Salvation Army: Stop Holding On!

There's a stirring of God's spirit upon The Salvation Army in these days. There's rumblings of change and a Godly, holy discontent rising up among many, who want the best of all God wants for this movement. 

Though, there's a warning in all this. We need to stop holding on. Let me write that again: We need to stop holding on. Let me explain:

This Easter I gave the microphone to a 28-year old young man to preach about Jesus on Good Friday. He spoke eloquently about the death of Jesus, the freedom that is found in his name. He spoke of the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43), and that because of his response to Christ, today he would be in paradise with the Lord. 

On Easter Sunday, my oldest daughter, who is 15 years old, joined Major Jo Brookshaw on the stage and helped paint an incredible painting of freedom found in Jesus. She was bubbling inside, because of the thought of being used by God in ministry, to impact many lives.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: "Okay, what's your point?"

My point is, that as a leader, I made a conscious choice to not hold on. To give the next generation a go. To pass on the baton and have someone younger step up and use their gifts for Jesus. 

We need to raise up the next generation. We need to empower, equip and release the next generation to reach people with the powerful, life transformative gospel of Jesus Christ. 

But I fear, that some of us are still holding on.

We're holding on to fear of the future. 

We're holding on to the 'ways things have been'.

We're holding on to naïve hope that the glory days will come back and it will look like it used to look.

We're holding on in vain that the Army will sound like it used to sound.

We're holding on to the form and not the faith.

We're holding on tightly to the orders and regulations that made the Army what it became.

But, friends, I feel like I'm preaching to someone right now. If there's one thing you and I need to hold on to... If there's one thing that is most important and most critical, to hold on to and not let go of... it's Jesus Christ.

In Jesus we find our way as a people of God. In Jesus we find our purpose, our calling and our mission. The work of God will always look different in the next generation. I mean, we know that right? We don't worship like they did in the 1st Century synagogue in Ephesus. The style of our gatherings don't look like the desert fathers of the 3rd Century. Our service to God doesn't look like Calvin or Luther in the days of the reformation some 500 years ago. 

I believe so strongly, that God is raising up a spirit-filled, innovative, holy people once again, who seek to lead people to Jesus, make disciples and reform the very fabric of society that they work in.

So by all means. Hold on...

But make sure it's to Jesus Christ.  

If you are bold enough to pray with me... Let's pray:

Dear Jesus, 
We want to hold on to you. We want to fix our eyes on the author and perfector of our faith. Nothing else satisfies our soul. No outward expression of faith, can compare to the inward power of your grace and mercy upon our lives. Our hearts are set upon you Lord. Change us. Empower us. Give us wisdom in these days, as we navigate being a Jesus-people in an ever-changing world. We love you Lord, and we pray fill us afresh with the presence of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen.

An open letter to The Salvation Army

Dear Salvation Army,

Where's your passion for Jesus? Where has your heart for your first love gone? Is it there, or is it hidden beneath the complexity of organisational life? Have you buried your love for Jesus while you try to build your own path to success? 

I ask you again. Where's your passion for Jesus? Where's your desire to lead people to him, to live out his values of the Kingdom and to transform Australia with the very love that once transformed your life?

I don't want to be the church in Sardis anymore. Have you heard of the one? Jesus writes a letter (as recorded by John) in Revelation chapter 3. It says:

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God."

Is God pruning us, or are we in fact dead? Convince me please that it is the former. Show me your red-hot, Spirit-filled, Holy-Ghost-infused compassion that seeks to live out a vision of finding hardship and injustice and then make choices that live up to those very statements.

We don't need another ecclesiastical corps cumbering the earth, nor do we need another corporate video that includes sound bites of board-room value statements produced in front of green screens and edited until they are flavourless and uninspiring. We don't need another 1 hour meeting, with a 30 second prayer at the start and a 30 second prayer at the end, with 59 minutes of trying to get ourselves out of the feelings of corporate malaise. Try for me, just once, at least... a 1 hour meeting that incorporates 20 minutes of prayer. Test me on this. See if God won't begin to give you insight and wisdom that leads you out of an institutional desert and into hope and life.  

God is calling us to be the people of God, fashioned into the likeness of his son, Jesus Christ. The way we have become is not necessarily who God wants us to be. We must surely die to ourselves, and our organisation and place each at the altar. 

And please don't skip over the importance of that short paragraph. Take a moment now and kneel before the Lord. Tell him you're willing to lay your life down (again) to follow him and his paths for your feet. Repent of the excuse that the complexities of this movement have caused you to lose your focus on Christ. It's no longer an excuse. Repent of making Jesus some sort of after-thought in your mind, when really, without him we are nothing.

I remember when I responded to a call to follow Jesus when I was 18 years old. I cried like a baby at the mercy seat (in fact that happened some weeks/months in a row!) and God was giving me a new life with a calling to serve as a Soldier and then an Officer of The Salvation Army. I am personally challenged by the Holy Spirit in these days, that I need to reaffirm my commitment to reaching for the lost and serving suffering humanity. I am a mission-mobiliser, not a corporate manager. I am a pastoral leader, not a risk management consultant. 

My heart is crying out for the Salvation Army right now. It feels like another critical time in the juncture of this movement. Will we fast and pray for revival to come upon us once again? What's it going to take? You can't do this in your own strength. You've tried, Salvation Army, and been pretty lousy at it. That's because, we were never called to fight a spiritual war, with human-made organisational solutions. We are a spiritual movement, and only God-led, spiritual wisdom will get us through. 

I am reminded recently of when I was invited by a Salvation Army prison chaplain to preach the gospel in the prison for all the inmates who attended to hear. Wow. I had a word on my heart. The word was, 'If you want to walk in freedom, you have to get out of the cage!' I preached up a storm in that little chapel area, with about 40 blokes. I said, you could walk out of this prison today, but if you still live with unforgiveness you'll still be in 'prison'! I called people to respond and an incredible number of men walked forward for prayer. I then called men to follow Jesus, and 18 big, burly blokes put their hands up to choose Jesus. I felt like William Booth at the age of 14, when he said that he had found his destiny. These moments change the course of history! This is the presence and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ at work!

