AT A GLANCE

Officership

Length of service A lifelong commitment, undertaken after deep thought and prayer.

Location Anywhere the Army chooses (personal circumstances are taken into consideration).

Training 2 years at William Booth College or 3 to 5 years distance learning.

Some of these initiatives take a lot of planning, but I know of some divisions who have simply held evenings at their DHQ called ‘the calling conversation’. They have gathered people who are interested in talking about calling, vocation, ministry, officership, territorial envoyship and pioneering, simply to talk and see where it leads. These events look like the early Church, when the first believers met together, sharing food and conversation about life, faith and Jesus.

If you’re thinking about ministry and vocation, then talk to someone and start the conversation. If it’s right, then doors will open. But if you never test it, you’ll never know.

Could Design for Life be more effective if it was held divisionally?

The Design for Life course (DFL) is a great experience for anyone over 18. Many people say they love coming to William Booth College, maybe having a tour, going up the tower or seeing the museum. DFL has taken place in Ireland and Scotland, and we’re looking at different ways of putting it out there. There’s even a children’s DFL now – which is exciting!

Is there a shift in the way leadership is perceived and practised now?

These are challenging – yet potentially exciting – days in the Church and in The Salvation Army. There are lots more opportunities for lay ministry and vocation than there were in previous years. The whole concept of leadership for a season is an interesting one, which we introduced years ago through territorial envoyship. You can make a commitment to serve for three years as a territorial envoy and that is often based within the division that you applied from. The interesting thing is that, when people have tested leadership for a season, they often go on to commit to more time in spiritual ministry. Some become officers, while others continue as territorial envoys.

Territorial Envoyship

Length of service A minimum of 3 years.

Location Often based in the division in which they applied, but occasionally elsewhere in the territory (personal circumstances are taken into consideration).

Training 2 weeks at William Booth College (1st year), 1 week (subsequent years), plus correspondence work.