing; lacking any sign or hope of reform. 

We have found a welcoming denomination and are both active members of the ministry leadership team. My husband is an ordained pastor, working to complete his theology degree.

We were active officers in the far northwest of the USA West Territory, but apparently not ‘active’ enough. We were stationed at several corps with only a handful of soldiers, with no apparent growth or future according to DHQ; negative reports were shared with THQ. Our corps’ social services were well known and appreciated by the public.

DHQ harassment, with regular stressful oversight visits caused constant aqngst and we sought consultation  with THQ leadership. Our requests were denied and funneled instead (as nuisance?) to the Field/HR Department and referred to a lay employee consultant. We never received a fair hearing and the TC and CS both underperformed in their responsibility to care for their flock!

Months upon months of visits by DHQ resulted in their mistrust of our promises, and we were dismissed. 

We were both well overweight and believe our appearance was a prejudicial cause in our dismissal. 

We felt abandoned.

Anonymous

How do you respond when you are supporting a member of your congregation who is accusing a soldier of sexual abuse when they were a child, and you are listening to the stories of at least a hundread others who say the same thing but are too ashamed/scared to do anything. In that situation, your DC gets up in court in full uniform (with the support of THQ) as a character witness for the accused and testifies that he couldn't have done it because he is a friend of his. The judge then says in his summation words to the effect 'it was only the testimony of the DC - Bishop - that swayed him to consider a verdict of 'not guilty''?

What do you do, when in a different division, you as a single male officer, are being stalked by a young woman who starts making accusations that you are the father of her unborn child. When you cry out to the DC for support her response is 'what did you do to encourage her?' (making the assumption that you are the father given you are a single male)?

As an Officer, how do you handle it when your Personnell Secretary, after hearing your views are more liberal than standard SA orthadoxy, places you in an appointment where you have no direct ministry activity, and lets it be knwon that you are not allowed to special at any corps, lead any bible studies, or do any counselling etc?

There are many other issues involved in my leaving as well - too many to go into in a short response.

For me, such mediation as suggested would not have made a difference, as most of the people suggested would be the ones that pushed me to leave. There needs to be fundamental changes in TSA - pastorally, theologically, organsiationally etc. - if we are to have a hope of stemming the flow of Officers becomming 'formers', and win some of us 'formers' back.

I thank you for your suggestion, but for many, the answer is not so simple.

Former Australian East

Anonymous said...

I resigned on divorcing my wife, who has now returned to active service. I was asked twice if I'd be interested in returning to active service, and to which I replied in the affirmative. Two weeks later I was informed that the Commissioner would not review my case as I had re-married, and my spouse was 'only a soldier". My territory does not permit officers to marry non-officers. In the UK, and perhaps elsewhere, the antiquated regulation had been revised. I was more than a little surprised that the CS, FS, etc., etc. didn't know this...

Former

USA

I find that there is too much secrecy and decisions made by one or two people at the top end of leadership. Just because someone is appointed to a position, that does not make them an expert or qualified for the position. Many of usover the years had to experience officer leadership that was poor and out of place.Too many hard feelings or vendettas got in the way. Unfortunately the Army has some people that are power hungry and jockeying for position. All I ever wanted was to serve God through the Army and man kept getting in the way. I felt more like I was serving the "man" with the demands and edicts. People are people , but the Army should be different. It should be a great organisation to work for and not settle for the standards of the world. 

I would only return if women were treated fairly and the position of corps officer was supported as it should be, with respect and honor. After all it is the place on the front lines and DHQ is needed to support the corps not rape it. Demand , push and micro management of corps officers will be the slow death of the Army. Look out YMCA , here comes the Army. So sad.

Former Officer USA East

Anonymous said...

I appreciate your stand and opinion. Not too many active officers will speak up about imparity and injustice within an organisation like The Salvation Army.When friends and relatives outside the ranks hear of some of the things that go on they become very upset and often debate whether to support such malarchy. 

I had two close friends tell me that it sounded like I was part of a cult because of the control and intimidation. They are happy that I am no longer an officer after several years and many appointments. 

