The General’s Global Call to Action

To Salvationists, employees, and supporters worldwide:

I appeal to you, in this universal call upon The Salvation Army, that we pray for the Holy Spirit to inject us with a divine sense of urgency about our missional and spiritual life.

We must take hold afresh of who we are as The Salvation Army and apply, with great intentionality, the calling of God upon us all to transform the world through the love of Christ flowing out from our lives. If ever the world needed a Holy Spirit-driven, Jesus-centered, hope-filled Salvation Army, it is now.

We face challenges, but I see the greatest challenge being the level of our own enthusiasm for the mission that God has given us; how much we are open to the Holy Spirit reshaping our mission methodology for the very different world of the 2020s; how much we are shaped by the prevailing cultures and ideologies of the world instead of being shaped by Jesus and the values of the Kingdom of God. I believe our faith in Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit in us, can eclipse culture and ideology!

The Salvation Army still has credibility in the world, principally because of the vast range of social services we offer communities. They still see us as people who will help in times of need and crisis, people who will help without bias or judgement. Of course, that is part of who we are, and we thank God for it.

But Bronwyn (World President of Women’s Ministries Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham) and I know and sense with every fiber of our beings that we need spiritual breakthrough which will see our faith communities in every place, leaving behind the experience and the language of declining numbers and living into health and growth and a flourishing that will continue long into the future.

We must not only hope for this but consciously come before God, confessing our lethargy and/ or complacency, our tiredness of heart and mind, our personal sins, our low-level reliance on the Holy Spirit, any fatigue in our love for God, and our grief over people dear to us who appear to have been lost to the movement.

Let us now nurture a powerful life of prayer and win these battles in the spiritual realm, breaking through to new life and vibrant expression of our faith in the world, no longer curtailed by our own heaviness of heart.

THE QUIET REVIVAL

Of paramount importance for the Church today is evidence that the tide is turning and that, hallelujah, at the heart of a spiritual awakening among the churches are young people! You can see it clearly wherever churches, including Salvation Army corps, are experiencing numerical growth and a flourishing in the vibrancy of their faith community.

In the UK, a new report from the Bible Society titled “The Quiet Revival” presents a robust, nationally representative population study that has tracked the religious attitudes and behaviors in England and Wales since 2018. The data in this report clearly shows the onset of a new turning to God and a deepening of faith led or driven by young people. The report states: “In churches across society something amazing is happening, challenging long-held predictions about the future of Christianity in the 21st century. Where once we saw aging congregations and a steady decline in attendance, we see dramatic growth, led by the young.”

In Salvation Army territories, divisions, frontline faith communities, and mission expressions worldwide, we must wade deep into these transforming, refreshing revival waters. Jesus said: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them,” (John 7:37-38). We must let go of the desire to control and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and make room now for our young people to take us forward.

We’ve got to go after this and see our people re-energized and re-impassioned for mission. We must encourage innovation, creativity, and courage. We’ve got to bathe our God-entrusted mission in prayer so that it swirls in the great river of God and brings hope, healing, and transformation; so that we enter the flow of this river ourselves and become, in new and dynamic ways, the hands, the face, and the voice of Jesus among the people. As the prophet Ezekiel announced: “Where the river flows everything will live,” (Ezekiel 47:9).

COMPASS: The Salvation Army’s Global Strategic Framework

On September 25, 2024, together with senior leaders of The Salvation Army worldwide, I launched Compass, The Salvation Army’s Global Strategic Framework. In a nutshell, Compass is a tool for the revitalization of The Salvation Army’s spiritual and missional life in every place. It is an opportunity, in these uncertain times, for us to rediscover and live into our true north with passion and the life-giving energy of the Holy Spirit.

Compass is a framework for every expression of The Salvation Army to align its mission plans with three principal focus areas:

• Empowering People
• Enhancing Mission Impact
• Establishing an Enduring Legacy

Resources to help us achieve these aims will be released periodically and will be invaluable for the renewing of our hearts and minds at every level of The Salvation Army — in our corps and frontline mission expressions, divisionally, territorially, and internationally.

In my heart of hearts, I am seeing that what we need more than anything else, both on a personal level and as a whole Salvation Army, is to seek God with all there is of us, and to witness the love of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit overflowing our lives and healing the nations. Let’s make room, let’s broaden our tent, let’s raise our expectations, and let’s fulfill the mandate that God has given The Salvation Army with vibrant spiritual life, great courage, and innovation. We must take responsibility to stop spiritual and mission drift, wherever it is happening, and turn it into growth.

I am watching with laser focus in these days to ensure that the work we’re doing, the things we’re prioritizing, and the places in which we’re investing are designed to help us not only be a sustainable Army but also a growing Army. And by that I mean people who are coming into the Kingdom of God as a result of our mission and ministry — people from the nations who are finding their faith, discovering their purpose, making their contribution, and seeing themselves not as ankle-deep but rather neck-high in the river of God’s redemptive purposes in the world. We cannot be satisfied with anything less. They will be people from our walking or cycling groups and book clubs; those we play sports with or serve vulnerable people with; people who are our neighbors, workmates, or school, university, or college friends.

So, we rejoice and we celebrate that, even today, new life and growth will happen. Hallelujah! It will happen under the umbrella of The Salvation Army all around the world — today. Whether by accident or intent, it will happen. And the fact that it is happening means it will happen in us and through us and by us. Let’s maximize its scope. Let’s turn up the dial.

Let’s find out why it’s happening, where it’s happening, and how we can replicate it happening around the world. Not only more numbers, but more depth and more engagement in the full life, mission, and ministry of The Salvation Army. I want that to be our legacy, and I’m asking you to join me in it under the umbrella of Compass — people, mission, and legacy. A growing Army, a sustainable Army. Let’s get it done.