a Jesus thought... will now be from The Message
"I'm not interested in crowd approval. And do you know why? Because I know you and your crowds. I know that love, especially God's love, is not on your working agenda. I came with the authority of my Father, and you either dismiss me or avoid me. If another came, acting self-important, you would welcome him with open arms. How do you expect to get anywhere with God when you spend all your time jockeying for position with each other, ranking your rivals and ignoring God? (John 5:41-44)
a Godly thought... now from The Cost of Discipleship by Bonhoeffer
Christianity was not the concern of the believing, pious soul who shuts himself up and keeps himself within the bounds of the sacramental sphere. No, Christianity has its place in this world and the Church as the Body of Christ, and the fellowship in him can only be the visible Church. (p19 Bonhoeffer)
a leading thought... now from The ten laws of Leadership by Bill Newman
A leader is one that has the courage to dream, the ability to organise, and the strength to execute the action necessary. (p19 Newman)
a Dave thought...
News is out via the IHQ website that March 1 will conclude the rank of Lieutenant as we know it today.
We currently have 72 Lieutenants in this territory. As this is 12% of officers in the AST there will be a lot of conversations and questions between now and then. As 16 of us are currently being commissioned this Sunday there are still 56 others which I hope will make it through this transition time.
Over the last 6 years in our territory Lieutenancy has averaged an entry every month which exceeds the number of cadets for the same period.
As the General has decided to make this rank for commissioned officers once again and only to be used after training I pray that this will not block a very successful path into full time ministry.
I know today if it was not for the opportunity to serve locally as a Lieutenant I would not be becoming a Captain on Sunday.
Just a thought.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Lieutenancy
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12 comments:
Dave,
I too am disappointed by this decision and will certainly be praying for those who will and those who won't be commissioned on the weekend.
Sandy
It is my belief that your willingness to make this commitment to God to become a fully commissioned officer and serve wherever God appoints you has meant that for you and your family there has had to be a lot of deep soul searching. Maybe for some other Liets. this will lead them to that same depth of soul searching so that they too can make such a commitment to God. We thank God for His leading in your life and pray that He will use you both in your present appointment and those that are to come. For others may they seek His face and His will and purpose for their lives and serve Him whether it be through officership or not. As Christians we need to respond to His calling be it in the ranks of officership or local leadership or soldiery or whatever. God wants all there is of us and He will lead and equip us for the perfect task that He has planned for us. Maybe for some of those Lieuts. your stepping out in faith will encourage them to do the same. God Bless you as you make this covenant with Him.
This decision grieves me greatly. It is difficult not to see it as a dismissal of the fantastic work that has been done by Lieutenants over the past few years. The current system has provided a flexible entrypoint into ministry for lots of people for whom 2 years of residential training was not the most appropriate option. Whilst the system has not been perfect, it has proved an invaluable source of excellent leaders and contributors to our Army. God bless the Lieutenants!
It seems there is a reaction to this decision on the grounds that the system is being done away with all together. Having heard some of the discussion with the General - this has not, to my knowledge been the intention. Nor does the Chief of Staffs letter to TC's carry this idea. Rather the rank of lieutentant is being returned to a commissioned rank. If who you are is wrapped up in the rank then there is something wrong.
WJE
WJE - The issue is certainly not the rank. The difficulty is that from the scant information we have at the moment, there is little (actually I haven't seen any) information about what is happening to the current system. The only refs I've seen in the Chief of Staff's letter are to the shift of title for those coming out of Training College. The title is unimportant, but I believe the function which the current system has provided is worth preserving. Not all of us are privy to hearing discussions with the General :-)
I'm with you Jason. The point here is not about rank. Most officers (and Lts) I know really don't care about it. It's just that it was a formal, accessable option for many Salvos. If it is being taken back into commissioned ranks, the question is not about rank per se, but about how (if at all) will the program survive. It has WITHOUT DOUBT been hugely successful.
If a side-effect of taking back the Lt rank to commissioned officers is that this whole program in essence disappears then that is a huge problem. Call them what you will, Lt's, Pastors, something else, but what I want to know is what is happening to the program that was until recently for Lts?
If this new directive stops at reclaiming the rank and does nothing to support the program under a different name then I can only say that is a VERY bad, and VERY short-sighted idea. Hopefully we hear more about how they will keep the program alive in the near future. The numbers speak for themselves. It worked, and is still working.
N Young
I have a bit of an issue about putting more levels into the rank system, we had got to a really good place where newly comissioned officers were seen pratically as equals... (simply due to being the same rank).
This re-instating of a 'probationbary period' (as Lieutenancy will once again become) is disempowering for newly commissioned officers and a bad move for my generation particularly (Gen Y - we hate being put into boxes!).
I am saddened by the attitude of the above comment. You certainly do seem to have a problem, but I think the problem lies in your own attitude. It seems to me that you hate a lot of things and particularly any person in authority. You seem to always want your own way (this is very sad). Officership is all about God and His purpose. Maybe you need to fix your eyes on Him a bit more and not be so what appears to be immature in your thinking. It isn't about GenY or any other Gen being put into boxes - it is about commitment to God and serving Him to the best of ones ability. May you be more open to Him and have a belief that our leaders do pray about the matters which are presented. TSA has benefited through the years from officers who are completely dedicated to His purposes and have started out as Lieutenants from their Commissioning. It sounds to me as if a 'probationary period' IF it were such would not be such a bad idea if your attitude is anything to go by. I trust that you will take some of the "I" attitude out and put a bit more of the 'God' attitude in its place.
'Anonymous' The previous comment is highly offensive.
I love Lieutenants, I love my session-mates, I love my Lt. Mum, I love my candidate mates and I want them all to be appreciated and loved and empowered by this Army. God wants the same. Is that a bad attitude? Should we not stick up for those we love?
I want to see more and more young people signing up for Officership AND Lieutenancy (both are equally valid forms of ministry commitment), so anything that makes them 2nd-class for any reason is abhorrant to me.
Perhaps if you think I have attitude issues, the best way to help me might be through prayer, not slander. Just a suggestion.
A thought I heard today:
If a General is led by God to change the system, why is it that another General, also led by God, changes it back? Does God change his mind?
Also:
Whatever happened to the priesthood of all believers? was there a clause in there that I missed?
Oh, I forgot to ask something... Where on IHQ's website was this published, I can't find it... :o(
The announcement is posted on therubicon.org, if you are still looking. I haven't seen it on any official army sites.
The place where I first became aware of it was on armybarmy on Nov 16th.There is a reference to it there. The site that James mentions gives the letter in full as well as a lot of comment on the subject.
For Salvo on a mission you are prayed for along with all the other Cadets. At this particular point we also need to keep in mind those who are about to go out to their first appointments. The excitement will be high and so will their expectations and as long as they go out with the thought in mind that Jesus showed us the true example of servanthood when He stooped to wash the feet of the disciples they will do well. Rank or no rank this is what is required of each and every one of us. May we all be true servants with a passion to seek and find the lost and bring them to Him.
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