Top Ten Tips For A New Appointment as a Salvation Army Officer (Reflection)

Estimated reading time: 17 minutes

For a Salvation Army Officer, part of life is moving from one role to another with some frequency throughout their career. But each move brings with it a whole range of complexities, anxieties, and opportunities, which makes for a heady mix of emotions, especially when combined with the loss of the previous appointment and the balance of family life in the middle of a move.

Through conversation, observation, and personal reflection, I have put together Ten Tips For A New Appointment. These are not exhaustive, but draw from the best advice I have received and the mistakes I have made.

Top Tip 1. Don’t Start Before You Start

This is a big one for me. I love research; I love finding things out. The more I know, the more in control that I feel (as illusory as that might be) and the less anxious I feel. The temptation is to know where the next appointment is and then spend loads of time researching it. Speaking to people there or who know about it.

Getting people’s opinions on the appointment and what is going on with it. Basically, starting the appointment before you are actually there.

There is a degree to which it is important to have a proper handover from one person to the next. Taking some time to understand where you are going and gaining insight into the place, as well as letting the people in your new appointment get to know you before you arrive, will all contribute to a positive transfer of leadership.

However, there needs to be a balance between getting to know a place before you arrive and already having moved in your head.

You owe your current appointment the best that you can give right up until the last minute when you walk out the door. If your head is in another place, you will not be able to give your all to your current appointment.

Resist the urge to go to everything going on. Try not to spend too long on Google or going over the profiles and advisory documents. If nothing else, it is worth making sure that your first impression of your new appointment is not coloured by other people’s opinions, and that you can make your own judgement of the place.

Don’t start before you start. Finish well. Don’t rush to the end. 

Top Tip 2. You Can Only Be You

Surprisingly, you are not the person or people who will have gone before you. You cannot be them, even if you want to or try your hardest to act like them. Remember, you can only be you. You have been called for who you are, and appointed to your new role because of what you will bring.

The starting point has to be resisting the temptation to be someone other than who you are, or to adapt yourself to become something you are not. Be faithful to your identity and capacity, especially when they differ from what has gone before.

Change is always difficult. This is especially true for congregations or staff teams who are changing leaders. Some will be excited and looking forward to the change. They will want to tell you all the bad things the person or people before you did.

Just remember, they will be telling the same things about you to the person who will replace you when it is time to move again.

You Can’t Be Your Predecessor

There will be those who are sad to see your predecessor leave and who may never accept you. They will tell you about all the good things they did and how you don’t do the same. There will always be comparisons made, whether negative or positive.

There is an extent to which you will just have to try and ignore it. Don’t make any negative comments about your predecessor. Don’t try to justify yourself. Simply be confident in who you are and in why you were appointed to that place.

You cannot control how people will react to you, so you will just have to carry on being you. Some people won’t like it. Some people will leave and go somewhere else. Others may well invite their friends along because of you. You are not in control of any of that.

Trying to change who you are is a recipe for long-term failure. Find more about our need to root our identity in Christ here.

You were not sent to your appointment to become your predecessor. Remember that you were sent there because of what you will bring to the place. Take courage and stand your ground in who you are and in who Christ has called you to be.

You can only be you. So don’t be ashamed of that. Remember, we lead out of our covenant.

Top Tip 3. Communication Is Key

Being an effective communicator has got to be in the top three skills required for ministry. Effective, positive, and open communication is needed most of all during a period of transition.

People will want to know what is going on. Lack of certainty breeds fear and confusion. Your responsibility in the first few weeks is to communicate as clearly and effectively as possible who you are, how you work best, whether you come with any vision or plan, and what you expect from them.

The biggest source of conflict is misunderstood expectations. You can read seven tips for disagreeing well here.

If you have children and will have to structure your time around school terms, and if you may not be as accessible or available in the evenings, then say so.

If you are in the middle of a course of study, then set out how long it will take, what the benefits are, and how it will impact your ministry.

Do you already have a holiday booked? What day of the week will you take as your personal/family day, and how will you safeguard it?

These aren’t things to apologise for. It’s important to take time to rest. You can read about the importance of the Sabbath here.

You need to set them out clearly so that everyone knows what to expect. Invite your team and the congregation to offer their expectations as well, so you can be honest about what you can and can’t match.

Whatever else is going on, be consistent and clear in your communication. Communicate frequently and openly. Ensure everyone knows what is going on.

Communication is Key; without it, the doors stay closed.

Top Tip 4. Quick Wins, Difficult Changes

Politicians and CEOs talk about the importance of your first 100 days in the role.

There is momentum behind you in the first days of the role, when people are expecting things to be different and changes to come. It is worth taking advantage of that momentum to make any difficult changes that need to be made.

Are there any problems with safeguarding or HR matters that need to be cleared up? Is there anything in the hall that needs to be sorted out, removed, moved, changed or repaired? Don’t let the big things slide to one side; put them at the top of the agenda and work with the necessary people to get them done.

You don’t want big things hanging over your first few months in the appointment.

One of the biggest ways you can help yourself in the first few months of the appointment is to look for the quick wins.

If you can demonstrate that you can get things done, then people will have more trust in you to follow through on your plans. It will help win people over by showing your capacity and make people feel that there is movement.

Gaining momentum, the sense that things are moving forward, is absolutely key for positive growth and missional engagement. If people feel that things are not moving forward, then they will feel that things are going backwards. It is difficult to create a sense of stability and safety without also projecting the image that things are going in the right direction.

