What is The Salvation Army?  Is it a church?  Is it a social services provider that operates homeless shelters and soup kitchens?  Is it a line of affordable used clothing?  The Army is in a very precarious position; That is, we, as an organization, seem to be having somewhat of a corporate “identity crisis”.  We talk so frequently about God’s calling for The Army, but behind all the structures and apparatuses we have developed over the last 100 years, it still seems unclear what role we are really fulfilling for God’s kingdom.

           As The Army began, there were a number of important and unifying principals that made us unlike any other body of believers at the time.  Firstly, our willingness to embrace any and all cultural tools at our disposal to reach people with the word of God was foundational: including tools such as the once widely popular brass banding, the adoption of militaristic terminology, the now common uniforms or any other number of other cultural adaptations since that time.  Secondly, and now most commonly was our willingness to serve the poorest of the poor.  To serve those the religious institutions of the day were unable to reach. 

           To properly understand the core calling of The Army it is worth revisiting these points in some greater detail, separating out the all-important “why?” from the more malleable “how?”  The Army’s calling is not about the “how” as some might argue, but more so about the “why”.  This is something that will become clearer with some further discussion.

Culturally relevant?  

           In William Booth’s time, not completely unlike our own, the church was becoming more and more distant from the real world.  There was “high church culture”, and then there was the real world.  Booth recognized the danger in this separation and began to try to bring church to the regular people.  To do so there was a certain amount of translation that took place.  Instead of trying to make people into “church” people Booth went into the streets preaching to people where they were, not where the church thought they should be.  Booth used tactics that may have been seen as inappropriate, out of place and was often scorned for it.  But the masses to which he spoke understood his message, possibly for the first time: popular music such as the sounds of the brass band was incorporated, as was the militaristic terminology.  These tools were critical to The Army’s early success, but they are just that: tools.  They do not necessarily have to continue to define us.

           We strove to be culturally relevant; to be able to be understood not by the churched, but by the unchurched.   If The Army is to continue to be successful it will need to maintain this central feature; to communicate its message in a medium understood by the people we are trying to reach.  To many this will mean giving up items like the brass band, or even the overly militaristic terminology.  These things are not who we are at our very core, but simply choices we made to communicate our message.  We are always trying to bring the good news to people who have never been to church.  If a uniform is the best way to do that, then we will continue to wear the uniform.  But make no mistake, it is not who we are.  We are a people willing to do whatever God wants us to do to meet people in their culture, whether that is opening a fair-trade coffee shop or a cell-based ministry, the mission stays the same.  “Being in the world, not of the world” means we have to be in the world if we ever expect our message to be taken seriously. 

Poorest of the Poor?

            There is no question that The Salvation Army has a unique ministry to the economically poor.  But again, it would be a mistake to believe that was the extent of our ministry.  Our ministry began with and continues to be a mission for those other churches are not reaching.  The stigma for living in poverty during the time of William Booth was even greater than that imposed on the poor today.  People were refused seating or membership in a church because they could not afford such a privilege, or because they did not look the part.  Unfortunately this continues today, although often under a number of new permutations. There are still many who are turned away by the church.  These are the people who need our help.  Whether they are economically stable or struggling to pay the bills: if the church has turned them away, our arms should be opened wide.  Where there is a need The Army will be there.  Whether that need be strictly an economic need, or a spiritual need.  Although the world seems to be getting smaller and smaller there are more and more lonely people reaching out for someone to care for them.  The Army is an Army of Love and we will continue to be a beacon of hope for the lost. 

What’s in a name?

           The question of calling is almost always paired with a list of “How To’s” including:  the Primitive Salvationist model, the community church models, the house church model, the community café model...  As many people as there are in The Army, there are opinions on how it should look.  As far as I am concerned there are two things that make us The Salvation Army:

           Whatever specific strategy your corps or cell takes on in your community, ensure it is both relevant and inclusive and you will have fulfilled William Booth’s desire for an Army that is “in the world and not of it.” 
            
            “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)