Crises that Rocked the Army

Marching On: A drummer leads Salvation Army marchers as onlookers jeer and harass them in Paris, in an illustration from Le Petit Journal of 20 February 1892.

by Rob Jeffery

In his 2001 book, Leadership Secrets of The Salvation Army, Commissioner Robert Watson wrote that Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, referred to The Salvation Army as the most effective organization in the United States. With such an accolade it would be easy to think of the Army as a big ship at sea, easily traversing the waves, constant and sure of its direction.

But the overall stability and good governance that characterize the modern-day Salvation Army were not always the reality. In our past, we were more like a scrappy little sailboat, buffeted by the waves, at times in great danger of being lost to the depths or scuttled on the rocks. The following crises rocked The Salvation Army to its core but also provided opportunities for growth and transformation.

Persecution (1865 to early 1900s)

The first challenge that Salvationists faced in this new movement created by William and Catherine Booth was persecution. Salvationists were routinely harassed and assaulted by angry mobs, some organized like the Skeleton Army (backed by liquor sellers, business leaders, and even local politicians), but many just spontaneously formed when the local Salvation Army set up in the town square. Early meetings were broken up by ruffians trying to rip out the seats or shouting obscene calls at the courageous (often female) officers who were trying to lead souls to Christ. Corps buildings were burned down with little or no intervention from the authorities. In fact, police would often arrest Salvationists for parading in the streets or disturbing the peace. It was not unusual for Salvation Army officers to be arrested multiple times.

Fortunately, the wave of persecution began to wane when people grew used to the presence of Salvationists and came to understand that they were there to help the poorest and most disadvantaged. Check out “Forged in the Fires of Persecution,” from SAconnects, Vol. 9, No. 3, for more about this difficult period.

Women in ministry (1870s)

With the Booths’ Christian Mission now in full swing and experiencing explosive growth throughout England, most experts would probably advise leadership not to mess with the formula too much. But Catherine Booth, ever the innovator, knew a course correction was needed. She sprang into action when Phoebe Palmer, a Methodist evangelist who was also Catherine’s hero and mentor, was attacked in the press for preaching. Booth wrote and published a pamphlet called “Female Ministry; or, Woman’s Right to Preach the Gospel,” in which she systematically dismantled popular arguments that said women should not be allowed to preach.

Feeling the call of God on her own life to preach, she did so, setting into motion a way of ministry still unique to The Salvation Army: spousal ministry. Every married Salvation Army officer couple serving in a joint appointment is a throwback to our founders who patterned this way of leadership through their own vocation and marriage. It was not appreciated by all, however. English clergymen were incensed that the Christian Mission (later The Salvation Army) would allow women to serve as officers and hold leadership positions over men. Lord Shaftesbury, an evangelical aristocrat, denounced the Booths as “anti-Christ” in response to women preaching.

Was there ever a temptation on the part of William Booth to revisit this decision considering the crisis it caused? It appears not. William and Catherine would not be deterred on the issue of women in ministry, even if it meant suffering a loss in popularity. They need not have worried though; welcoming women into The Salvation Army to serve as officers resulted in even more growth as young women flocked to the Army’s training garrisons to commit themselves to officership.

Splits and factions (1880–1890s)

To borrow a phrase from politics, when officers receive new appointments, they are used to a “peaceful transition of power.” They move out of roles, responsibilities, even quarters, with the expectation that the officers coming behind them will continue the work, even if they take it in a new direction. The Army’s entire system is built on a sacred trust that officers will not act in ways that hurt the viability of the appointment, or more importantly, the people in them. This strong yet delicate system was put to the test in our pioneering days.

In 1884, Major Thomas Moore, national commander, left The Salvation Army after a dispute with William Booth over incorporating the organization as an American institution. Moore was so charismatic that about a third of all Salvationists followed him to join a new group he called “The American Salvation Army.” For several years in the 1880s, many towns had two Salvation Armies, both raising money to support their work. How confusing! Moore also took the Salvation Army crest and trademarked it so that the Army loyal to Booth could no longer use it in America. A new brand had to be developed, and so the eagle crest became the symbol of The Salvation Army in America until Moore’s trademark expired in the 1970s.

In 1896, Commissioner Ballington Booth, known as the Marshal, also the national commander for America, left The Salvation Army after several years of working under a strained relationship with his father, William. Ballington and Maud Booth, two popular Army leaders, left to form the Volunteers of America. Though not as ruinous to the Army as the Moore split, several influential officers left with them, and the story made headlines for weeks.

The world wars (1914–1918; 1939–1945)

The outbreak of the first and second world wars threatened the unity of The Salvation Army. Just a few months before the first world war began, the entire Salvation Army met in congress in London. At the time, no one suspected that various Salvation Army territories would be cut off from International Headquarters by the end of the conflict. In many Axis countries, the Army was proscribed and its evangelization efforts severely curbed. Even after World War II concluded, the descent of the Iron Curtain across Eastern Europe spelled the end of The Salvation Army’s operation in many lands. The Army’s flag would not fly again in those countries until the fall of communism in the early 1990s.

Leadership crisis in 1929

Thanks to General John Larsson’s book 1929, many Salvationists know a lot more about the leadership crisis that nearly broke up The Salvation Army. When the inaugural High Council met, its first duty was to deliberate and vote on whether to remove General Bramwell Booth from office. Ultimately, through discussions that lasted several months, the Army came up with a new, more democratic way of selecting its international leaders, a process we still use today.

One hundred years into the future, historians will look back and evaluate how we came through the global COVID-19 pandemic—a crisis that shook The Salvation Army that is still fresh in our collective memory. But through every crisis or trial of faith, there is an opportunity for growth.

God is not finished with The Salvation Army, and we can claim the hope in Paul’s words from 2 Corinthians 4:8–9, 16, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. … Therefore we do not lose heart.”

Rob Jeffery is director of the USA Eastern Territory Heritage Museum.