Several Biblical principles have been broken and the law of judgement is not far away. Yes , much good comes from The Salvation Army. It can be much better. It just so happens at this time to have poor leadership and men that think that they are leading, but they are only leading astray. Good leaders need the filling of the Holy Spirit and the deep love of Christ. Seriously , look around. Good men are hard to find. Many are spiritual wimps. Several officers are waiting on the sidelines to catch a new wave. Many officers are afraid to speak up. If they do thay are reprimanded and placed in an appointment that causes grief. I am not speaking of troublemakers. I mean good , hardworking sensitive people.

Maybe it is time for refounding a new movement? Too bad that this one has a very slow adaption rate and may die.

Failure= Lack of true discipleship training, holiness teaching, true leadership training-Biblical, lack of using truly gifted officers and promoting buddies to cushy positions…. How about dealing with the worst sin of all....pride.

Former, USA Eastern Territory

Major JoAnn Shade, (now retired) wrote, "To those who’ve been hurt through the system, I’ve seen enough over thirty-plus years to know that there are some leaders who will risk their necks to find solutions." You've been fortunate, until the most recent change, to have had such exemplary caring leaders in your Division. However, in order for any DC to step out from the pack requires that he/she be already well established or 'in the family'!

ET USA

Anonymous said...

I feel if I had been male I would have been treated differently. I was vulnerable and nobody walked along side me, no local support, no divisional support and I was hurting so bad!!

So called friends wanted to know all the details of my resignation and then ran a mile when they didnt have the necessary skills to support.

I am still without work and the emptiness is painful and the question I ask myself over and over again is 'Where is the forgiveness...... the man on the street is supported, loved and cared for'. Why am I discriminated against because I am on the 'inside' and not outside.

Please someone listen, please support even if we say no, please help, please... please... please...

Sven Ljungholm said...

Dear Anonymous, if you and I haven't already spoken, please contact me at selmoscow@aol.com. All communication will be confidential.

Our fellowship has a number of 'formers' in various corners of the world, and who have a wealth of support experience all willing to share time with you.

Anonymous:

Please know I make myself available to connect with you. I can be reached at pastor@livingwaterchurchministries.org

Will be praying for you!

Anonymous said...

Dear Anonymous,

Once again (to let you know there is a lot of support for you) I also can be contacted at thunderchest@hotmail.com (my email). I don't know where you are (I live in London UK) - but if you are near one of us 'formers' then please feel free to contact us if you want 'someone with skin on'. This is a fantastic fellowship designed for such support.

former Australian East.

Anonymous,

I hope that you realise that there are people on this site that care. Many have experienced some of the same feelings as you and yet many are moving on to various stages of their lives.Please be in touch with someone and seek fellowship. I know that many are praying for you now. If you feel that female officers have been generaly mistreated , I would say that I and a few others would agree.

The Lord loves you and I am praying for you.

My e-mail is n3fsa@yahoo.com

Blessings!

Sven Ljungholm said...

In thinking back on my own experience as a corps officer, I see that several of our corps were indeed autonomous congregations, not subject to episcopal or presbyterial control. Interestingly though they were all start-up congregations in the former Soviet Union, and revitalizing corps in the United States (New York) and 4 corps in Sweden that had been in existence for over 100 years and consequently, steeped in tradition with little room or allowance for experiments. Nonetheless, innovations and a semblance of freedom granted or simply assumed by us, moved each and every corps to new and exciting ministries. 

AUTONOMY

The independence we enjoyed when pioneering the work in Russia and later in Ukraine was the result of our work being far distant from any HQ, with communication difficult and often sporadic at best, and in being almost totally self-funded and sufficient. (family, friends, and Kurt Weishaupt & other SA Board members) While we operated under the strict Salvation Army code of conduct we applied democratic principles in large part to celebrate with the Russian populace, who were for the first time in their life, given the freedom to worship where and how they liked. The army's joyous freedom of expression in worship, our uniforms and the warm welcome extended by sharing in tea following our services with the many visitors became infectious with scores of newcomers every month. The NT makes it clear that Christians are all one in Christ and there is no room for any absolute human authority and that is a mandate we sought to abide by.

