Did you know the Salvation Army isn’t just a series of thrift stores? They’re actually an international denomination with churches all around the world.
There’s probably a Salvation Army church in your town.
I had the privilege of speaking at a worship arts conference for their western territory last weekend. And I got to learn quite a bit about the organization. I must admit, I could see myself as a Salvationist. I was impressed with the sincerity and the caliber of the people involved in their churches.
Here are a few things I noticed that I think non-denominational churches can learn from them.
1. The short-term nature makes it less about ego.
The normal tenure for any pastor (officer) at their church (corp) is about five years. Consequently, they can’t shape the church into their own personality. They have to make actions that will be healthy for the body long-term, knowing another pastor will inherit whatever they do.
Imagine if team leaders approached their positions that way. They would make decisions that would set up their successors for success. I can imagine turnover would be less tumultuous.
2. The church does only its job in its community.
Each church is formed around a community need. That’s why you see so many thrift stores in your town—they typically fund recovery programs.
Because each church centers around a unique community need, there’s no room for competition. They are the only ones who are accomplishing that goal in their community. Thus there is no reason to feel competitive with another corp, because they are trying to do something completely different. More often, you want to cooperate and work together. To share resources.
3. Fame isn’t really an option because you speak under authority of the whole organization.
Want to write the next Christian bestseller? You probably won’t be doing that as a Salvationist officer. You don’t get to build your own platform, because you are merely a soldier in the army.
So I haven’t really seen any scrambling for fame among the Salvation Army members. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with the Christian fame, but I don’t believe we should be seeking it above all else.
4. They can’t judge their success based on numbers.
To be honest, their churches won’t be growing massive. It’s sort of built into the system. Since they are meant to meet their community needs, they focus their efforts there. Most of their congregation comes from the needs they are meeting. Those recovering from addictions or poverty are the ones who come through their doors. The small size of the churches is actually a benefit for those people who need a tight knit community.
So there are no feelings of inadequacy when they go to a conference and see a pastor of a church of 5,000. Their church is supposed to be small. From week to week, numbers won’t either bring excitement or depression.
There are certainly things the Salvation Army doesn’t do well. Any denomination can keep learning. But I believe there are some great things we could all learn from this wonderful organization.