Policy change honours territorial envoy service

Major Beverly Baker outlines a policy change affecting territorial envoys who become cadets in training for officership in the UK and Ireland Territory.

At the ordination and commissioning of officers during Together 26, Territorial Leader Commissioner Paul Main announced: ‘This year we have the amazing privilege of recognising, because of a change of policy within our territory, the years of service that territorial envoys have given.’ 

This change in policy affirms and aims to encourage the spiritual ministry and leadership of territorial envoys, who have each entered into a commitment of dedicated vocation to God for a minimum of three years. 

The move is also part of a wider aim of making officership more accessible, as different routes of officer training are enabled, and as increasing flexibility within officership becomes possible. 

The Salvation Army has a rank system for officers: people who serve for up to five years are lieutenants; people who serve from five years up to fifteen years are captains; and people who serve from fifteen years are majors. Territorial envoys who become cadets in training for officership are now commissioned to the appropriate rank, taking into account the years of service they have given as territorial envoys to the mission of The Salvation Army. 

The change took effect ahead of the ordination and commissioning of the Keepers of the Covenant in July, when Majors Martyn and Susan Jackson were commissioned following more than 20 years of territorial envoyship. 

The new policy means that people currently serving as officers, who have previously served as territorial envoys, will receive their next rank as either captains or majors, also taking into account their territorial envoy service.