Within a very short time our three separate congregations had grown to several hundred persons with many being recruited, trained, and enrolled as soldiers. The tasks were too many for just two officers. Consequently, networking groups were formed among the soldiers in accordance with talent and interest. These groups included teenagers who took on the role of publishing a weekly Junior Soldier magazine, a drama department, a group of ladies who established a corps “trade department”, several musical groups each with their own group of leaders, a War Cry unit that published monthly, a youth department that coordinated excursions and all of the corps’ camping programs, and a department coordinating evangelistic outreach and providing social support to vulnerable groups, and that in turn resulted in the swearing in of more than two dozen hearing impaired soldiers. We had a signer in each of our meetings and who today serves as an officer with her husband.

While we operated in accordance with a congregational polity we did not seek independence from, or refuse to be subject to any outside SA authority. There was only silence…

When, many months later, leaders from THQ in Norway, and RHQ in Leningrad came to Moscow to bring our three large and growing corps under TSA reign and control not all of our local leaders saw this as a positive move and made it well known. Two of the three corps we planted were closed; an increase in the number of officers but no corps growth?

A few months later we saluted and bid our farewell from Russia as we sent to “open fire” in Ukraine, again two officers, a Toyota van, Bibles, recruit material, and a contact name. The Ukraine history mirrored almost exactly what we had experienced in Moscow. 

Conclusion

I believe the growth experienced resulted from encouraging net-working, finding and securing  the resources necessary to succeed. I will share further on this in a brief article and how a similar method may well benefit equality in TSA.

Anonymous said...

Thank you to those who have given personal email contacts its very kind.

I don't want to explain my pain, maybe when something starts to go right for me then maybe I can start to live again and deal with things.

Please pray as I try to come to terms with my children moving to live with their father. Please pray that I will get work which I desperately need to stay alive.

My pastor met me at a local event... he didnt know what to say!! ... so simply said nothing.

I don't know what the answer is but what I do know is that we need to demonstrate better care for our own!!

Anonymous said...

Some time ago we were having a pastor's meeting… It was basically "free churches pastors" from various parts of ‘our country’. There was much that was interesting and different

We were composed mainly of middle-aged and older men. The only two women who were present (except those serving food at the tables) were from the Salvation Army.

When I look at the picture I am also thinking of something else that is completely unique to the Salvation Army's way of working. The joint service. Both husband and wife are ordained pastors. It does not appear in any other Christian context.

All the others had to leave the wife at home, while the Salvation Army has the opportunity to serve together. To stand side by side in a joint service on equal terms.

What strength! - Strange that nobody else got it yet!

Active Officer

THE REAL HEROES

One of the things I always believed is that no matter how bad something is, you can take something positive out of it. The one time I wasn't sure of that was on September 11.

I usually wake up at 6:30 or 7 in the morning. That day, I happened to wake up earlier. I turned on the television and as I was flipping through channels, I saw that a plane had crashed into the North Tower of the World TradeCenter. My initial reaction was that it was a terrible accident. Then I saw another plane fly into the South Tower and I realized that I was witnessing an act of terrorism.

I woke up my wife, Vanessa. As we sat and viewed the tragic events, we grieved for the victims and their families; we prayed for the survivors; we watched with disbelief as our great country was attacked. We both knew things would never be the same--our country and our lives would be changed forever.

I had a commercial shoot that day. I called it off. Like the rest of America, my wife and I spent the day glued to the television, watching the horrific images over and over again. 
My heart ached as I watched family members searching the streets for their loved ones. The pain and fear in their eyes is something I will never forget. I sat on my couch overwhelmed with emotion. I was sad and angry and even a little bit confused. I could not understand how something this horrible could have happened. I wanted answers and explanations. Who was responsible for taking the lives of so many innocent people? What was their motivation? How could our leaders have let this happen?

As the day went on, my mind was flooded with so many thoughts. I kept thinking about the people on those planes and in those buildings, and about how their families had no idea that such horrible things were happening to them. There was no one to help the victims. They had nowhere to turn. I wanted so badly to be able to do something; the feeling of powerlessness was terrible.