Over the years though, we have moved from a Man to a Movement to a Machine. That seems to happen in the history of the Christian Church. We had William and Catherine Booth who were led by God to ignite a 'Salvation Army' around the world. A movement ensued, and spread across the global landscape. Then we had to deal with organisational complexity and for a myriad of reasons we became a machine. And it's a machine that, if we're honest, not many Salvation Army mechanics want to work on. The engine needs replacing, the spark plugs have died and it's pretty hard to get it moving again. 

The reality is though, if we don't reclaim our first love, Jesus Christ, we won't even exist as a 'Machine' anymore, we'll become a 'Monument'. And let me tell you, there are already many Salvation Army monuments around; closed buildings, memorial photos and plaques that remind us of a by-gone era from leaders we respect and admire. 

But, in the midst of the fog, I see a new day dawning. I see a fresh, vibrant expression of following Jesus rising up among the people. I see renewed discussion occurring about holiness and what that means for The Salvation Army. I see Officers themselves becoming sparks of revival in all their areas of influence. I hear the gospel being preached in new, powerful and authentic ways, in all levels of the movement. I see a movement fixing its gaze upon Christ like it has never done before. 

I can hear the sound of a roar coming from the heavens. It's loud and note-worthy. It's like the very fear of God is coming upon The Salvation Army. And I don't say that lightly. It's the presence of God calling us to love Jesus afresh, and be filled once more to overflowing, with the presence of the Holy Spirit. It's a mighty call back to our first love.

I don't want to be part of a Salvation Army that dies. I don't want to serve my days as part of some sort of bureaucracy that used to have an incredible historical legacy of world-changing dynamism. 

We must wake up! Strengthen what remains and get ready to follow Jesus into the unknowns of the rest of this year and beyond.

If you've hidden your talents, get them back out again. If you've lost your first love, then fire it up once more. This, my friends, will be the difference between The Salvation Army either dying, surviving or thriving.

Yours in Christ,

Captain Pete Brookshaw

 

The Salvation Army does not belong in a box!

I was asked to contribute an article to the Journal of Aggressive Christianity in recent days. The editor Major Stephen Court challenged me to write and express my views. Here's the article I wrote and I think it's worth the couple of minutes to read:

The Salvation Army does not belong in a box!

God bless you.

The Greatest Speeches Ever Recorded at a Salvation Army High Council

I would love to be a fly on the wall at the gathering of the 2018 High Council of The Salvation Army. Despite the fact that a fly would probably make too much noise and only live for a fraction longer than a duration of the High Council, it would be a great opportunity!

While I'm clenched to the roof of the Hotel, I would hear leaders of the global Salvation Army wrestle with the big issues of our movement. I would hear well articulated speeches that cut to the heart of the core of what matters. I would witness the sacred privilege of reflective prayer and consideration to the very will of God in these days for The Salvation Army.

The Chief of Staff Commissioner Brian Peddle has called together 111 qualifying officers to convene as the High Council, beginning on 17th May, 2018 at the Renaissance Hotel in West London.

Salvation Army friends, it is time to believe for God to descend on the High Council like a dove, and bring wisdom, revelation and insight into the will of God for our movement. We pray that God would look upon this High Council 2018, as God did on the baptism of Jesus, and say 'I am well pleased.'

Before the High Council 2018 begins, I thought it would be good to consider speeches given by nominated and successful Generals of The Salvation Army in previous High Councils. It is in these well considered words of leaders that we glean something of the passion, and focus that drive The Salvation Army forward.

General Frederick Coutts started his 1963 High Council speech by saying, 'I would apply to the office of a General a saying of John Quincy Adams concerning the Presidency of the United States - that it an office neither to be solicited nor to be declined. I have not done the former, and happily the decision on the latter rests with the High Council.' (Larsson, 2013, p. 95).

He continued with three aims if elected:

The first would be to confirm the faith of the Army in its divine mission...In the second place, to confirm the faith of the Army in its place and function in the church universal...

We must spell this out for people - particularly our young people - so that they may understand that they have no need to seek elsewhere for the essential grace which can be found within our own walls, nor can any churchly blessing make them more truly members of the heavenly kingdom than they are by faith in Jesus as Saviour and Lord. And spell it out for our officers as well so that nowhere will any of them - woman or man, single or married - be received as any other than a minister of the gospel, 'as poor, yet making rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. (Larsson, 2013, p. 95)

The third place would be, 'to confirm the faith of the Army in the integrity of its own government. This calls for informed leadership...especially when, as with our structure, a General is both the source of authority and the final court of appeal. This means that he must be free from the very appearance of partiality and never allow any domestic conversation to interfere with, much less take the place of, the counsel of his appointed officers...' (Larsson, 2013, p. 95).

General Jarl Wahlstrom speaks of spiritual leadership at the 1981 High Council. As John Larsson highlights in his book Inside a High Council (2013, p. 96), General Wahlstrom says:

Leadership in the Army must first and foremost be spiritual leadership...A spiritual leader must have inner balance, and it is important that his leadership is equally balanced... There must be an adequate balance between the desk and the pulpit...A Salvation Army leader must promote the balance between the Army's evangelical and social work...Further, he must strike a balance between sound conservatism and courageous new thinking...  

Hear some of the visionary words of General Bramwell Tillsley before he was elected as General at the 1993 High Council of The Salvation Army:

I long for an Army whose motto is 'holiness unto the Lord'... I long for an Army open and responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit...I long for an Army that will serve in the spirit of the Master...I long for an Army that will remain true to its principles, no matter what the cost... I long for an Army that has a deep appreciation of its young people and that encourages them to find their full potential in Christ...I long for an Army committed to prayer and the ministry of the Word... I long for an Army that is international in its outlook and recognises its responsibility to the whole world... I long for an Army whose cardinal reason for existence is to bring glory to God (Larsson, 2013, p. 97).

