No Small Thing With only three new cadets accepted for officer training in 2024, Salvationists could be justifiably concerned about the future leadership of The Salvation Army in New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa—until you meet those three cadets, that is. SALT speaks with accepted candidates Rose Hotene (New Plymouth Corps) and Sateki and Elina Palu (Otahuhu Corps, Auckland) about their faith journey, calling to officership and impending move to Booth College of Mission as cadets in the 2024 ‘Keepers of the Covenant | Nga Kaipupuru i te Kawenata’ session. WORDS Jules Badger
wholehearted ‘yes’ from even one person can be extremely powerful in the hands of God, as Scripture proves again and again. Territorial Candidates Secretary Captain Shane Healey is quick to acknowledge the elephant in the room when he says, ‘Yes, it’s the smallest session of cadets we’ve had in a long time. We’re living in days when it is challenging to be a church leader. I don’t want to make excuses, but this leadership crisis is not unique to our territory or The Salvation Army. It’s a symptom of much wider issues at play in terms of church engagement and discipleship in the Western world. Covid-19 challenged many aspects of church life, and leadership across the board is not the same as it was five years ago. So, to have three candidates say yes in these days, well, that’s no small thing. It speaks to the depth of their commitment to this calling.’ This year did not include Fiji, but Shane reports that the 2025 session is already half-filled. ‘There are people applying across the Pacific who would be more than capable of serving in all four countries within our territory, which is exciting. The education and skill level of the applicants, as well as the depth of discipleship and relationship with God, is solid. And I’m excited by the possibility of doing ministry in the future with these people,’ affirms Shane. 20
January 2024
Shape shifting Shane speaks candidly when he says that cadet numbers from New Zealand may look similar for the next few years, but he is excited by the interest in officership among younger people. Shane explains that this interest has a lot to do with some of the subtle shifts taking place in the shape of officership in recent years. ‘There’s this renewed emphasis and push to reclaim the call for officers to be spiritual leaders,’ says Shane. ‘In the past we’ve been heavily driven by programmes and mission goals, and it’s been a lot of administrative work. Some officers got burnt out and others left because that’s not what they signed up for. Specialist support staff now play a huge role in releasing officers to be spiritual leaders within the movement and the communities they find themselves in.’ Shane explains that a good example of this is the shift from officermanagers of Family Stores to employed specialist area managers—a game changer for many officers. ‘Officers are now free to be chaplains to the staff—to care for the people,’ affirms Shane. Another key shift is the freedom for officers to prioritise spiritual formation—firstly their own, and then that of their congregation or community. ‘Officers are in covenant relationships with God. When you become an officer, you are invited to step into a deeper