I thought about all of the firefighters going into the burning buildings to rescue people and never coming out. It reminded me of my grandfather, who was a Philadelphia firefighter and captain of a firehouse. Growing up, I heard my grandfather tell stories about numerous rescues where he and his comrades put their lives on the line to save people they had never even met. As a child, I did not understand his job or why doing something that risked his life could bring him so much joy. Now I realize his happiness was derived from his devotion to helping people.

A lot of people say that athletes are heroes, but I know that's not really true. The real heroes are firefighters and police officers, the men and women willing to risk their lives to save others. I really like the new NBA public-service spots which show footage of those policemen and firefighters, and NBA stars such as Ray Allen of the Milwaukee Bucks saying, "We know who the real heroes are."

I hear older and wiser people talk about the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Kennedy assassination and how drastically those events affected them. For my generation, the tragedy of September 11 paralleled that of Pearl Harbor. We will be talking about the devastating effect this day had on our country, and our lives as individuals, for years to come.

It wasn't until a few weeks after September 11 that I began to see that perhaps some good did come from this tragedy. People seem different now, more understanding, more tolerant. We seem to have our priorities more in order and we're able to put things in perspective in a more constructive way. Little things that seemed to be such a bother before are no longer a big deal.

Personally, I am more patient than I was. I realize life is too short, and too precious, to let myself get upset over trivial things. Life is also too short to carry grudges and therefore I've become more forgiving and understanding. I've learned also that you can't take things for granted. You know how we always say "See you later"? One thing I've realized from September 11 is that you can't ever say that for sure. Things change in the blink of an eye. People go to work and don't come back. One minute they're living and the next minute they're not. And, it doesn't matter who you are, there is nothing you can do about it. Bill Cosby's son was killed. Michael Jordan's father was killed. We never know when our time here will be over, so we all need to make the most of every minute we have.

You try to learn from what happened. You can't be consumed by it. You can't live by it. All you can do is just live.

INTRO Chapter B

What I have had in my hands, I lost it all,

but what I have placed in the hands of God, lasts forever". 

    

For more than a decade, in two different countries and four Salvation Army officer quarters, our ‘home’ has been the recipient of scores of computers, printers, and keyboards. Our garage has never housed our aging car but instead is crammed with mobility scooters, bedpans, hundreds of toothbrushes and toothpaste, SA uniforms, knitted childrens wear, medical and dental equipment, tubas and trumpets, all destined for SA units in war-ravaged Georgia, Crimea, and Ukraine. We’ve made 15 van-full delivery journeys and sent container loads with other mission-minded organizations, yet the bundles and cartons rule the roost!

Our kitchen and living room resemble a Salvation Army youth centre; hundreds of books, CD‘s, DVD‘s, and work projects being assembled by Chaplain Glad, with a focus on evangelizing; smothering love and attention on 60 of Liverpool’s abandoned and most vulnerable.

Needing a ‘quarter’s fever’ escape, we’re breaking out in an hour to take in some of the extraordinary battle scene events depicted in a news release, a First World War picture, 1917. We’d driven past the cinema to note the week-night screening times on our way home from yet another hospital visit. Both of us speculated on the significance of the film’s 1917 title. 

In reading the film’s storyline, notices, and reviews, one learns that Sam Mendes directs, from a script he co-wrote with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, a movie inspired by the war stories of Mendes' grandfather who fought in World War I. Grandpa Alfred told ‘about his war experiences in his mid-70s about his teenage years.’ Sam Mendes says. ‘And there was one particular story he told us…  that stayed with me. And that was the story I found I wanted to tell.;

‘Well, I started writing the script in October 2017, exactly 100 years after the movie takes place.’ Mendes was inspired by stories his grandfather told to him as a child, 50 years earlier. ‘I felt this one, it was part of my childhood. It was part of my family history. And I felt compelled to tell it.’                                                 In the film’s closing credits, a tribute is paid to Mendes’s grandfather, World War I veteran Alfred Mendes, whom the director thanks for ‘the stories.’ 

Questions on the 50-year-old saga’s authenticity surfaced. about whether any part depicted happened. Genealogy company Ancestry delved into the events of the film and uncovered the military records of the director’s grandfather, and doubt ensued. Was this a Walter Middy moment, adopting Winston Churchill’s laissez-faire adage; ‘History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.’