As we listen in to the events of the 2018 High Council, we seek that God would continue to raise up visionary, passionate, wise leaders, women and men, who can fly the flag of redemption right across this globe. While we minister in our own local contexts, we share the same Soldier's and Officer's covenants. We are united behind the same international mission statement.

[Here are some of my thoughts during the 2013 High Council, with the election of General André Cox.]

What an exciting opportunity this High Council affords The Salvation Army. Let me explore General John Larsson's own words communicated at the 2002 High Council, that resonate with me some 16 years later:

In this process of renewal I believe we are also recovering the vision of what the Army is meant to be. We are rediscovering the genius of the original vision. That is essential, for in some parts of the world we have been through a time of lack of confidence in ourselves. Everyone has thought us to be wonderful - everyone except ourselves! And there have been - and remain - pressures for us to become pale imitations of other churches and movements. I would aim to encourage the renewal of confidence in the unique contribution that the Army was raised up to make.

The Army is a force, not a flock...It is a force that is visible...A force with a mission to the whole person...A force with a genius for inclusion and releasing of potential...A force with a special mission to the disadvantaged...

I believe that God is powerfully at word in our midst to renew our passion for mission. I believe that he is at work to renew our vision of all that he wants the Army to be in the 21st century. My main focus would be to seek to encourage that process of renewal by every possible means (2013, p. 99).

I may not be able to be a fly on the wall at this historic 2018 High Council, but I sure do pray that when God sees all that transpires, God would look at The Salvation Army and say... 'I am well pleased.'

Please keep the High Council delegates in your prayers, in these days.

God bless you.

Please note: The International Salvation Army 'website will also carry regular updates during the High Council, and a live stream of the announcement of the new General as it happens. As much notice as possible will be given of this broadcast via IHQ’s social media channels @SalvArmyIHQ on Twitter and @SalvationArmyIHQ on Facebook.'  

Much of the content of this blog post can be found in John Larsson's 2013 book, Inside a High Council. 

Salvation Army Leaders - I Have to Change...

I was not ready for this word from the Lord.

And you might not be either.

I preface what I'm about to say with this:

Have you ever had to endure discipline? Maybe you made a wrong decision or you said something offensive and you had to apologise. We've all been there. Discipline from someone holding you accountable is painful and humbling.

The writer to the Hebrews sums it up well. In the start of chapter twelve he writes that first of all we should throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1b). Then the chapter continues by highlighting the importance of God's discipline in your life. Check out these verses:

'Endure hardship as discipline. God is treating you as his children.' (12:7)

'God disciplines us for our good.' (12:10)

'No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.' (12:11)

Now, if you're still reading (because no one likes to talk about discipline, let alone read about it on a blog), I'm about to tell what I feel God is saying to me.

The words have come from hanging out with many different ministry leaders and other pastors and teachers in recent days. One moment was at a wedding sitting on a table chatting with other Christian leaders. One moment was listening to a leadership podcast. Another moment was listening to a great leader of an effective church speak on leadership.

Here's what I feel like the Holy Spirit has said to me in recent days:

'Pete, your leadership style is not always conducive to producing a flourishing church.'

Ouch! 

Come again Lord... That can't be right?! Are you telling me, I'm not leading well? That I need to change?

I felt a little rebuke. Not a huge one, but like a father disciplining his son. A nudge that says, 'You realise you could change your behaviour and be more effective?'

You may wonder what I'm talking about.

I spent a few hours this week buying skewers to hold together chicken burgers, and a plastic tub for a new ministry. Last week, I spent a few hours in the hardware store buying a new broom and double-sided tape. We needed to purchase these items, don't get me wrong, but the truth is this: When I'm running around buying items for ministry tasks, I'm not doing leadership. Let's not beat around the bush friends. I may be doing nice tasks, but I'm not leading. I'm not empowering someone. I'm not casting vision. I'm just busy doing nice things.

The fact is, I work in the ministry far more than I work on the ministry. It's powerful when you grasp the difference. Salvation Army leaders, dare I say, work tirelessly in ministry, but we don't work on building the ministry. We spend too much time on pragmatic tasks, than we do on developing leaders.

See, failure to operate in a way that identifies, trains and releases leaders into ministry will always cause my ministry to be small. The ministry is like a small tree in a pot; that tree will only grow to the size that the pot allows. In that modus operandi I can only do as much as what my own time and energy allows.

Think about The Salvation Army more generally. The pragmatic nature of Salvos has caused us to neglect leadership development, which has been at the expense of the growth of our movement. We then have had to shift our theological position of 'size', in order to justify to the Lord that we're not doing as bad as what we think we are. I believe (and you know by now, these are personal opinions), that our hands-on approach to serving the lost has not been coupled with an intentional desire to train up people for the work. We have neglected that. At least from a personal perspective, I feel the Lord saying, 'Right, Pete, it's time for your to invest in building leaders! You can do ministry until you fall asleep at night, but unless you raise up other leaders for this work, you are just a one-man-band trying to be a Messiah!'

We must fundamentally shift how we view ministry as leaders. We need to be comfortable with the idea, that as leaders, often we need to spend more time in teaching, leading and empowering ministry leaders, than actually doing the ministry. I am happy to debate this. I think, irrespective of the differing views, discussion on this is worth having. We spend too long doing pragmatic things at the expense of leadership development, which ultimately is at the expense of the growth of what we do.

Maybe the fear is that we are not being true to Salvationism, if we step too far away from the front-line. I understand that. We need to model servant leadership. Jesus washed the disciples feet. He multiplied the bread. He healed the sick. Though he also, sat in the Synagogue and taught. He regularly took the 12 disciples aside and explained what the parables meant. There was a balance in the ministry of Jesus between just doing ministry, to actually training up 12 disciples, who after the resurrection would take on the leadership of the early church!   

When we are doing kingdom work, we should see that work flourishing and multiplying. When we don't see it flourishing and multiplying someone needs to ask some critical questions. But no one likes accountability or discipline right? Also, being nice and happy to leaders, is not necessarily developing leaders. Having coffee with leaders is not necessarily building them up or increasing their performance. Sometimes we can simply become busy touching base with people, with very little intention about growing the person's capacity and maturity in Christ.

