While 2023 marked many milestones for The Salvation Army internationally, one particularly noteworthy event must be the realisation of the ICOTP in Nairobi, Kenya – the last of its kind was held ten years ago!
The theme “Called, Covenanted and Commissioned” resonated with all Officer delegates as irrespective of appointment, all Officers are called by God to proclaim the Gospel and are also bound to Him in a solemn covenant – a commitment that challenged me in fresh ways over the duration of the conference. I think this may have been the point! If over 120 Officer delegates were challenged anew, to embrace the depth of their own calling and covenant in a deeper and more meaningful way, their insights would be translated with greater integrity and effectiveness to cadets in training colleges all over the world! I would even go further to say, that the most powerful tool for transformative Officer training are spiritual leaders in every area of Salvation Army ministry, who live what they teach!
Therefore, all the speakers and facilitators for plenary and elective sessions centred their content around topics on this theme, demanding us to reflect on implications for ourselves as well as cadets. When the topic “Called” was considered, the emphasis was on “Spiritual Life as the foundation of the call” so that all might grasp how spiritual foundations remain key to shaping personal calling and ministry. The presence of God was tangibly felt as delegates were invited to create a “wall of words” that reminded them of their own experience of God’s calling to officership.
“Covenanted” provided opportunity to explore the Officer Covenant and how we might better understand it, live it and celebrate it. Focus was especially given to “Embodying Covenant through the Training Curriculum” which invited discussion on relevant training for the present and the future. With a global concern around the need for more Officers, flexible training was considered; culturally contextualised curriculums as well as the integration of theory with mission practice was encouraged. We were able to celebrate with territories where cadets are in abundance, and with territories who after many years, will welcome cadets for the first time in 2024!
Finally, the topic “Commissioned” highlighted the importance of “Experiencing joy in serving God as a commissioned officer in the 21st Century”. The necessity of building capacity in cadets for critical Biblical thinking skills was emphasized, as was the significance of measuring officer competencies. Social change that would likely impact The Salvation Army in the future was also identified with reference to different contexts and communities. The challenges and benefits of the church in the digital age were constantly referred to as the training context for cadets, including Millennial and Generation Z cadets. The onset of Artificial Intelligence such as ChatGPT was not ignored, as well as its impact on the preparation of training college staff.
Amongst so many experienced Officer-educators, ICOTP was a rich learning opportunity I relished! But, as we were so keenly reminded by General L. Buckingham, we were not just attending a conference but were “engaging in something, the impact of which could be transformative for the lives of individuals, and the Army as a whole”. Pray earnestly with us, side by side, that it may be so!
“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38)