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Response to Pillar Six Of General Eva Burrows’ Agenda for
the Future
by Captain Jason
Dockeray
“To reaffirm the importance of our
young people.”
General Burrows was an inspirational
leader, and her writings continue to challenge and encourage
us towards mission and the future that God has laid out for us
as The Salvation Army.
One example of inspirational writing from the General
comes as part of her “Salvation Army Agenda for the future.”
While it is worth noting that not all of the points in
her agenda have aged well, I was overwhelmed and encouraged by
the timelessness of her words in section six:
“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.
In
this section General Burrows reaffirms the importance of young
people. While the
challenge represented in this document is now decades old, the
importance and emphasis she enforces is as important today as
it was when it was first written.
As an advocate and supporter of
children and youth, I frequently hear voices of leaders saying
we need to support our young people because they are the
future of our Church.
While this is true, and I am happy it motivates some to
work with and disciple children and youth, what General Eva
understood and fully believed is that is our youth are “a
great resource” not only for the future, but for today as
well. Youth have kingdom value in their homes, their schools,
and their churches.
General Eva understood that, and her words continue to
challenge us to see the potential of our children and youth to
lead now.
In my role as Territorial Children and
Youth secretary I have the privilege of connecting with youth
and children across the territory, and I am excited to say
that we have vibrant young leaders across the Territory from
the East to the West and North to South. Depending on where
you serve, it may appear that children and youth ministry is
in decline. And,
while I will admit that numbers and stats have declined over
the years, those who remain and those have who have recently
been called into the mission of The Salvation Army are here
and they are passionate.
Our young people love Jesus and desperately want to
serve Him, they are fully on board with our vision and the
mission of The Salvation Army to share the love of Jesus to
meet human needs and to be a transforming influence in
communities across the territory.
I can testify that in many places across this territory
our youth are leading the charge.
As such, I would encourage you, the
reader, in the words of the General, “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.”
As we train and develop our young people, we will be
making Christ centered others focused disciples, who in turn
will make disciples themselves.
Many of our young people are well on their way to a
life of service and mission.
In fact, right now, sitting in corps across the
territory we have hundreds of young people who were trained
and developed at camps across the territory this summer, who
are ready to lead at the local level. I implore you, as the
General once did, to listen to the voices of our young people
and provide them with tangible opportunities to serve and
lead.
Finally, as you engage your children
and youth, join them as discernment partners, helping them to
see where God is moving and leading in their life as I am as
confident God is still calling our young people to a life of
mission and service as officers and soldier leaders in The
Salvation Army.
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