Sometimes we can even keep someone in a leadership position long after the ministry has outgrown their capacity, simply because it's too difficult and painful to have a conversation about the reality of such matters.

Lastly, the way I spend my week, is not always directly related to my heart for God to transform people's lives. That is, often, if I'm honest, my time is taken up on things that do not add direct value to the kingdom of God, but that I find easy to do. I am challenged to consider what I should do differently to move beyond mediocrity and embrace focused, passionate, intentional leadership that seeks to empower generations to lead the mission of The Salvation Army forward.

There you have it. The discipline of the Lord is gentle, but loud in my spirit. I must change the way I lead. And I say that, because failure to do so will cause me to miss the flourishing and growth that God so intends to provide.

I have to change.

What about you?

A Salvation Army Wake Up Call

I don't want another ecclesiastical corps, or social centre, or small group or council meeting or mainly music program, cumbering the earth. When The Salvation Army ceases to be a militant body of red hot men and women, whose business is the saving of souls, I hope it vanishes utterly.

Though, I'm not ready for this movement to vanish. I'm not ready for it to be less than what God intended it to be. I'm not ready for this blood and fire movement to become a monument; where a decade from now we have some distant memory of well attended Congresses and Sunday School meetings, when the Lord used to do great and powerful things.

Though, here's the thing:

If the middle majority remain silent, the movement dies. And that's the work of the enemy. Silence the troops. That's not the work of flesh and blood, but it's the clear strategy of the evil one. Shut them up. If I can just get them to shut their mouths. If I can just get them to choose not to speak out. If I can just get them to cower away in fear, then I've won.

Well, here goes... If you want to help mobilise The Salvation Army you have to stop sleeping and wake up! Revival doesn't come to you served up on a platter with cheese and biscuits. No one said it was going to be easy. You can't sit around and expect the world to conform to the idealistic, Kingdom picture you have for it. You have to soldier up.

You won't find me lamenting about the glory days of The Salvation Army. I believe in a rich future for The Salvation Army. One that upholds the fundamental tenets of faith that made this movement what it is. I believe in a Spirit-filled, Jesus-focused, Justice-expressing, Faith-abiding movement, that wants to win the world for Jesus.

I have settled for less than that in recent days. Devil watch out, because I'm shaking the slumber from my eyes. The light is growing clearer. I'm not going to sit any longer idly by, while the heedless millions die. I lost my voice. You have tried to silence me for too long!

If you're still reading, here's what I want you to do. Understand the context in which you live. Understand what it means to live a prophetic life, that holds culture in tension.

As Court and Noland write in Reinventing the Movement:

Popularly understood, culture is far from the be all and end all for Christians. We’re not about conforming to it; we’re about transforming it. We’re not about cultural awareness as an end, but as a means. And it is awareness, not imitation. Ultimately, we don’t want to become like the culture, we want the culture to become like us.

It's time to stand for Christ. For Christ alone. I'm not going to sing. 

It's time. 

Don't be silent in the middle of the left and right of theological discourse. Wake up. 'Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet!' (Isaiah 58:1-2). Come on. I've heard some of your brass bands. Now raise your voice like a trumpet. Go and tell people what Jesus has done for you!

See, this is why that's important...

A truth not articulated is a truth unheard. A truth unheard is a truth unable to be embraced.

As Court and Noland state:

It is good and nice to save people from thirst, hunger, cold/embarrassment, indigence, unemployment, loneliness, silence, and ignorance. But such a “salvation” is but a human imitation of the divine salvation that we are really all about. Only divine salvation lasts beyond the grave. Human helps are merely that. Don’t settle for a cheap imitation. Insist on the real thing; without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. AND, without the shedding of sins there is no forgiveness of sin. We are The Salvation ARMY. We are not a metaphor.  

Friends, we must storm the forts of darkness. Anything less underestimates the global context in which we live. Take a look around! Have another look. We are not living out a dress-rehearsal. We are in a spiritual battle.

And in the midst of that battle we have to remember the words of Isaiah:

If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 
 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. (58:9b-10)

We have a job to do: United together in the transformative work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through his life, death and resurrection we have the forgiveness, faith and fortitude to move forward in his name.

I call you to pray.

I call you to repent.

I call you to holiness.

Wake up.

Lest one day you find yourself still sleeping as the bridegroom arrives...


*The contents of this blog reflect the thoughts and opinions of Pete Brookshaw.

Why I Quit Salvation Army Complaining.

I like to have a whinge. I mean, don't you as well? Someone cuts me off in traffic and I struggle to stay holy. Someone pushes in at the supermarket and I'm praying for the gift of patience.

And let me give you some other examples. You are going to love this one... The Divisional Commander sends another email with three important action points. The Public Relations Department need your involvement in a fundraising initiative. Someone in the Corps broke their toe-nail again, and it's an emergency.  Someone didn't show up to a rostered-on ministry opportunity. So-and-so let you down again.

We have reason to whinge. Sure. We could justify it. Each of the reasons push our buttons. We feel validated in having a good ole' gossip session with another colleague. We feel justified in complaining about the Corps Officer behind his/her back. We could list 10 reasons why I should be allowed to whinge.

Though, here's my point:

The world doesn't change, when we spend our time whingeing about it.

Revival doesn't come in the midst of cynicism and bad attitudes. It's ushered in, in the midst of passionate, prevailing prayer meetings, couple with innovative, dynamic, Christ-centered mission.

The Salvation Army won't reform and be shaped into God's ultimate design with coalitions of mediocrity gathering around the water-cooler.

Wow, I'm hitting on a nerve here.

I've decided to take a different path. Maybe it's the path less traveled. Now, I'm no saint, but I've just woken up to something recently.

Administration exists. Quite often for good reasons.

We minister in a broken world. Get used to it.

Life is difficult. Not everyone has time to stroke your ego.

