The Militant Church

I have been having some discussions with friends recently about whether in todays society it is good to have a military style hierachal system for The Salvation Army, this has been a time of interesting debate but has made me take stock of what I believe about the future of The Salvation Army. I actually love the idea of us being a Militant Church, and I know some of you will disagree but let me give you details as to why I believe this.

We need to have a lot of things in common with the Military if we are going to win the War against Sin. Firstly just like the Military we need to have a single focus - we need to know what we are fighting against and what we are trying to win. This should be very easy but unfortunately gets blurred at times, we are fighting to change the world one life at a time so that God's will is done on earth as it is in Heaven. Part of this is we need to know how to use the weapons we have at our disposal - the spiritual weapons that God has given us, we each have differnet weapons and when used together this forms an array of weapons that make Satan shake in his boots.

We need to be keen to get on the Battlefield and fight the enemy, but we also need to have a clear battle plan and have done our homework. The best soldiers know exactly what their role is and where they fit into the overall structure, this is true of the church as well. A military would not survive without its medics, cooks, mechanics etc. likewise a church needs people doing the behind the scenes jobs.

Next we need to be able to adapt quickly to the circumstances we are in, and be persistent, if one plan fails dont dwell on it but keep moving forward looking to the next plan. Just like a good soldier a Salvationist must be never off duty but always ready for the call to battle at a moments notice. There is great camraderie in the military and everyone watches each others backs, what do you think we should be doing as a church ?

Finally a good soldier is willing to give their all for the cause, to die to achieve the goal. Are you willing to lay your life on the line for God ?

I believe we should be a Militant Church existing for the sole purpose of rescuing people from the darkness in which they find themselves ! Are you willing to fight with me ? I've got your back will you watch mine ?