Called To Lead: Leadership Development Strategies For Salvationists
As The Salvation Army Southern Territory approaches Commissioning season, we excitedly anticipate the ordination of 12 Defenders of Justice as Lieutenants. For 730 days, they have been discipled and developed as leaders who will love, serve, and disciple Salvationists into the future. They will bring with them a strategy for discipleship and leadership development into the communities and corps in which they are appointed.
John Wesley is credited with saying, “Give me ten men that hate nothing but sin and love nothing but God, and we will change the world!” Changing the world for the improvement of this generation is the hope of today’s contemporary leader–just listen to everyone who aims to inspire world peace. For the Church, and more specifically for The Salvation Army, our changing the world is dependent on who and how we love, where and why we serve, and the intentional discipleship of every soldier into spiritually and practically developed leaders. Discipleship-based leadership development requires a strategic framework founded on the belief that the Army is uniquely gifted to develop and deploy leaders for the advancement of God’s Kingdom mission.
The kind of world-changing leadership that hates nothing but sin and loves nothing but God is uniquely developed within the church that embraces a new, yet ancient, definition of leadership. In his book, “Change the World,” University of Michigan leadership professor, Robert Quinn, considered the etymology of the ancient European- Asian word from which we coin the term “leader.” It means to “go forth to die” (p. 179). Its connotation is taken from the concept of one who leads others into battle, specifically, the banner bearer. As armies advanced into battle, the fighting soldiers followed their flag into enemy territory. While the flag was upright and advancing, the soldiers fought valiantly. The enemy would then aim their attack at the one who led the charge, the banner bearer. Armed with nothing more than the army’s colors, he would lead into the intensity of battle, followed by trained, armed soldiers of the regimen who made it their duty to protect the flag at all costs, or to take it up themselves when its bearer fell for the final time. We think of leadership as the general who remains behind atop his horse watching the battle from a high vantage point. But soldiers are followers of the banner bearer to the death—a much different picture of leadership, but one that is uniquely appropriate for The Salvation Army. The ones who exemplify the “Blood and Fire” spirit of our movement and lead us beneath such a banner of unconditional love and selfless service are the ones worth following into the battle for the world. How are such men and women developed for this sacrificial leadership?
According to Eric Geiger and Kevin Peck, authors of “Designed to Lead: The Church and Leadership Development”, consistent leadership development happens within an environment where there is a strong conviction to develop leaders, a healthy culture for leadership development, and the helpful constructs to build leaders systematically and intentionally (p. 14). Leadership development is not a programmatic component of discipleship. The two are not mutually exclusive, and to view them as distinctive subsets is detrimental to the advancement of God’s vision for His Army. Jesus discipled His 12 closest followers while also developing them as future leaders of His church. Leadership development happens most effectively within the context of intentional discipleship. This framework for leadership development is one that the Evangeline Booth College has adopted in its leadership curriculum and adapted in its implicit practice in the officer training process.
This same framework is replicable in every corps of The Salvation Army. It begins with the fundamental conviction that leadership development will not occur until we are overwhelmingly convinced that the corps is the place from which leaders are called and trained to serve. A conviction is more than an opinion, it is a divine passion. It is a belief for which we would sacrifice. Do you embrace the conviction that discipleship-based leadership development is a nonnegotiable in your life and in your corps?
When something is a shared conviction, a shared belief, a shared value within your corps, it becomes the cornerstone of your corps’ culture. Your culture influences your behavior. What you do demonstrates your culture. When discipleship- based leadership development is a part of your corps’ culture it is more than a program held on Wednesday nights. It is integral to the corps’ central identity. If people are not being discipled or developed as leaders in your corps, discipleship is neither a conviction nor a part of its distinctive culture. Furthermore, it is in direct opposition to Jesus’ command to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).
Wise officers, local officers, and soldiers know how to implement the systems and symbols, processes and programs that help to practically unlock the full leadership potential of a corps. These constructs provide the essential mode of integration and achievement of mission and vision, and the fulfillment of shared culture and conviction. Consider the symbols, systems, processes, and programs that are recognizable within the environment of your corps. In what ways might these constructs help or hinder the discipleship and leader development of your corps?
Finally, what does it mean to be called to lead? Is it simply an individual calling, or is it also a corporate calling? Perhaps, within The Salvation Army we are quick to associate calling with 730 events, candidates, cadetship, ordination and commissioning, and officership. The call to lead is vaster than that. It is inclusive of every soldier within the Army’s ranks. Disciple-centric leadership development is available to every disciple of Jesus for transformation and missional fulfillment. Such preparation begins with the intentional personalization of the work of Christ in, for, and through those who call Him Lord. From within our community of believers the call to lead is a war cry that initiates the steady march of God’s Army beneath the banner of Blood and Fire into a world that needs the conquering love of God and our selfless service.
The call to lead includes embracing divinely initiated conviction, engaging divinely inspired culture, and executing divinely integrated constructs to become a leadership locus within the community we serve. Lord, call men and women who hate nothing but sin and love nothing but God who will effectively lead your Army into the future as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Major (Dr.) Anthony Juliana has his doctorate in Strategic Church Leadership from Regent University. He is currently stationed as the President and Principal of the Evangeline Booth College.