THE SALVATION ARMY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST

1 THE SALVATION army INTHE body OF CHRISTAN ECCLESIOLOGICAL STATEMENTA statement issued by the International Headquartersof The SALVATION army by authority of the General,in consultation with the International Doctrine Counciland the International Management CouncilTHE SALVATION ARMYIN THE body OFCHRISTAn Ecclesiological StatementSalvation BooksThe SALVATION army International HeadquartersLondon, United KingdomFirst published 2008 Copyright 2008 The General of The SALVATION ArmyISBN 978-0-85412-774-0 Published by SALVATION BooksThe SALVATION army International Headquarters101 Queen Victoria Street.

2 London EC4V 4 EHUnited KingdomPrinted by UK Territory Print & Design UnitCONTENTSPageForeword by General Shaw CliftonviiSummary statement1 Amplified statement3 The SALVATION army s Articles of Faith17 Junior Soldier s Promise19 Soldier s Covenant21 Officer s Covenant27Pr face33 Sommaire de la d claration35D claration g n rale37 Engagement de jeunne soldat51 Engagement de soldat53 Alliance d officier59 Prefacio65 Resumen de la declaraci n67 Declaraci n detallada69 Joven Soldado Mi Promesa83 Pacto del Soldado85 Escuela de Entrenamiento para Oficiales91vviFOREWORDI am pleased and privileged to introduce toSalvationists everywhere this Statement of whereThe SALVATION army stands within the body ofChrist.

3 It has been through multiple stages ofpreparation and I record deep thanks to the manywho have contributed to it, not least the members ofthe International Doctrine Council under theirChairperson, Commissioner William Francis, andthe members of the International ManagementCouncil at International Headquarters in of these Councils, by reason of their multi-ethnic memberships, represent attitudes and insightsof a global nature. The Statement is intended to be useful to allSalvationists in understanding our place among themany churches, denominations, para-church bodies,church councils and other Christian groups thatexist around the world.

4 It will be especially useful tothose of us who are actively engaged in ecumenicalrelations and can readily be shared with othersbeyond our ranks if this will be an aid to mutualunderstanding. The Statement is not intended to saynew things, but its purpose is to clarify andconsolidate present global thinking on our identitywithin the wider body of God bless and use this short publication tohis lasting glory and may the army always be readyto obey his leadings, remaining a permanent missionto the unconverted as well as a modern, evenunique, expression of church CliftonGeneralApril 2008viii1 SUMMARY STATEMENT1.

5 The body of CHRIST on earth (also referred to inthis paper as the Church universal) comprises allbelievers in Jesus CHRIST as Saviour and Believers stand in a spiritual relationship to oneanother, which is not dependent upon anyparticular church The SALVATION army , under the one Triune God,belongs to and is an expression of the body ofChrist on earth, the Church universal, and is aChristian denomination in permanent missionto the unconverted, called into and sustained inbeing by Denominational diversity is not self-evidentlycontrary to God s will for his Inter-denominational harmony and co-operationare to be actively pursued for they are valuablefor the enriching of the life and witness of theBody of CHRIST in the world and therefore of The SALVATION army welcomes involvement withother Christians in the many lands where theArmy is privileged to witness and STATEMENTThe body of CHRIST on BELIEVE that the Church.

6 The body ofChrist on earth, often referred to in the NewTestament as the saints (hoi hagioi Ephesians1:23), comprises all who are born not of naturaldescent, nor of human decision, or a husband swill, but born of God (John 1:13). The Churchuniversal includes all who believe in the LordJesus CHRIST , confessing him as Saviour andLord, and witnessing to that sacredcommitment through loving mutualsubmission (Matthew 18:15-20; John 13:34-35; Ephesians 5:21) and sacrificial service(Mark 8:34; Matthew 20:25-28; John 13:1-17).

7 WE DO NOT BELIEVE that the Churchuniversal depends for its existence or validityupon any particular ecclesiastical structure, anyparticular form of worship, or any particularobservance of BELIEVE that the Church universal is thewhole of the worshipping, witnessing Christiancommunity throughout the centuriescomprised of whatever groupings, large orsmall, accepted or persecuted, wealthy or poor,into which her members may have beengathered in the past or in the DO NOT BELIEVE that an adequatedefinition of the body of CHRIST on earth, theChurch universal, can be confined in terms ofecclesiastical structure, but must rather bestated in terms of a spiritual relationship ofgrace that must find expression in allecclesiastical structures.

8 Members of the Bodyare those who are incorporate in CHRIST Jesus(Ephesians 1:1) and therefore reconciled toGod through his Son. All such are in a spiritualrelationship one with the other, which beginsand continues regardless of externals, accordingto the prayer of Jesus that those who are his maybe one (John 17:23). These words of Jesus askfor a oneness as is found in the oneness ofFather, Son and Holy Spirit. This oneness isspiritual, not BELIEVE that The SALVATION army belongsto, and is a particular communion of, theChurch universal and a representative of theBody of CHRIST .

9 CHRIST is the True Vine (John15:1) and all believers are his living, fruit-bearing branches, exhorted by Scripture to livein Christlike unity (1 Corinthians 12:12).4WE DO NOT BELIEVE that any communitymade up of true followers of CHRIST can rightlybe regarded as outside the Church universal,whatever their history, customs or practiceswhen compared with those of other Christiancommunities. God alone knows those who aretruly his (2 Timothy 2:19).Denominational BELIEVE that God s dealings with hispeople are perfect according to his will, but thathuman responses are imperfect and prone toerror.

10 It may be God s dealings or falliblehuman responses to those dealings which havebrought about the rich and varied denomi -national tapestry discernible DO NOT BELIEVE that denominationalor organizational variety can automatically andin every case be said to be contrary to God s willfor his BELIEVE that God raised up The SalvationArmy according to his purposes for his gloryand for the proclamation and demonstration ofthe DO NOT BELIEVE that The SalvationArmy s existence as an independent and5distinctive Christian church, having no formal,structural ties with other Christian churches, isan affront to the gospel of Jesus CHRIST or self-evidently contrary to God s will for the whole ofhis body on BELIEVE that the practices of TheSalvation army have much in common withthe practices of other churches, but that beingraised up by God for a distinctive work, theArmy has been led of God to adopt thefollowing combination of characteristics.