The Lord never said ministry was going to be easy. The Lord simply promised he would be with you in the midst of it.

The prevailing culture is not going to stir you up to think outside the box. Most likely the culture is pushing you back in it.

We live in the tension of a Kingdom-here, but a Kingdom yet to be grasped and realised in its entirety. That's why there's still hurt and pain, sickness and untimely death. We live in a world, where we cry out for God's Kingdom come and God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I sense at times, we have unknowingly fostered a culture of entitlement, where everyone wins, and everyone gets what they want. Then, ones world comes crashing down when they collide with a culture that has high expectations of them, that holds them accountable and calls them to a life that puts others above themselves.

I need to be reminded, and Salvation Army, we need to be reminded: Quit complaining.

Now, maybe I sound like I'm complaining and thus become somewhat hypocritical in my writing. Forgive me. I just long for The Salvation Army to go deeper, further and higher. I long for God to challenge me and this movement to grow up IN Christ.

A great move of God came in the early Salvation Army. I like to think it came because prayer meetings were overflowing, people were absolutely sold-out to helping broken people and preaching the gospel, and early Salvationists stay focused on transforming the world for Christ. 

I'm drawing a line in the sand. I will no longer say, 'I'm busy.' Or, 'I'm tired.' I don't want to groan about another leader. I don't want to compare others, criticise others or speak ill of others. I will no longer swim with the tide of communal cynicism and pity parties formed in the wake of the latest annoying 'thing.'

I quit Salvation Army complaining.

Jesus is coming back soon.

__________________________


'In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them. Hold tightly to the word of life, so that when Christ returns, I will be proud that I did not lose the race and that my work was not useless...' - Philippians 2:14-16 (NLT).

 (These writings/thoughts do not represent the official position of The Salvation Army)
 

How to Deal With Post-Red Shield Appeal Depression

If you're part of The Salvation Army in Australia or New Zealand, you'll know what Post-Red Shield Appeal Depression is. I'm calling it PRSAD.

PRSAD hits us all this time of year. You've worked hard. You've tried to raise as much as you can. You've given it all you've got. You've called out for volunteers. You've rang volunteers. You've booked in shops. You've stood at shops. You've slept at shops.

It's been a big opportunity to raise funds for the work of the Salvos. And whether we did well, or struggled this year, we need to know some things:

The Symptoms of Post-Red Shield Appeal Depression

Now, let me be clear. I'm not speaking about depression in the medical sense. Put that aside for the experts to speak on. I'm speaking about the feeling you get a week later when you think about the fact you could've done better. The concern about what people in leadership might say. The cold and flu that kicks in because you were standing at the railway station for too long. Other symptoms include:

- Wondering why some people didn't sign up to help
- Wondering why some people gave lots and others ignored you
- Wondering why some volunteers were passionate about the Red Shield Appeal, and others in your church avoided you this time of year.
- Wondering why the rain seems to fall every May at the end of the month.

How to Deal with Post-Red Shield Appeal Depression

I wrote on facebook this statement following the main Red Shield Appeal weekend:

You are not your Red Shield Appeal Total.

Think on that for a moment. Whether you raised more than previous years, or had a year that you'd like to forget, the fact is, success in fundraising does not define you. We personally had a good year at Craigieburn. And guess what? PRSAD still kicked in. Hmm.. what if we had collected at the railway stations on a consistent basis? Imagine if we were not stifled by rain? I wonder what would've happened if we had extra volunteers to fill that shopping centre? Why do some Corps still raise so much more than us?

Success in ministry is not necessarily defined by numbers in your congregation or tallies depicted on a Red Shield Appeal database. To see a church grow in a spiritually-dry kind of area, is far harder than witnessing a church grow in the midst of a bible-belt. It is all about context.

You deal with post-red shield appeal depression by looking at whether you did the best with your time and energy and then thank God for the result.

We can always be better leaders. I understand that. We can always pull in a better result. But the goal is to do your PB. Now, that's not to say you should do a Pete Brookshaw. I don't think you should be copying me!! I'm saying do your Personal Best. Then be ok with that.

There is probably a bigger point to make here. In ministry in general, you need to know yourself. You need to understand when you've done your absolute best. Then you can look back and give all glory to God, fully understanding that that is all that God requires of you. 

God bless you as you deal with PRSAD.



Hebrews 6:9b-14 – ‘We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. For God is not unfair. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other Christians, as you still do. Our great desire is that you will keep right on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and patience.

Why are we so Risk Averse? Crucial Challenges The Salvation Army and other Organisations face.

My hands are trembling and my fingers are shaking. I'm nervous even writing this, either that or I've already drank too much coffee this morning. I'll be honest with you, it could be either one.

Let me preface what I'm about to say with this: Change can be painful. Change can be unsettling. Change can even hurt. Though change is necessary for any organisation that seeks to stay relevant and engaged with the world around it. It has been said, that the only thing that doesn't change, is the fact that things change. Actually, the rate at which change happens today is changing. Without spelling out the obvious, change is happening at a more rapid rate than ever before. How do we possibly cope?

In the interest of organisational stability, we attempt to not rock the boat. We do it with great intentions; we want to see great organisations continue to thrive, and not fall apart in the midst of shifting societal values and rapid technological change.

Here is the challenge: The organisation that thrived in its beginnings, generally thrived within a culture of boldness, innovation, a mild disrespect of existing bureaucracy, a little bit of arrogance and risk-taking ingenuity. The organisation some years later tries to hold itself up using fundamentally different ideals, that of, organisational structure, clear administrative processes, authoritative lines of decision-making, risk aversion, workplace health and safety and the list goes on.

The latter list is not wrong, far from it, but it is miles apart from the culture that caused the organisation to thrive in its inception.

So we are seeking to be part of a thriving, growing movement, that has a new learned behaviour of rewarding the fulfilment of the status quo. We then question why the organisation is not thriving to the degree we have in our heart, but fail to recognise we implicitly support an organisation fundamentally different to the one that used to thrive.

