There is a lot of talk of strategy these days and we will undoubtedly hear more about this in the time to come. Maybe it therefore is good to remind ourselves, that strategies are not the main thing. They are meant to help us to do and to achieve the main thing – that is what makes strategies important.
So what is the main thing? What is the goal above all others for The Salvation Army?
Sometimes we fall into the trap and think the goal is to have more people attend our services. It is a mistake we share with many other churches. However, Jesus never told us to go and make more attenders.
He did tells us, as we very well know, to go an make disciples, or as Dr. Robert Logan has summarised the Great Commission, to make More and Better Disciples.
Here is the thing: It is all too easy to have a hall full of attenders who might not be disciples, but almost impossible to be a disciple without gathering with other followers of Jesus for worship, fellowship, and mission.
We cannot be true to our Lord Jesus Christ, nor to the purpose of The Salvation Army, if we lose sight of this goal.
Neither are we true to Jesus or our purpose if we do not at the same time and with the same passion help and serve people who are in need. That is part of the obeying ‘everything I have commanded you’ or of growing ‘better’ as disciples (Matt 28:20).
As we seek both of these goals, we do well in heeding what Robert Logan says about this double mission: As we serve, we expect that some will encounter God through our actions... not serving so we can make disciples, but serving and making disciples.
This is what we create spaces for, this is why we build relationships: So that people can experience the love of Jesus in practical and life transforming ways and so that people will begin to follow him as Lord and Saviour - and we all can grow in our discipleship and obedience to Jesus.
That is the main thing.
First published in Dialog, June 2024