One of the great strengths of our movement is the ability of our officer/soldier personnel to be engaged in various forms of pastoral based ministry on a full-time basis.
From administrative-based appointments to the vast field of social services opportunities, The Salvation Army is a wonderful place to utilize one’s spiritual gifts and put them to work serving God and the people he brings under our sphere of influence.
For my wife, Colleen, and I, corps officership is the field of choice for us.
Now in our 16th year of work in this specific area, we are convinced this is where God wants us to serve as members of his Kingdom.
Having done an additional three years in the community & family service/suicide prevention ministry, we have a deep awareness and appreciation for the fine work being done in so many social services centres across the territory, yet the church work holds for us a special blessing that we love to embrace on a daily basis.
Corps Officership Provides A Family Atmosphere
Ministering to people in a congregational setting is akin to living in a family unit.
Functional families like to do things together, share things together and grow to appreciate one another together.
As in all families there are times of rejoicing and sorrow, of triumph and defeat, of peace and conflict.
Through it all, however, lasting bonds of fellowship and love can be developed that move us closer to one another and to a greater awareness of how much our Savior loves us. He wants us to be members of His family both here on earth and one day in heaven with all the saints who have gone on before.
Corps Officership Enables One To Be A Part of The Various Milestones of Life
Growing up in a family of 10 children, something that was very important to us was to celebrate everyone’s birthday with lots of gusto and joy. Lump in Mother and Father’s birthday along with one grandfather who also lived with us and it seemed that hardly a month went by when we were not celebrating someone’s special day!
Church work often has one engaged in doing baby dedications and marriages,
acknowledging anniversaries and birthdays, swearing in new members as well as less happy times such as doing a funeral or memorial service.
Through it all is a profound acknowledgement that “there is a time and season for
everything†and that in recognizing such ceremonies, we take part in the life cycle that stretches us from birth to death.
Corps Officership Is A Multi-Task Mandate
From preaching/teaching to pastoral counselling and visitation along with administrative tasks, supervision of employees, community relations, etc., corps officership is never a dull adventure. No two days are ever alike.
As a young adult, I worked in a large tire plant on a production line that required a person to perform the same procedure up to 1,200 times a shift. After a while the repetition and routine got to me and I knew I could never make that kind of
work a life-long occupation, even though the pay was quite good.
I once asked a fellow worker how she managed to stay on the line for eight years plus and she mention it gave her lots of time to daydream.
Effective corps officership, I believe, requires one to use their imagination at times, but idle day-dreaming over many hours/days is not a good strategy in helping to advance the Kingdom of God.
Corps Officership Provides A Great Opportunity to Be Stretched
The old saying “ never bite off more than you can chew†has been around for a long time and in many respects these are wise words of wisdom in ascertaining correctly how much we can successfully take on at any given time.
I’ve come to believe that in order to rightly determine one’s true limit we must “bite off a little more than we can chew†and allow those extra challenges to stretch our capabilities and enable us to absorb all we can of life and ministry.
At times, such an outlook on life may rightly test our ability to be a 100% effective in all
we do, yet the alternative is to see one slowly slide into a spirit of complacency and to
simply maintain the status quo.
Such a mindset I believe is not in keeping with the spirit of New Testament leaders (especially the Apostle Paul) who were always looking to break new ground for Christ and His church.
As well, the scriptures command us that “whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart as working for the Lord, not for men....†Col. 3:23 (N.I.V.)
In this ministry, there should be no mindset of just coasting to the goal line, but one of intense service until our work here is done.
In conclusion, corps officership isn't for everyone, but for those of us who like it, we like
it a lot!
by Victor J. Cyr (Major) -The Meadowlands Corps, Ancaster, Ontario