Church builds on a military model

Have you heard about the church that’s building itself on a military model?

It’s led by a general — not a bishop. Their clergy are not referred to as pastors, priests or vicars – instead it’s captain, major, colonel and commander. Officers go through seven years of training and are barred from earning outside income. This church even tells officers whom they can and cannot marry.

Basic membership requirements are rigorous. You must sign a declaration of faith and practice known as Articles of War, and you are required to volunteer in service to the church. Members must abstain from all tobacco, illegal drugs and alcohol. Its members are referred to not as parishioners, but as soldiers. The organization’s magazine is called War Cry!

Sounds like some weird cult, doesn’t it? So what’s the name of this unusual church?

The Salvation Army.

You may not realize it, but the Salvation Army is a church. Unlike most churches, it’s not known for its worship services. Instead, it’s known for helping people. And no church feeds more, clothes more or comforts more. The church has only about 600,000 members, but this year alone it will help more than 30 million people. The Salvation Army is at work in more than 100 countries around the globe.

How is it possible for one church to accomplish so much with so few members?

While most churches are built around an academic model, the Salvationists are building on a military model. The entire church is structured for mission and outreach. As a result of this structure, this relatively small denomination is able to accomplish more social service than all other denominations combined.

Churches that want to become more “missional” would do well to learn from the Salvation Army. Here are some lessons any church can take from the Army:

• High standards are good. Call many, choose few. Effectiveness is more important than size.
• Most churches try to be everything to everyone. But a church that focuses like a laser on a particular aspect of the Gospel will outperform the multi-focused church every time.
• Men understand a military organizational model. The Army metaphor has inspired generations of men (and women) to give everything in service to Jesus.
• By organizing along a command-and-control structure, the Salvation Army has resisted the trend toward feminization and theological liberalization that has plagued other established denominations. This despite the fact that half its officer corps are women, and it is has been led by several female Generals.
• It’s time to lift the de facto ban on military imagery and songs in the church. How long has it been since we’ve been allowed to sing Onward Christian Soldiers? Military imagery does not create violent men; it helps them focus their passions on the good fight.

Yet for all its success as one of the world’s premiere mission organizations, the Salvation Army has an Achilles’ heel: men avoid its local church services (or corps meetings, as they’re called). This lack of male participation is a huge problem in many countries, holding back the Army’s evangelistic efforts.

Why is this highly masculine brand of Christianity failing to attract men to its weekly services? We’ll discuss some of the reasons in next week’s post.

David Murrow is the author of the bestselling book, Why Men Hate Going to Church. David’s books have sold more than 175,000 copies in 12 languages. He speaks to groups around the world about Christianity’s persistent gender gap. He lives in Alaska with his wife of more than 30 years, professional silk artist Gina Murrow. Learn more about David at his Web site, www.churchformen.com, or join the conversation on his Facebook page, www.facebook.com/churchformen. Don’t forget to share this page by clicking on the links below, or scroll down and leave a comment (right below those annoying ads that pay for this blog).