Salvation Army officership is something that almost every Salvationist has considered at some point. There are many reasons why some respond to the call while others do not. I expect that all of us have personally felt the call of God to serve him with our lives. That service obviously and most dramatically includes officership—but it also embodies the laity.
The reality is that most Salvationists live as Christian believers in the secular world. Regardless of our economic status, level of education or occupation, we support our corps with time and money and help with charitable work in our communities. We may even sponsor or participate in short-term mission trips as we strive to model our lives after Christ.

These are all important things, but I’d like to think that each of us is also open to considering the potential for full-time service. All Salvationists, while acknowledging and fulfilling their obligation to preach the gospel in word and action, should also search their hearts for signs that the Lord is calling them to be an officer. Then, if we sincerely believe that we are not called, we can still support and honour those who are.

In my 17 years working for The Salvation Army, I’ve been privileged to know hundreds of officers. Most spoke passionately about their calling. Some responded to it immediately. Others initially resisted but felt restless in their chosen vocations until they eventually accepted God’s call on their life. In each case, their sense of contentment in responding to the call was evident, manifested in a graceful acceptance of the various sacrifices typically required of Salvation Army officers. Sadly, many included among those sacrifices a feeling of not being valued—perhaps a reflection that Salvationists in general do not value officers as a whole.

I have observed officers in all kinds of settings—from needle-strewn alleys to the fancy offices of political and business leaders. I have always been impressed by the reception they received. The Army is fortunate to be afforded a unique respect by all facets of society and our officers are automatically recipients of that good will. While it is quite a responsibility to represent all the good work that has been done previously in the Army’s name, it is also a wonderful privilege to immediately command respect wherever you go. The success that people of the world strive to achieve is usually rooted in a craving for respect. How ironic that in responding to the call of God, forsaking the pursuit of power and material wealth, our officers achieve the esteem so many others do not.

In spite of this reality, we have gone through periods where Salvationists have not held the officer ranks in high regard. We have all met certain officers who perhaps could have served the Lord better in a different setting. Sometimes they were not really equipped for the challenges of Salvation Army officership. At other times, the calling may not have been as clear—yet it was answered. Unfortunately, the impact of these few officers has had a disproportionate effect on officership as a whole.

In our territory, the Army is currently struggling to find the right officers for all our existing appointments. Our leaders sometimes hesitate at proposals for new ministries due to fears that we don’t have the personnel to properly lead the work. While demographic trends have impacted the number of officers, so too have societal views of Christian ministry. Throughout most of church history, being a member of the clergy meant a life of prestige and privilege. Parents would be honoured when their children chose to go into the ministry. But modern perceptions have changed to the point where few parents today encourage their children to contemplate this path.

It is also possible that somewhere along the way we erred in our “marketing” of Salvation Army officership, perhaps by over-emphasizing its benefits. Many young people today want to make a difference to their world. They are not afraid of sacrifice. We should be encouraging our best and brightest to consider answering God’s call this way.

As Protestants, we sub-scribe to the priesthood of all believers. That is true to the extent that God calls each of us to minister and witness from the platform of our daily lives. Fortunately, some still choose to answer that call by surrendering their lives in full-time service.

Let us all do what we can to encourage those who are considering this path. Perhaps the place to start is by supporting and honouring those already commissioned, so that officership once again becomes as highly valued within the organization as it is externally.