Officer (The Salvation Army)
An Officer in The Salvation Army is a Salvationist who is in essence a minister of the Christian faith, but who fulfills many other roles not usually fulfilled by clergy of other denominations. They do so having been trained and commissioned to service and leadership and given a quasi-military rank.
Candidacy and Training
When applying to become a Salvation Army officer, strict acceptance guidelines must be adhered to before training can commence. Each Territory will have similar conditions that applicants must fulfill prior to entry and include, but are not limited to, the following, they must:
- Believe they are called to full-time ministry, specifically Officership.
- Be active Soldiers in their local Salvation Army corps.
- Receive a recommendation from the Corps Officer of that Corps.
- Be endorsed by the Divisional Candidate Secretary(s).
- Partake in a formal interview with the Territorial Candidacy Board and Territorial Candidate Secretary(s).
While attending a College for Officer Training, the training participants are referred to as 'Cadets'. The length of training is normally two years, but a special dispensation may allow cadets to be commissioned after a shorter period, based on prior experience or training. Once this training is complete, the Cadets are commissioned.
Commissioning and Posting
Commissioning sees the Cadets promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and formalizes the Cadet's first posting (commonly referred to as 'Marching Orders'). These orders can send the new Lieutenants anywhere in the territory, and sometimes even see them posted to other territories that could involve overseas service.
Officers have the opportunity to serve within the Salvation Army in many different capacities, and may be posted at a Corps , Divisional / Territorial Headquarters, the Training College, The Trade, a Recovery / Rehabilitation centre, as a Chaplain (E.g. courts & prisons, hospitals), a street level outreach centre, a new or newer Corps (known as an 'Outpost' or 'Plant'), and any number of other need specific ministries.
In the majority of cases, Officers are given 'Farewell Orders' every two to five years in which they are reassigned to different posts, sometimes moving great distances, but some may be moved after anywhere between 3 months and 16 years.
The Rank Structure and Uniform
Officers hold ranks throughout their service, and even into retirement, and their rank is reflected in their uniform. The uniform of an Officer is much like that of a Soldier, and like a Soldier's, is defined by the region in which the person is serving. The consistent difference between the two uniforms is that the Officer's uniform has red or maroon epaulettes on the shoulders, whilst a Soldier's are blue. Officer's epaulettes feature the Salvation 'S', as well as another insignia to designate rank. These insignia may be sewn into the epaulette, or be separate metal pins attached to the epaulettes.[1][dead link]
| Rank | Date adopted | Current Status | Description | Insignia / Epaulettes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General | 1878 | Active | The worldwide leader of The Salvation Army, elected by the most senior Salvation Army officers in the world. | Red velvet trim with gold crest, gold bar and gold 'S' on the collar. |
| Commissioner | 1880 | Active | The leader of a Territory. Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army and International Secretaries are also usually given the rank Commissioner. | Maroon velvet with silver crest and trim except the Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army, also a commissioner but who has a silver bar under his/her crest. |
| Lieutenant-Commissioner | 1920 | Discontinued (1973) | ||
| Colonel | 1880 | Active | Reserved for territorial and international leaders. | Crest with silver trim and silver trim around "s" patches |
| Lieutenant-Colonel | Active | Crest with silver trim without silver trim around "s" patches | ||
| Brigadier | 1889 | Discontinued (1973) | Crest with two stars | |
| Senior-Major | 1948 | Discontinued (1959) | Crest with one star | |
| Major | 1879 | Active | After 15 years of service the officer is promoted to Major. | Crest |
| Field-Major | 1921 | Discontinued (1931) | ||
| Commandant | 1916 | Discontinued (1931) | ||
| Adjutant | 1888 | Discontinued (1948) | ||
| Ensign | 1888 | Discontinued (1931) | ||
| Senior-Captain | 1948 | Discontinued (1959) | ||
| Staff-Captain | 1881 | Discontinued (1931) | This was a rank created to differentiate Officers assigned to headquarters from field Officers. | Three stars |
| Captain | 1877 | Active | After 5 years of service the officer is promoted to Captain. | Two stars |
| Lieutenant | 1879 | Discontinued (2001) Reinstated (2008) |
Following two years at Officer Training College, the Cadet is commissioned with the rank of Lieutenant. | One star |
| First Lieutenant | 1948 | Discontinued (1959) | ||
| Second Lieutenant | 1948 | Discontinued (1959) | ||
| Probationary Lieutenant | 1917 | Discontinued (1973) | ||
| Cadet-Lieutenant | 2001 | Discontinued (2008) | ||
| Cadet | 1880 | Active | A Salvation Army soldier, that is undertaking training to become an Officer at a Salvation Army Officer Training College. | Blue or red bar |
| Envoy | Active | A non-commissioned officer who works for The Salvation Army in a ministry position. | ||
| Candidate | ? | Active | A person undergoing assessment for Salvation Army officership or Envoyship. |
Amendments to Envoy / Lieutenant Status
After a lengthy discussion with other Salvation Army leaders, General Shaw Clifton announced in November 2007 that the rank of Lieutenant would be re-instated on March 1, 2008. All cadets will now be commissioned as Lieutenants for a period of five years. The rank of Cadet-Lieutenant will be discontinued on that same date. Interestingly, no cadets in any Territory at the time of this decision were consulted in regards to this decision.
All officers serving as Lieutenants in the UK territory now receive the rank "Territorial Envoy" (as opposed to "divisional envoy"). Territorial Envoys are soldiers who wish to work as non-commissioned Officers for a limited time, usually three years. This replaced the rank of Envoy and Auxiliary-Captain. Other territories have made other 'ranks' to reflect this status such as Feldsergeant in Germany; Sergeant-major in the Ukraine; Envoy in Russia and Corpsenvoy in the Netherlands.
See also
- Generals of The Salvation Army
- Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army
- High Council of The Salvation Army
- Soldier of The Salvation Army
References
- ^ http://salvationarmy.org.nz/uploads/uniforms_catalogue_28Sept2009.pdf New Zealand Trade Catalogue
- ^ http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/SALV/STANDARD/PC_60011.html Rank explanations (incomplete)
- ^ http://www.uss.salvationarmy.org/USS/www_uss_atlanta.nsf/vw-sublinks/D1C5C86943AFFE908525757B006098BA?openDocument List of