Officership

Officership is a lifelong commitment and needs to be undertaken after deep thought and prayer.

When an officer is commissioned, a covenant is signed – a solemn promise to love and serve God, and to faithfully do the duties and responsibilities as an officer in The Salvation Army.

Officers make themselves available to work anywhere The Salvation Army chooses to appoint them, though personal circumstances are taken into consideration. Appointments include corps leadership, chaplaincy, management in Lifehouses, church planting, pioneering new ministries, headquarters appointments – and they can be worldwide.

The Officer’s Covenant

‘Called by God to proclaim the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as an officer of The Salvation Army, I bind myself to him in this solemn covenant:

To love and serve him supremely all my days, to live to win souls and make their salvation the first purpose of my life, to care for the poor, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, love the unloved, and befriend those who have no friends, to maintain the doctrines and principles of The Salvation Army, and, by God’s grace, to prove myself a worthy officer.’

Training

To become an officer requires two years’ training at William Booth College or three to five years’ for distance learning.

Practical matters

To be considered for training as an officer you must:

Be a soldier of good standing in The Salvation Army.
Be at least 18 years old at the start of training.
Be able to give at least seven years of service after training before retirement from officership.
Not have had more than one divorce. However, in exceptional circumstances, consideration will be made to an application where the number of divorces does not exceed two.
Complete the application and selection process which includes a medical, a psychological assessment, disclosure checks, and a financial statement.

Finance during training

Your training is self-funded and you will need to be financially self-sufficient. There are various ways of support, including student loans, grants and personal fundraising. It is important that any debt you have will be manageable throughout your training.