Next Generation forum gives Army's leaders a 'spirit of optimism'
Next Generation forum gives Army's leaders a 'spirit of optimism'
6 April 2017
Leaders representing the next generation of The Salvation Army met with (from left) Colonels Julie and Mark Campbell and Commissioners Floyd and Tracey Tidd last month.
The four most senior Salvation Army leaders in Australia have given the Army’s next generation of leaders the chance to speak into the vision and thinking of the Australia One project.
Commissioners Floyd and Tracey Tidd and Colonels Mark and Julie Campbell recently spent a weekend with 30 Salvationist leaders, all aged under 40, from across Australia to hear their perspective on the future of the The Salvation Army.
Commissioner Floyd, National Commander, said the Next Generation Leaders Forum, held at Catherine Booth College in Melbourne on 17-19 March, represented those who are “currently shaping the future of The Salvation Army in their lived-out expressions of mission and leadership”.
He said it was an exciting opportunity for senior leadership to engage with the wisdom and insight of this group of officers, employees and soldiers who were “nominated by their leaders, peers and followers”.
“We wanted to ensure the voices in the room were the voices of those engaged in active mission and bring their perspective to the conversation,” he said. “The room was filled with leaders – the next generation of leaders, who are leading now!”
The weekend included sessions in which delegates were invited to wrestle with and provide direction on the difficult issues faced by national leadership, as well as raise the issues needing to be faced into the future.
The “Question and Answer” session with the national leaders on the Saturday evening was a highlight for Jordan O’Brien, a 21-year-old youth leader from Sydney Congress Hall.
“The faithfulness, transparency and humble attitudes of our leaders were evident and I came away with faith and excitement that our Army is moving in the right direction,” Jordan said.
A burning question for Captain Abhishek (Monty) Bhardwaj, 32, Intercultural Officer in Central Victoria Division out of Melbourne, was “how can we change to accommodate ourselves in a society where 400 different languages are spoken and more than quarter of Australia’s population was born in one of 200 overseas countries?”
He said the weekend gave him “hope that there is a future for the multicultural ministries within The Salvation Army – that hope makes me more proactive in bringing people to the knowledge of Jesus.”
Rachel Barker, 26, Corps Secretary at Perth Fortress, said she was encouraged by the weekend’s focus on sharpening the fulfilment of the Great Commission and meeting the needs of those in local communities.
“I have returned to my corps and community with a renewed passion and realigned purpose to the ministries I engage in and encourage. We serve a truly awesome God who has done wondrous things for us and continues to show his people that he loves them,” she said.
Commissioner Floyd said hearing from the group had affirmed and consolidated the current vision and thinking in the Australia One project.
He said “a commitment to living and leading a holistic mission which is non-negotiable” was a high priority for this generation of leaders. He said they also impressed upon leadership their priority of “looking at the people, firstly as people, not issues, problems or labels”.
As a result of the weekend, Commissioner Floyd said the senior leaders experienced “an overwhelming spirit of optimism for the Army of today and into the future with a hope that we are convinced will not disappoint. The leaders of this generation have a deep passion for God and the mission of The Salvation Army.”
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