The Salvation Army faces that challenge. Right now we are on the precipice of change. We have a decision to make. Who will be in the drivers seat of organisational life? Risk Aversion or Faith-filled visionary ideas?

Let me spell it out. We need good goverance; of course we do. We need to ensure children are safe in our care. We need to ensure the finances are managed well. We need to ensure thrift shops are safe. Absolutely. Though because these things take up so much of our time, they end up being in the drivers seat. Visionary ideas are pushed to the background. Innovation and risk taking are seemingly frowned upon, or atleast perceived to be from leaders who seek to 'do something new.' This happens without a flinch from people upholding good governance, because they seek passionately to keep the organisation stable and productive.

Where do organisations like The Salvation Army move from here?

• We need to communicate VISION more than COMPLIANCE.
• We need to reward INNOVATION more than ORGANISATIONAL Box-Ticking.
• We need to release APOSTLES to be apostolic and allow ADMINISTRATORS to be great administrators that help facilitate apostolic work.
• We must focus on PEOPLE more than TASKS. Tasks are means to an end. The end is surely to ultimately support the transformation of people.
• We must not forget the ministry of JESUS that worked to lighten the load of religious expectation upon the people.

What can YOU do to support the edgy, risk-taking, out of the boat kind of people that God is calling us to be?

I have a few thoughts:

• Remind people to fix their eyes upon Jesus (Remember Peter walked on water when he fixed his eyes/heart/faith upon Jesus)
• Encourage new ideas. Don't let your first position be, 'No.' Let it be, 'Tell me more...'
• Get the right people on the right seats on the bus. Allow the prophetic organisational leaders be free to be who they were created to be. Have the people gifted in administration in roles of administration. People need to be working in their gifting.
• Strongly encourage people to pray with great faith. To believe for the impossible. To believe God for a miracle. To pray with fervour and expectation.
• Remind people of the history of the organisation - Remind them of the faith-filled stories of days gone by. Reignite in people a belief for greater things!
• We need to legitimize innovation.

Organisations that succeed find the right balance between risk aversion and innovation. They place vision in the drivers seat and governance in the back seat. (Don't worry, governance will be a good back-seat driver and yell out occasionally when you need to be reminded).

Let me finish with this: Change can be painful. Innovation can be risky.

If we learn to empower dynamic, faith-filled, risk-taking, bold leaders who seek to establish God's kingdom in a broken world, we honour the past, provoke the present and forge a tremendous future!

The Greatest Dilemma in The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army has great challenges ahead. In a recent post I mentioned that we were on the cusp; of a new era of Spirit-filled, dynamic Salvationism that will change the world like never before. I believe that. Though with every significant shift in organisational life there is always a difficult transition period.

I want to suggest what I believe is one, if not the greatest dilemma in The Salvation Army today. 

Now, I've written about challenges facing The Salvation Army before. Some of these include:

• Financing the work of The Salvation Army from a global perspective. Much of the first-world funds the third-world. How do we ensure longevity of Salvation Army ministry in places where finances are hard to come by?
• The ability of The Salvation Army to adapt its methods in an ever-changing society to fulfil its God-given mission, while retaining the unique personality of The Salvation Army and the fundamentals of its belief system.
• Pressure to conform The Salvation Army's theology to more inclusive, relaxed theologies, that potentially 'water-down' or compromise its core beliefs.

In an article entitled 9 Reasons Why I'm a Salvationist, I highlight one fascinating aspect of Salvation Army life. Let me recap for you, if you haven't read it (or if you fell asleep before you got to number 3).

This is what I said:

Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 3 – We integrate the work of evangelism and social justice. We don’t separate the two and place them in two different buildings with two different line managers and never the twain shall meet. No. As William Booth said, they are like Siamese twins. As I wrote in a recent blog post, ‘When the gospel is only about the salvation of souls we deprive Salvationism of the fullness of the work of Christ. When the service of God through The Salvation Army is only about cups of cold water to those in need we can let people go spiritually thirsty. Captain Andy Miller III in his new book Holistic Hospitality says, 'The way in which people understood [the] balance between what is social and what is spiritual was an issue in the beginning of the Army and is still an issue today.' He mentions that in some points of The Salvation Army's history we had 'dynamic holistic missiology'.’ 

Now, here's the premise of this short article: We haven't always got the balance right between evangelism and social work.

This is one of the greatest dilemmas facing The Salvation Army. What does it mean to have social work and evangelism integrated? What does it mean to be balanced in this way? 

When our social work separates itself from evangelical foundations, we end up with work that devoids itself of eternal matters. When our evangelical fervour fails to care for the whole person we can treat people like numbers and statistics.   

But we have convinced ourselves that it's alright to do social work without evangelism. We have found nice arguments to suggest that this is ok. Maybe it is. Though maybe we end up stifling effective Salvation Army ministry because we don't offer the whole gospel. 

Let me be provocative for a moment. I don't think at this point in our history, (generally speaking) that we are struggling with an over emphasis on evangelism at the expense of social work. I think part of the imbalance has been a lack of soul-winning, and the fact that even that language grates against some is testament to the fact that what I'm saying holds true. We have lost one of the arts of Salvationism, and that's leading people to Christ and more so, making disciples of those people. We have continued great social work, and we have done it well, and do it well, but in the process evangelism has taken such a back seat, that we're frightened to bring it back out to the front seat alongside our great social ministries. 

We must be partnering with God in the work of the whole mission of God. To allow fundamental aspects of who we are as a Salvation Army to fall by the wayside causes us to be less of who God calls us to be.

It is a dilemma in The Salvation Army. 

God help us.

This Blog will Shake the Foundations: We are a Salvation Army on the Cusp...

A cusp can be defined as, 'a point that marks the beginning of a change.'

The Salvation Army is on the cusp. Maybe you sense it, maybe you don't. I might suggest that the reason you are even reading this right now, is that you agree to some degree that what I'm saying resonates.

Let me suggest to you right now, that The Salvation Army is on the cusp, not just of a new season, but the cusp of a new era. We are on the cusp of a revived Army, a focused Army, a praying Army, a soul-saving Army, a courageous Army, a risk-taking Army and a Spirit-filled Army. There is a sense that we are reclaiming the DNA of a movement that has at times been sleeping while the world passes on by.

