Pilgrim Soldier

There are certain things which The Salvation Army can spare and still be The Salvation Army - citadels and other meeting places, for instance. Money, too, can be done without. The advantages of organisation are not entirely essential. One things, however, The Salvation Army cannot spare. The Army, which William Booth gathered together out of the most impossible material, to the astonishment of the world, cannot do without the pioneer spirit. The pioneer spirit is as necessary now as ever, for left to itself a movement tends to stagnate. Uniformed officers and soldiers we have in encouraging numbers - but too many seem to have forgotten that they are not to be known as ‘members’. We can say without equivocation that were we to lose the daring and the determination of the pioneer spirit we should no longer be The Salvation Army. There are plenty of churches and congregations. They have their own special work to do, but we are called to be pioneers of the Kingdom.”

General Erik Wickberg

I was really struck by this quote when I read it and to some extents it puts the whole “Are we a mission or a church question into perspective?” It seems to me that Wickberg is clearly saying that our primary responsibility in Kingdom terms is to be a Mission. For him the local congregation side of things is a secondary consideration.

For me this is where we enter a difficult area. I believe that we are first and foremost a mission but what is our mission? Are we called to get people saved or are we called to make disciples? What do you think?