General delivers keynote address at IMASIC meeting
General delivers keynote address at IMASIC meeting
14 March 2019
Last week’s IMASIC meeting included chairpersons of 24 territorial and command councils that address moral and social issues. Australia's Casey O’Brien-Machado is in the
General Brian Peddle delivered the keynote address at the March 2019 meeting of The Salvation Army International Moral and Social Issues Council (IMASIC).
For the first time, the meeting included chairpersons of territorial councils that address moral and social issues. Representatives from Salvation Army territories who are considering starting moral and social issues councils also attended.
The General called on all present to find more ways to be effective at engaging Salvationists and the wider Salvation Army in current issues. The world leader thanked everyone who has worked on these critical matters in the past but urged attendees to find new approaches to help Salvationists and The Salvation Army speak faithfully into our complex world.
The IMASIC meeting focused on working together in complex times.
The General expressed appreciation for the support he receives from IMASIC and The Salvation Army International Social Justice Commission (ISJC), calling IMASIC one of the best-kept “secrets” of the international Army.
Since the reformation of IMASIC in 2008, 16 International Positional Statements have been written, approved by the General and shared with every territory, command
However, General Peddle noted, positional statements are not the only tool to help Salvationists and The Salvation Army live out God’s mission in the world. He expressed the hope that those present would learn and identify ways to work better together in the future.
During the course of the meeting, people from 24 territories and commands reviewed the work done in the past 10 years by IMASIC and territorial moral and social issues bodies. The use of positional statements and global issues that need to be addressed were also included.
The meeting included new resources – developed by IMASIC, ISJC and the International Theological Council – to encourage conversations on human sexuality.
A new format for International Positional Statements was released at the meeting. Most of these documents are now freely available in Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, German, French
“Working together is essential if Salvationists are to engage the complexities of our times,” said IMSIC Chair
“We knew that going into the meeting. So, the aim of the gathering was to build knowledge, enhance trust and discover paths of collaboration. We succeeded in finding practical steps forward.”
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