MISSION must be the priority ‘however and wherever we connect with The Salvation Army’, says the international leader of the organisation, General Brian Peddle, in his 2019 New Year message. The message can be watched on the General’s Facebook page and on YouTube and Vimeo.
‘I believe we need to be ready for what God wants to do with us and through us,’ the General affirms at the start of this new year. ‘This is a call to prayer, a call to holiness and a call to be “battle-ready” now. There is an urgency to this call that cannot be ignored. Men, women and children need Jesus.’
The message also sets out how Salvationists, volunteers, advisory board members, employees and others connected with the movement in 131 countries worldwide must be engaged in working out The Salvation Army’s international mission statement. Building on the legacy of The Whole World Mobilising campaign which ran throughout 2017 and 2018, the General explains: ‘This is a call to serve, a call to worship and a call to confidence in the gospel. The two-fold objectives of “preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ” and “meeting human needs without discrimination” are central to our international mission statement.’ He exhorts viewers to ‘ensure these are our missional priority – our way of life … we must be ambassadors for Christ.’
The General’s Call to Mission concludes with a challenge to ‘take responsibility’. General Peddle describes this as ‘a call to raise and nurture every generation, a call to costly compassion, and a call to inclusion’, speaking passionately about his personal desire to see The Salvation Army grow.
‘That will be accomplished only through identifying, equipping, empowering and discipling our young people as well as those who are poised to be future leaders,’ acknowledges the General. ‘We must be unequivocal about speaking up for those without a voice, be bold in seeking justice, and be generous with our time, material resources and redemptive action. We must be beyond reproach in our behaviour – both in the public forum and in that which is seen and known only by God. Our mission is non-discriminatory. The gospel is for the whosoever. Our ministries are for all.’
Wrapping up the message, the General makes a personal invitation to ‘join me in this fight as One Army – The Salvation Army that God has called us to be. Each of us a transformative influence right where God has placed us. Each of us ready, engaged and taking personal responsibility for God’s call on us – individually and as the Body of Christ. Each of us looking expectantly to see God at work in us and among us.’
