Reflections on Kingdom ambition

by Commissioner John Matear, Territorial Commander (UK)

IN our recent Highlands and Islands visits my wife and I found ourselves involved in many conversations with community leaders, as well as fellow travellers. Frequently the question asked was: ‘How is The Salvation Army doing these days?’ With time to talk, whether at a council reception, ecumenical event or airport departure lounge, the question needed more of an answer than: ‘Fine, thank you very much.’

I heard myself saying that The Salvation Army was not immune from the Western European picture of declining church membership but that globally the Army is bigger than it has ever been, and here in the UK we are, I believe, engaging with more people than we have done previously through increasing ‘open door’ community activities. Yet I confess to a degree of sadness at this response, for I believe God’s will for the Church is that we grow in order to increasingly reflect his glory and his purposes for creation. I affirm it is this that motivates and underpins our focus on Kingdom ambition.

I thank God for the opportunities and resources available to us. I rejoice when I hear of ‘hot spots’ of growth and mission effectiveness. I am truly grateful that we have people of vision and daring who are taking initiatives. I also salute faithful, enduring and resilient service given across the territory. In recognising that there is no ‘magic bullet’ to reverse decadal membership trends, the strategic importance of identifying new planting opportunities and resourcing them with wisdom is understood and encouraged.

Like many of you, I have also been around long enough to have witnessed trends within the Church that, with hindsight, proved to be short-lived. I rejoice that through the creativity and diversity of the Holy Spirit we have incredibly wide scope for mission engagement and evangelistic endeavour. One of the privileges of territorial leadership is that we witness corps and centres engaged in culturally and community relevant activities across the territory, motivated by a desire to faithfully reach out in God’s name.

It is as true now as it ever has been that we are not restricted in what we might do to reach people with the gospel. If it works, it’s Army – the pragmatic approach! Of course, as in every denomination, we work within the strength of structure, the wisdom of lessons learnt and the parameters of organisation and practice.

My conviction, born out of experience, is that we are united in our desire to see God’s Kingdom grow through the mission and ministry of The Salvation Army. Together with you, I rejoice that it is Christ who leads us and the Holy Spirit who continues to equip and inspire. Convinced that the gospel is the message the world needs, our mission objective is to ‘be disciples who make disciples’. I rejoice to read of increases when the Lord adds to our number those who are being saved, but I have to tell you I am hungry for more. Before the Lord in prayer I ask for wisdom to see where there may need to be a redirection of resources and, in particular, I pray for the envisioning and effective mobilisation of our greatest resource – our people.

We are a Salvation Army with a missionary calling. The world is needing us and Christ is leading us to make contact with people. By this I don’t just mean those who come through our doors, but those who, day by day, come into contact with Salvationists in work and social networks. Our mission is to our world, be it home, school, office or factory. We don’t need to be anywhere else to bring a word of hope and grace, to live a life of holiness and demonstrate God’s love. The truth is that the salt and light of discipleship is attractive and magnetic as well as countercultural.

I am convinced that God will honour such witness and mission focus when it is wholly embraced. Our mission relates primarily to life outside the Church while our equipping and resourcing for the mission is done within the fellowship as we meet and share the word of God that builds us up. Crucial to our understanding is that we will lose our sense of mission if we focus on secondary issues or become self-serving. The mission is undermined and soul-saving efforts are impoverished when time and effort are drained and deflected because of internal issues, moral lapses or the pursuit of personal agendas.

We have a mission to make disciples by connecting with people in their world, which is our world too.

Join me in praying: ‘Lord, enlarge our vision, forgive our complacency and fire us with Kingdom ambition to faithfully play our part in working for your Kingdom to come and your will to be done. Amen.’