c. 1997 Religion News Service

ALEXANDRIA, Va. _ Around here, ordained clergy are called”officers”and parishioners are referred to as”soldiers”who must sign the”articles of war”before enlisting for”active engagement.”After their tour of duty _ when officers and soldiers die _ they are”promoted to glory.” Welcome to life in the Salvation Army.

Long familiar for its uniformed brigades that begin ringing bells beside red kettles at Thanksgiving and running local thrift shops and soup kitchens, the Salvation Army quietly goes about doing good through a host of national and international social welfare programs.

With headquarters in the shadow of the Pentagon, these troops work tirelessly bringing comfort to the sick and aged, clothing and feeding the homeless, training the poor for jobs, housing convicted criminals, hosting summer camps for inner-city kids, and aiding in disaster-relief efforts.

Just about everyone knows the Salvation Army for its good works. According to a nationwide poll recently conducted by the Barna Research group, 100 percent of Americans recognize the name, and 95 percent think favorably of the Army.

And for the fifth consecutive year, the Salvation Army raised more money through private donations _ more than $1 billion in 1996 _ than any other group, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. The American Red Cross ranked a distant second, raising less than half as much as the Army.

But what many may not realize is that the Salvation Army is primarily a church.”Most people don’t recognize the Salvation Army as an evangelical institution,”said Diane Winston, a fellow at the Center for the Study of American Religion at Princeton University.”Part of that has to do with the Army’s work as a philanthropic organization and not promoting itself as a sectarian institution,”said Winston, adding that the Army does not intentionally misrepresent itself to gain supporters.”I think they are eager for people to realize that they are a church,”she said.

Indeed, the Salvation Army’s mission statement, clearly printed on nearly all its literature, makes its purpose plain:”The Salvation Army … is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.” Commissioner Robert A. Watson, national commander of the Army’s U.S. operations, makes no bones about the group’s religious thrust:”We’re a militant branch of Christianity with strong social outreach and strong evangelism outreach,”he said.

To be sure, the national church’s 450,000 religious foot soldiers believe they are engaged in an all-out war against society’s ills. Never losing sight of their real mission, soldiers keep a keen eye focused on providing spiritual sustenance while meeting human need.”The battle we’re talking about is against sin and human hurts, all the evils in the world,”said Watson.”It’s the fiercest of all battles, requiring decisive, courageous, aggressive effort.” Also enlisted for the battle are more than 1.5 million volunteers in the United States,”good people who care about the community and other people”but are not otherwise affiliated with the Salvation Army, said Watson.

The Salvation Army was born during the 1860s, when a traveling Methodist evangelist and his wife, William and Catherine Booth, took to the mean streets of East London to preach to the poor, the drunkards and the prostitutes. When established churches refused to welcome Booth’s unsavory converts, he started his own denomination.

Evangelism still is a high priority for the Salvation Army, but the number of street meetings today are”regretfully very few,”said Watson.”It’s an indication of the changing times … a change in traffic patterns, more people are living their lives indoors … there’s less people on the streets than there were years ago,”he said.

When the Army landed on America’s shores at the end of the 19th century,”they were perceived as a sensational, in-your-face group that offended all standards of Christian behavior … with brass bands, women preachers and other antics to gain publicity,”said Winston, who is writing a book on the Salvation Army’s effect on American culture.

Over the years, she said, the Salvation Army”realized those strategies wouldn’t win them any more souls … and they discovered that by modeling their religious witness, they could be as successful as screaming in people’s faces.” After more than 100 years, the Salvation Army’s central mission remains unchanged: It uses social welfare programs to improve the lot of the downtrodden so they are more receptive to the gospel message.”It just doesn’t make good sense to talk to a man who is hungry about religion. He’s focused on his hunger pains,”said Watson.”Meeting needs is a bridge to evangelism.” Building bridges has become the Salvation Army’s forte.

According to its latest national annual report, in 1995 the Salvation Army served nearly 7 million holiday meals, visited more than 5.5 million people in nursing homes, hospitals and prisons, helped more than 2.5 million Americans affected by natural disasters, and opened 11 million cases on people needing ongoing assistance _ anything from temporary housing to job training.”The court of last resort in most towns is the Salvation Army,”said Major Tom Jones, national community relations and development secretary.”We are the safety net most people talk about.” Serving others _”regardless of race, creed, religion or no religion”_ is required duty for all Army soldiers, said Commander Watson.”To inculcate that sort of spiritual value in people,”he said, potential soldiers complete a 12-lesson course of study on the Army’s history and theology before they are ready for”active engagement.” To be sure, one of the most distinguishing aspects of the Salvation Army is its insistence upon using military jargon to describe spiritual things and church life. “We try to discipline ourselves not to fall into normal ecclesiastical terminology, lest it reshape who we are,”said Watson.

And the uniforms?”For us, the uniform has spiritual significance,”said Watson, who has no military background.”The person who wears the uniform should consider it a sacrament in a sense … an outward work of an inward grace.” (OPTIONAL TRIM _ STORY MAY END HERE)

Sometimes soldiers are made young. At age 7, a child can become a junior soldier through a swearing-in ceremony after signing a pledge promising to lead a clean life and be a faithful witness. At age 14, teens are promoted to senior-soldier status.

Lay leaders and officer candidates are chosen from the pool of adult soldiers. To become an officer _ or ordained minister _ an officer candidate must successfully complete a two-year residential program at one of the Army’s four Colleges for Officers Training. After that, candidates are commissioned as lieutenants, who must meet continuing education requirements during the next five years.

Since its founding, women have maintained a high profile in the Army. Said Winston,”William Booth once said, `Some of my best men are women.'” Indeed, the Army was one of the earliest Protestant groups to give women full equality in ministry with men.”Booth believed there was nothing a man could do that a woman couldn’t do,”said Winston, noting women often opened Salvation Army missions and preached on the street alone.”The Army was attractive to women who wanted independence in a religious vocation.” An officer’s wife is commissioned at the same rank as her husband and the couple are required to serve in the Army together. However, Winston noted, since the couple always takes the husband’s rank,”women with less-talented husbands are often held back”from reaching their full potential as ministers.

Officers may serve in one of the Army’s nearly 1,300 corp community centers _ or churches _ where, among other things, regular Sunday worship services are held.

During a recent Sunday morning meeting at a corp center in Arlington, Va., the emphasis was on serving God by serving others.

Accompanied by a characteristic uniformed brass band of slide trombones and bugles, soldiers of varying ages and races sang a mixture of traditional hymns and modern choruses _”Here I am, wholly available; As for me, I will serve the Lord”_ sometimes amidst a smattering of hand-raising and hand-clapping.

Before the main sermon, Lt. Sharon Ray, who leads the Arlington center with her husband, Lt. Tarryl Ray, read the Parable of the Talents _”Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.”(Matthew 25:21). She then challenged the congregation to”use the gifts God has given you”to serve the community.

Salvationists ascribe to an 11-point doctrine of theology reflecting orthodox Christian beliefs, including a high esteem for the Bible as the word of God; and that”repentance toward God, faith in … Jesus Christ, and regeneration by the Holy Spirit, are necessary to salvation.” The points have changed little during the Army’s 130-year history.”It would take more than an act of Congress to change those,”Commander Watson said.

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