Puffing up and packing fact with fiction, built Grandpa’s tale into a matinee epic. 

Our Salvation Army appointment to serve in the USSR was also inspired by battle stories shared by my grandfather many decades ago when aged 10. My grandparents began their missionary service in Russia’s capital Petrograd, just a year after the Communists took control in 1917. He never spoke directly about the battle, perhaps recognizing that my twin brother and I were too young to comprehend his experience. Instead, we read the details of our grandparents’ daily trials, suffering and witnessed martyrdom, victories, and retreats in grandfather’s diary, written while engaged in battle. Adjutant Otto Ljungholm’s diary, coupled with Karl Larsson’s Ten Years in Russia is the key source in the writing of Return to Battle – Volume I.

Our appointment to serve in the Soviet Union was never a question of rank or years of service as Salvation Army officers. It was moored to our SA roots, life experience, entrepreneurial expertise and a willingness to serve in Russia, the largest republic within the USSR. 

That Capt. Ljungholm (MSc) was chosen to spearhead The Salvation Army's reentry into Moscow was not a surprise to many. He has always been a trailblazer in Salvation Army services and programming.

Commissioner Ingrid Lindberg, the principal driving force in advancing the Army’s agenda in Russia before its official entry, said in an interview in Stockholm that the Ljungholms represented the consummate requisites sought in SA pioneers; charisma, broad experience, an authoritative bearing, and passionate determination. 

At NY’s Central Citadel, he established a feeding program for the homeless, mostly from Grand Central Terminal. He later expanded that program into a 19-bed shelter, at the corps, for homeless individuals who wished to pursue their GED's (High School Diploma). So successful was that program that several of the first graduating class were accepted into Fordham University. photo

The Salvation Army still maintains a feeding program at Central Citadel as part of an overall division-wide program that provides more than half a million meals a year. 

Like many officers and other Salvationists, Kathie and I were born into the regiment and grew up on a strict Salvation Army schedule of SA history, music lessons, youth programming, Bible and doctrine study through a six-year corps cadet course of study with officership as its goal. 

In less than 2 decades of marriage, we’d served as Salvationists on 4 continents adapting to diverse cross-cultural societal differences and communication in 3 languages.

Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in his 19th-century classic, Democracy in America, "When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness." 

Admittedly, the light cast by family history, SA tradition, pioneer spirit and Divine impetus on which we based our forward move cast some light, but there were also distinctive shadows on the path to which we were led.

President Harry S. Truman, a shrewd, self-educated student of history, once noted, "The only thing new in the world is the history you don't know." So, we set about stacking up the history we knew. As a 3rd generation SA Officer, and with a unique family link to SA history in Russia, I was fascinated by the Army’s early 20th century activities there. Coupled with my insight to Russia and their culture through visits there, and friendship with Russian working with me in the travel industry there and the ‘west’ I felt comfortable, safe and secure in my dealings with them.  

The Greek philosopher Aristotle said: "If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development.' 

The past spoke in a convincing voice and I wanted to hear and listen attentively. Although my grandparents lived and worked in Russia in times so different from our own their diary, which was passed down to me, was alive and capable of shedding light on our eventual encounter and understanding. Their past was essentially perceived as a set of hardships through which they lived, and that would justify our conditions and encourage our future mission. And knowing their nightmarish past, we could perhaps act to prevent some such circumstances from recurring. History shapes the way we view the present and may dictate what answers we offer for existing problems. 

History reminds us of where we have come from, our roots and our heritage. It reminds us of the battles fought, the victories won and yes, the retreats and battles lost that were inevitable in any organization developing as quickly as the 19th-century Salvation Army.

History is far more than curiosity, for hidden away in the dusty archives are stories, facts, and data that will ‘enable contemporary Salvationists to not only understand the ethos of the organization but also to find empowerment for ministry today’. 

History is a story about the past that was significant and true to Kathie and me. SA history tells a story about the past which captures the essence of an event, giving a particular and significant forward view; history had begun to draught a Divine design, deciding and driving our mission expedition for us.

If we will listen to what history has to say, we can come to a sound understanding of the past that will tell us much about the problems we now face.  

