Decline is never the only answer

'Decline is never the only answer' is an article from Leadership Journal.net. It mentions that nothing defeats the human spirit like stagnation. You know, that place you find yourself in, where nothing is moving, nothing is changing, nothing seems to be working, so you stop; you stagnate.
What needs to change first, is growth of the spirit inside the leader doing the ministry. That's so true. If the leader has lost the vision, don't expect others to keep the vision very long. When the leader grows in their ability to persevere and be strong, and be passionate, then they will battle against stagnation and decline.

Leaders who have fallen into a pit of despair need to pick themselves up and keep moving. Don't fall into the trap of denial - trying to justify to everyone that nothing is really wrong, that nothing really needs to change. Try not to fall into a place where you lack motivation. See the dream, and live it out. Let following Jesus be an absolute roller coaster, exciting journey! Don't be dismayed when fewer people are signing up. Ask yourself, is it something to do with my leadership, is it about the fervency of our prayers, or is it that the vision does not connect with the people?

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The Purpose of a Salvation Army Corps Officer

I was thinking recently about what my purpose is as a Salvation Army Officer. Those in this work understand the general busyness of the position and the expectations and demands from all sides. So what is the purpose of a Salvation Army Officer?

We sign a covenant when we are commissioned that highlights our purpose. I won't delve into that here.

What I did recently was list ALL the expectations of things I need to do as a Corps Officer, e.g. Preach, Make Disciples, Admin, Pick up Furniture, etc, etc. Then I made another column and listed ALL the things on the first list that I could delegate, e.g. Picking up Furniture and Admin, etc. The first list then was left with things that are expected of me as a Corps Officer. With this list I came up with my own acronym. I write this, not so that you will copy it, or theologically pull it apart, but rather that you might be inspired to discover what it is that YOU should be focusing on in life, and WHAT gives you the greatest return for your time and energy.

Here's what I came up with, in terms of what I personally need to focus on as a Salvation Army Corps Officer:

Make Disciples
Yield Passion

Organise Meeting Leads/Themes, etc
Win souls
Network

Preach/Teach
Upset strongholds – justice, advocacy, etc.
Rally the Troops
Pray
Overall pastoral care of congregation
Share Vision
Equip/Empower Leaders

God bless The Salvation Army. Share