Corps Cadets Going Digital

Since the earliest days of its inception in 1896, the Corps Cadet program has sought to disciple and train young people, to aid in the growth of their spiritual development, and equip them for effective service in the Kingdom of God. Throughout its history, the program has been updated to meet the ever-changing needs of youth while maintaining its focus on spiritual and leadership development. The most recent change took place in 2014, with the move from the CrossTraining curriculum to BOLD, the name of which highlights the four main elements of the program: Bible study, Our heritage, Leadership, and Discipleship.

In Fall 2026, the Southern Territory will roll out the newest change to the Corps Cadet program: the digitization of lessons. If a corps chooses to do so, all corps cadets will be able to complete their lessons through the Corps Connect platform, which will allow young people to submit their lessons electronically and track their lessons as they make their way to corps cadet counselors, corps officers, then to Divisional Headquarters for grading before returning to the corps cadet’s profile. This will eliminate the potential for lessons to be lost and streamline the submission and grading processes.

While the lessons can be completed digitally, this does not remove the importance of gathering together as a corps cadet brigade to complete the lessons. The importance of support, accountability, and learning and growing together remains unchanged, as does the importance of the program itself. “We want to equip our young people to be confident and courageous, unafraid of difficult situations,” says Carolyn Bailey, national curriculum development director. “We want them to have the audacity to be transformed by God’s Holy Spirit.”

Corps Cadets is a vital program for The Salvation Army, a way to invest in our young people and to equip and empower them for lifelong discipleship and leadership. Since the beginning of this movement, young people have been on the front lines serving and carrying out the mission of the Army and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we want the Army to continue on, we must continue investing in this program and in the lives of young people across our territory.

Southern Territorial Youth Secretary Major Matt Satterlee says, “While we understand that this change may cause some anxiety, we are also certain that the path of ancient and steadfast discipleship remains the same, even though the methods may change to meet the needs of today’s generation. The heart of the Corps Cadet program remains unchanged even as we update our methods to meet these new needs.”

Pilot corps around the territory will begin testing the system this spring. There will be multiple training opportunities to ensure that all brigades are ready for this change in September. Virtual trainings are scheduled for February 17, March 24, and May 19. Live training sessions will be hosted at this year’s EQUIP Conference, which takes place April 20-23, in Charlotte, North Carolina. All corps officers and corps cadet counselors are encouraged to attend a training session. Please contact your divisional youth secretary or the Territorial Youth Department for more information.