My experience has led me to believe that the early Army energy and spirit were unique and empowering, and there is a real need for it to be rediscovered, revived and restored.

In the volumes and archives of SA history, and through Volumes I and II of this book, may we discover our heritage, the genesis of our corporate identity. 

Sven & Kathie

Forgiven but needing resolve...

Is there a place for  celibate, gay Christians in the Army? Your corps? 
How do the gospel, holiness, and indwelling sin play out in the life of Salvationists - n former officers experiencing same-sex attraction? And how do brothers and sisters in Christ show love to them? 
Wesley Hill offers wise counsel that is biblically faithful, theologically serious, and oriented to the life and practice of the church. As a celibate gay Christian, Hill gives us a glimpse of what it looks like to wrestle firsthand with God's "No" to same-sex sexual intimacy. What does it mean for gay Christians to be faithful to God while struggling with the challenge of their homosexuality? What is God's will for believers who experience same-sex desires? 

     Those who choose celibacy are often left to deal with loneliness and the hunger for relationships. How can gay Christians experience God's favor and blessing in the midst of a struggle that for many brings a crippling sense of shame and guilt? 

     Weaving together reflections from his own life and the lives of other Christians, such as Henri Nouwen and Gerard Manley Hopkins, Hill offers a fresh perspective on these questions. He advocates neither unqualified "healing" for those who struggle nor accommodation to temptation, but rather faithfulness in the midst of brokenness.

Forgiven but needing resolve...

Suited up for Salvation

The Salvation Army uniform is known around the world – an instantly recognisable symbol of who we are and for what we stand .  do we really know the reasons why we wear a uniform, who we are and what we stand for?

In an article for the Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Laura Macleod writes that “the simplicity of dress that William Booth wanted his evangelists to wear was influenced by the holiness and Quaker movements and eliminated all forms of worldliness”.

So even before the inception of The Salvation Army, William Booth’s dress code for his Christian Mission was designed as a form of public Christian sacrifice and to visually separate members from their worldly neighbours.

In those days, Macleod writes, with colourful dresses with lace and a variety of hair ornaments in fashion, choosing to put on “long dark plain silk dresses and a black Quaker-type bonnet with dark violet strings” would have felt quite sacrificial indeed!

When William and Catherine Booth changed the name of the mission to The Salvation Army, they didn’t introduce uniforms straight away. It wasn’t until one of the first captains of The Salvation Army, Elijah Cadman, announced at the 1878 War Congress, “God bless the captains of The Salvation Army. I should like to wear a suit of clothes that would let everyone know I meant war to the teeth and salvation for the world”, that the Army thought seriously about a uniform.

Macleod writes that George Railton “was opposed to the idea of a uniform as he strongly believed it could create a barrier between Salvationists and other people. However, he eventually became a strong advocate for the uniform due to his belief that ministers and members should share common dress”.

Another benefit of the uniform was that it stripped away any form of class – a newly saved pauper looked exactly the same as a converted aristocrat. For those female Salvationists who might think the uniform was designed by men, the truth is that Catherine Booth was the person who officially announced that The Salvation Army would introduce the uniform, and she was instrumental in its design, along with her daughters.

Macleod’s article notes that as the Army spread quickly, many Salvationists developed their own makeshift uniforms, however, in the 1880s and 1890s there was a concerted effort from leadership, through articles in The War Cry, to have official uniform worn 

Macleod notes that these articles also included “opinions from editors outside the Army who praised the garb because it promoted availability and service”. These opinions, while originating from outside of the Army, have now become the main reason professed by Salvationists as to the effectiveness of The Salvation Army uniform.

However, as Macleod notes in her article, there are some, like Brigadier Susy Swift, who noted that “the uniform not only separates one from the world, but from the old self ”. Is wearing the uniform a far more spiritual and less promotional exercise?

Is it, as Paul described in Colossians, a very practical way of undergoing the daily Christian practice of “taking off” one’s old self and “clothing oneself” in Christlikeness?

BY LAUREN MARTIN 

Major and Mrs George Pollard dressed in Salvation Army uniform in the 1880s.

* To read Laura Macleod’s full article A History of The Salvation Army Uniform, go to others.org.au/salvosuniform