I'm not meaning to be controversial. One may fully appreciate the plethora of good work that The Salvation Army does globally and give thanks to God. We may also give thanks to the hundreds of millions of people in our societies that entrust us with the opportunity to help them out. Though I am saying, that at times we have retreated and become a safe movement, that has relied on the goodwill of the past to empower it for the future.

No longer can one rely on financial security or popularity for the days ahead. One must rely on Christ. In fact, John 15 says that without Christ we can do nothing. *Ouch. Thanks John for that whack between the eyes. Without Christ, and without being joined to the Father through him, The Salvation Army cannot be all that God intends it to be.

When it comes to the picture depicted in John 15, of a vine and branches, I am really of the belief that God has been pruning us the last few years. And guess what? It's painful and it hurts. Programs have at times, ceased. Funding has, at times, been cut and so on and so on. But, through this, God helps to recalibrate our direction, and refocus us on what really matters.

We need God to help The Salvation Army to go from Good to Great. Thanks to author Jim Collins for that tag line...

Here's my thought. The Salvation Army is on the cusp of going from good to great. We have done good things for a long time. We have sung good songs. We have performed good concerts. We have executed good social policy. We have been good.

Without wanting to sound too melodramatic, but it's time to be great. Now, not necessarily in great songs, and great concerts, but great in the things that absolutely matter.

We are a Salvation Army. The world needs the fullness of salvation found in Christ. Anything less is an insult to who Christ is.

So what do we do? We seek after the holiness that only comes through Christ. We seek an infilling of the power of the Holy Spirit. We ask God to help us in every facet of Salvation Army life to realign what we do, to align with the best of what God would have us do.

It's time to not be afraid to be who we are! It's time to stand! God is about to send the rain!

We are on the cusp!

9 Reasons Why I'm a Salvationist

9 Reasons Why I'm A Salvationist 
by Captain Peter Brookshaw

I love The Salvation Army. Now don’t hear me as being someone who lacks the ability to critique a movement to which I have committed to serve my life in. Far from it. But, that being said, I love The Salvation Army. Maybe we don’t say that enough. We are so ready, as we would say in Australia, ‘to take the Micky out of it’. That is we are quick to find the negative and let that be the content of our conversation. Repentance and humility is needed. Absolutely. But let me take a different approach right now.

The list I offer to you is not ’9 reasons why I chose Salvationism over something else…’ I’m not attempting to compare the mission and ministry of The Salvation Army with that of the church down the road. I want to point out ideas, concepts and reasons why I feel absolutely connected with the work of this movement.

I want to offer to you, in no particular order, 9 reasons why I’m a Salvationist. I surely should have some reasons; I mean, I had put aside other ambitions in life and sacrificed other things to become a Soldier in The Salvation Army. You may have your own list.

Here is mine. 9 Reasons why I’m a Salvationist.

Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 1 – I want to fight to make a difference in the world. Salvationism best expresses my own inherent desires to stand tall and advocate against injustice, to work to rid the world of sinfulness, through Jesus Christ. There is an alignment between what I desire to do in my life with the mission to which God has called The Salvation Army to participate in, and that which the Lord would have us do. I’m still ok with the para-military nature of this ‘Army’. I can hold the tension between a pacifist, compassion-filled, Jesus-focused kind of ministry, with the need to fight. To water down the ‘fighting’ aspect of The Salvation Army, I believe dilutes the passionate, aggressive drive within us to combat injustice and right the wrongs of a broken society. We can reconcile a call to compassionate ministry, with a resolute commitment to speaking out against discrimination and fighting for the rights of the last, lost and the least. In fact, to not fight for such things is not compassion at all. 

Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 2 – I have joined a movement that has agreement on foundational doctrinal statements. I don’t aim to be theologically controversial in this article. We have tried and tested doctrinal statements that provide a great foundation for the faith to which we profess. One may critique the wording and the nuances of such statements, and I welcome that, but that doesn’t alter the fact, for me personally, that such beliefs undergird my commitment to this movement. See, we believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe people can be sanctified. We believe people need justification from sin that only Jesus provides and they need the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. We believe in the eternal happiness of the righteous and the endless punishment of the wicked. The ground hasn’t shifted such that we no longer uphold the nature of God, original sin, justification, holiness, and the like. I love the consistency of theological belief across this global movement.   

Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 3 – We integrate the work of evangelism and social justice. We don’t separate the two and place them in two different buildings with two different line managers and never the twain shall meet. No. As William Booth said, they are like Siamese twins. As I wrote in a recent blog post, ‘When the gospel is only about the salvation of souls we deprive Salvationism of the fullness of the work of Christ. When the service of God through The Salvation Army is only about cups of cold water to those in need we can let people go spiritually thirsty. Captain Andy Miller III in his new book Holistic Hospitality says, 'The way in which people understood [the] balance between what is social and what is spiritual was an issue in the beginning of the Army and is still an issue today.' He mentions that in some points of The Salvation Army's history we had 'dynamic holistic missiology'.’ See the post: Controversial Ideas The Salvation Army needs to wrestle with. I love when I witness the amazing power that happens when someone follows Christ and at the same time is finding shelter, forgiveness, food and reconciliation.

Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 4 – I have joined a global movement. I believe we are yet to grasp the significance of having global interconnectedness. When a powerful move of the Holy Spirit impacts enough territories within the Army, it will spread like an Australian Bushfire through the entire movement. In today’s technological culture, let’s not sleep through an era in which there is so much potential. Can I be honest for moment? I am disappointed there are not more Salvationists using the platforms of social media to make a difference in the world. I wrote a blog the other day and it had 1,700 readers in two days. That’s more than my Grandma and Great Aunt. Your God-ideas can go global in minutes. Why are not more Salvationists embracing it? Why are there not more Commissioners with Facebook pages, using their God-given position and the ‘brand’ that that represents and use it to grow the Kingdom of God? Why are there not more social justice advocates with far-reaching twitter accounts? We have global connectedness in The Salvation Army. It is largely underutilized and over bureaucratized. Speak out about Jesus! Advocate for the oppressed! Use all the avenues given to you to make a difference!

Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 5 – What grabbed hold of me when I first became a part of a Salvation Army community of faith (when I was 18), was the welcome I felt within that community. This wasn’t some manipulative welcoming that was intended to simply grab another recruit or fill an empty chair on a Sunday morning. There was something alive within the Corps that made me feel alive. People would join together every Sunday night after the meeting and go out for pizza and pasta. We would laugh until our bellies hurt and eat until our bellies hurt. I couldn’t go past the welcome that these particular Jesus-people offered. See, I didn’t receive that welcome at the local sporting club, and I sure didn’t have that kind of community in my schooling years.

Some of your hear this and say, ‘Well, I haven’t been part of that kind of welcoming community. In fact, where I was, there was only judgmentalism.’ I’m sorry if that was your experience. But, what I am saying, is that one of the core reasons why I personally am a Salvationist today is because of that amazingly warm welcoming spirit that engulfed me at that local corps. May we replicate such inclusive community in our local expressions of Salvation Army ministry.

Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 6 – The history of The Salvation Army fires me up and still does. The explosive growth of The Salvation Army, in particular the years 1878 – 1890 absolutely grips my heart. How could God raise up a movement that radically expanded into scores of countries within years? What was it that drove a 16 year-old girl named Eliza Shirley to move from the UK to Philadelphia, U.S.A. to open fire in a new country? Why would Edward Saunders and John Gore be so passionate about this Christian mission, that in the late 1800s they stood on the back of a greengrocer’s cart in a park in South Australia and preached the gospel and offered people a meal? Why would Salvationists be praying ALL-NIGHT and even run out of room in the prayer meetings, because the facilities were not big enough to accommodate all those attending the prayer meeting? Why would Salvationists like William McKenzie be in the trenches in World War I, praying with Army soldiers, leading funerals, running out into battle with the troops and being a chaplain in such a volatile, horrific situation like WWI? What drove William Booth to travel the world to raise up such a movement?

The passion, tenacity, focus and faith-filled dynamism of such Salvationists still inspires me today. They lived for something that drove them to their knees in prayer, that called them to leave the comforts of their own lifestyles, and to partner with God with vision that sparked a world-wide movement. God, may we replicate the passion and drive of such Salvationists today.

 I think of Eugene Peterson’s version of Romans 12:1-2, ‘So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.’

Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 7 – One of the reasons why I’m a Salvationist is because of what I believe God wants to do through The Salvation Army in the days ahead. This is a faith thing and isn’t related so much to what has gone before and what is even happening now (as good as that has been and is). There is a little belief that pounds on my heart that won’t go away. I liken it one of my children, sitting in the car, saying, ‘Dad. Dad. Dad… Dad… Dad! Dad. Dad. Daddy. Dad. Dad.’ The little voice is constant. I believe it’s the whisper of the Holy Spirit and the regular reminder in my mind of what the Spirit has said. The best days are still ahead for The Salvation Army. I’ve said that 37 times and I’ll say it again. It’s not that God is not doing great things now. Sure. God is. I love it. I celebrate that. I’ve heard some of the stories. I agree. That’s awesome. Though, imagine the days when the Holy Spirit is spreading through this movement in new and radical ways. Muslims are becoming followers of Jesus by the thousands. Officer numbers are increasing one hundred fold. Corps planting is hard to keep up with. Conferences are jam packed. Homeless shelters are being established like no tomorrow. We are raising up new hospitals, rehabs and communities of faith in low-socio economic areas that makes the past pale in significance.

Call me delusional. Call me crazy. I believe that when the Spirit moves afresh upon us (as we allow Holy Spirit to do that) and when we move from an institution to a movement ethos we will witness global transformation. Sometimes you have to build an Ark in a desert because you know sooner or later God is about the send the rain.  

Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 8 – We have a radical, sold-out commitment to the last, the lost and the least. Jesus clearly expressed a leaning towards helping the poor, the outcast, the rejected and the seemingly unlovable. His first public speech, as recorded in Luke’s gospel, is one where he quotes Isaiah 61, and he affirms his commitment to preaching good news to the poor, to healing the brokenhearted and to setting the captive free. He then stirs up the crowd and suggests to them that the people of God are sent to be a blessing to more than just the Israelite people, but to even the Gentiles!

I admire employees, Salvationists and volunteers who have laid down their life to serve the most vulnerable of our communities. The stories I hear are of chaplains sitting for copious amounts of time listening and mentoring broken people. They include stories of volunteers giving lifts to people who are stranded and employees going to great lengths to encourage an alcoholic to reform the way they think and behave. The commitment I see in these workers within our movement is inspirational. I’m a Salvationist because I align the call of Jesus to minister to broken people, and see The Salvation Army as an amazing vehicle to fulfil that mission.

Why I’m a Salvationist: Reason 9 – We do stuff. Yes, that’s right. We don’t just sit around in our ecclesiastic structures intellectually debating controversial theological issues. We do something about that which we believe. The pragmatism of The Salvation Army motivates me. Some have critiqued The Salvation Army for not being intellectual enough; for not wrestling enough with theological ideas and concepts. There’s probably truth to that. Those with the gift of teaching should fan their gifts into flame and continue to wrestle with what discipleship looks like in a rapidly changing 21^st Century. Though the pragmatic, ‘do something’ kind of culture of The Salvation Army is exciting. Someone is in need and we want to help them. Someone is homeless, we want to house them. Someone is addicted, we want to set them free. We are pragmatic to the core and that’s one reason why I’m a Salvationist.

There is always more to be said. Some of these ideas may inspire you. I hope they do. As we align our hearts with that of God’s, I pray that God truly would grant the desires of our hearts!

This article was also published in Journal of Aggressive Christianity

Pete Blogs Regularly at: www.petebrookshaw.com

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