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Salvation Army Agenda For The Future
Prepared by General Eva Burrows (1987)
We
need an agenda for the future, to make us aware of what we
stand for, to direct our thoughts as to where we are heading,
to set out our priorities and the issues we really feel
strongly about, and to be a means by which we can evaluate our
efforts. I have sought the wisdom of the Lord and the
illuminating guidance of the Holy Spirit, and now set down in
faith and love what I believe should be the basic agenda for
The Salvation Army as we move through these final years of the
20th century and into the 21st.
May this agenda help to define our
purposes, shape our mission, guide our planning and
activities, and direct our prayers as we venture forth with
vision and commitment.
1. To emphasise the supremacy of
evangelism in fulfillment of the Lord’s great commission.
‘Go therefore and make all nations my disciples.’ (Matthew
28:19)
To evangelise – to share the good news
with an understanding of the social and cultural context in
the life of those being reached. The message must be free from
racial bias and any national prejudice which detracts from the
universal truth of Christ as Saviour of all. The central focus
of the gospel is Christ – his cross and resurrection, his
grace to redeem and transform. And this leads on to spiritual
maturity through the power of the Holy Spirit.
To work to the end that every man and
woman and child has the opportunity to hear the good news of
the gospel, to make a personal commitment to Christ and become
his disciple and a member of the Church of God of which The
Salvation Army is a part; this is our commission.
To have a vision for growth, and
actively work to bring that vision to reality. We must
dedicate ourselves and our resources to encourage growth.
Evangelism should lead to growth which the Lord requires –
both numerical and spiritual, both quantitative and
qualitative. Every soldier a soul-winner.
2. To call the Army to spiritual
renewal
To re-emphasise the possibility of holy
living and spiritual maturity through the resources of prayer,
worship, Bible study, sacrificial giving and Holy Spirit
power. To teach holiness not merely as a spiritual ideal but
as a positive, wholesome, attainable experience to which God
calls His people.
To acknowledge the renewing work of the
Holy Spirit in the Christians church today and continually to
challenge salvationists to claim the Spirit’s empowering in
their own lives. By the Spirit’s fruit we are conformed to the
image of Christ, and by the Spirit’s gifts we are equipped for
effective service. So salvationists should seek to discover,
develop and use their spiritual gifts in building up the body
of Christ and in service and ministry in their community.
To create a quickened awareness by
salvationists of the power of personal influence and witness
in the home and work place, in college and school, in the
arena of recreation and leisure.
For The Salvation Army to see itself as
part of the family of Christ in the world, and to work in
ecumenical fellowship and unity of spirit with other church
bodies pursuing Christ’s mission on earth.
3. To reaffirm our basic stance on the
authority and validity of the Scriptures, both as the basis of
our faith and as a guide for Christian conduct
To persuade salvationists to study the
Scriptures more deeply and to apply them more relevantly to
daily life, because the Scriptures are profitable for
teaching, reproving, correcting and equipping God’s people. We
need to love God with our mind as we search and research his
word.
To reaffirm the scriptural witness to
the Holy Spirit and seek a fresh understanding of his role in
the ministry of Christ in the world and in the life and growth
of his body, the church.
To deepen our understanding of the
truth of our doctrines in experience as well as intellect. To
educate our soldiery in the spiritual and experiential basis
of our non-sacramental position.
4. To emphasise the Christian ethic as
the significant influence in establishing a moral society
To assert the value of marriage and
family as God’s plan for society, and to underline the
important of the marriage vow. To view marriage as a divinely
ordained covenant, and to seek to reverse the increasing trend
to divorce and the break up of family life, within and without
the Christian community.
To oppose the enthronement of the
physical body – the obsession with and glamorisation of human
sexuality. To withstand the acceptance of lifestyles
postulated as ‘alternative sexual preferences’. Whilst
declaring such to be against God’s moral law, we will seek to
provide pastoral care and positive help to such people.
To realise the true dignity of a single
and celibate life for those from whom God asks this dedication
and to whom God has given this gift.
To emphasise Christian standards in
issues raised by medical technological developments such as
genetic engineering, in vitro fertilisation, euthanasia,
abortion. Whilst praising God for all the progress of modern
medicine, we must reject those developments which lower the
dignity and individuality of man.
To acknowledge Christ’s Lordship in
every area of life; in the workplace, the professions, in
industry. Where there is lack of integrity, salvationists are
encouraged to stand with conviction and with a courage
strengthened by biblical standards.
To understand the powerful influence of
the media and their impact on social values. To see how The
Salvation Army can more effectively utilise the media in its
mission, and at the same time alert salvationists to their
right to challenge the often misleading and harmful
presentations of violence and so-called ‘good life’.
To continue our concern regarding the
increase in drug and alcohol abuse, and strengthen our
preventative and rehabilitation programmes. To challenge
social evils from a Christian conscience.
5. To support efforts for peace in the
world, and champion the principles of justice and equity
To stand against the proliferation of
weapons of war, and to promote peace on earth and goodwill
among men through every possible form of the ‘ministry of
reconciliation’.
To oppose all forms of man’s inhumanity
to man, and take even more seriously Christ’s call to clothe
the naked, feed the hungry and shelter the homeless.
To withstand every form of prejudice –
racial, tribal, national, sexist, economic and social.
To encourage salvationists to a new
awareness of the interdependence of mankind and of our
responsibility for each other. For those privileged to live in
affluent communities to accept a simpler lifestyle so that
they can contribute more sacrificially to those in need.
To speak out with courage where those
in authority deny men and women their basic human rights and
exploit the disadvantaged and inarticulate, whilst maintaining
our traditional non-partisan political stance.
While mindful that the ultimate
solution to these world problems is in God’s hands alone, our
social action and compassionate service must be seen to be
based in Christian motivation and witness.
6. To reaffirm the importance of our
young people
To realise that our young people are a
great resource of our movement, and the need to show them how
important they are to us and to God.
To give them a priority in our Corps
programming that they deserve.
To give them a voice in our advisory
forums; to allow them scope to express their aspirations and
interests.
To ensure that corps life, both junior
and senior, is integrated in a total corps concept.
To provide training and education in
the Scriptures and in the principles of Salvation Army life,
as a sound basis for Christian experience and salvationist
service.
To continue to place earnestly before
our young people the challenge of the call to officership as
the call of Christ himself to full-time ministry. This is a
challenge which no young salvationist should refuse to face up
to.
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