Find some things that you can do quickly which make a difference. Is there something you can fix that is broken? Can you do a team-building exercise or a social event? Start a newsletter or update the social media account? Find something you can accomplish quickly and then do it.

However, there is a cautionary note. Do not make big changes on your own, and be very, very careful about altering how things are set up. Just as much as you need to demonstrate your ability to achieve and get things done, equally, you need to show that you respect the place and are not intending to destroy what has gone before you.

It’s a difficult line to walk. Some suggest you should do nothing at all for the first six months of your appointment. Just make notes about what you see that you think could be done differently, and come back to it all later. There is merit in this, especially for more complex issues or when discussion is needed. Other things, you just need to get on and get it done.

For me, it makes sense to make the most of your first few months to try to get some quick wins in and build your people’s trust by showing your ability to get things done.

Don’t overlook the small victories; they’re often the ones remembered most. I’ve written about the importance of everyday pioneering here.

Getting some quick wins will build trust and momentum, while addressing difficult changes early will avoid them hanging over you for years.

Top Tips 5. Where Are You?

Learn about where you are. You don’t have to memorise every street or learn the special history of every tree. But there is a degree of responsibility for embedding yourself in the place where you are appointed.

The people you serve will care about where they live. You may be passing through, but while you are there, it is important to learn about and understand your location.

There is an element of this which is just learning the geography. Know the place names for the little communities, villages, boroughs, or towns in your area.

Try to understand how they relate to each other. Picking up the history of the place can help to explain why communities are sited where they are. Understanding the changing industry, growth, and social provision in the area can provide insight into the community’s needs.

You don’t have to become a history buff. But it is worth taking some time to understand where you are, so that when your people talk to you about things, you know where and what they are talking about. This is especially true if some places have particular problems for the people who live there.

I talk about the importance of understanding a theology of place here.

Knowing where you are keeps you grounded in the local and prevents you from becoming overwhelmed (or retreating into) the abstract.

Top Tip 6. Know The Past

Your appointment existed before you got there (probably!) If you are planting, the community definitely existed before you, unless you are the first person on a new estate, in which case someone chose where the houses should be. But you get my point, and it will hopefully be there after you have left.

You are part of an ongoing story. The story is not about you, but you do get to help shape it and direct it for the time you are there.

It is really important to know and understand the history of your appointment. Take time to look through the history book and the photo albums. Speak to people and ask for their memories and stories. Talk to your divisional or regional leadership teams. Everyone has something to share; no one knows it all.

What were the glories and the failures that the appointment has been through? Where has their journey been taking them, and from where did it start?

Understanding the past will help to understand the present. Why is the appointment here and not there? Or why do this activity but not that activity? Why this demographic and not that one? The more you know, the better your decisions will be.

Richard Chartres, the former Bishop of London, said that a leader with a strong vision but a weak grasp of history is a recipe for disaster.

Know the past so you can make wise choices for the future. You can read more about that here.

Top Tip 7. Don’t Rush To Plan

When I took over my current appointment, I was asked about my vision for the place. I said I didn’t have one. I was waiting to see what God would suggest.

Years later, and I still don’t have a vision. Instead, our congregation has worked together to identify three values that shape everything we do.

Rather than a plan or a vision, we assess opportunities against those values and use them to reflect on all ongoing activities. This has helped us adapt to changing circumstances without being bound up in a long-term strategy. It means we can respond to new opportunities flexibly.

Whilst it might seem that without a plan, it would be impossible to know the direction of travel. We have found that a system of values has provided a framework for that movement.

Do not be in a rush to come up with a plan, formulate a strategy, or develop a vision. Even if a vision blasts into your brain with thunder and lightning on the very first day, be very doubtful about it. Maybe write it down, put it to one side, and come back to it in a few months.

You will need time to get to know the place and the people before even considering putting together a workable plan. A vision grows over time with a group of people, not forced out into the world like squeezing a balloon until it goes bang.

Taking your time before making plans and strategies, or even refusing to engage in that process altogether, requires a deal of moral courage. People will be pressuring you to know what your intentions are.

You will be asked to complete strategy documents. You will have to put the budget together, which means knowing what you want to spend money on.

But if you can resist the expectations and desires of those around you and take your time before making decisions about planning for the future, you will be rewarded with a much better grasp of the situation.

Take your time to think, listen, get to know the place, and pray before making plans for the future. Don’t rush to plan; you risk acting without knowing enough to make a wise choice.

You can read more about the need to trust God here.

Top Tip 8. Don’t Take It Personally

Some people won’t like you, will resent you, and will wish you were not there. Try not to take it personally.

It happens during a transition in leadership. You will not appeal to everyone. Hopefully, people will be willing to wait long enough to get to know you and maybe change their minds. Some people will simply not get on with you for as long as you are there.

Then there are those who will leave because they don’t like you, or they don’t like what you do, or because you don’t meet a need they are looking to get filled. There really isn’t much you can do about this.

But really try not to take it personally, even when it seems like it is about you. If you let it get you down, if you build up resentment, irritation, anger, hurt, pain, and fear about people leaving you, rejecting you, or not liking you, it will absolutely have a fatal impact on your capacity to lead effectively.

The fear of rejection and of getting hurt will prevent you from making difficult decisions or lead you to walk away from who you are in an attempt to make yourself more palatable. You cannot control people’s reactions to you. Some people won’t like you. That’s just the way it is.

This isn’t an excuse for not trying to be accessible and engaging for everyone in your community. It doesn’t mean you don’t have to try to reach out to people who don’t like you or don’t feel they can go along with your leadership.

It is still your responsibility to try to bring people along with you in whatever way is possible. But do so from a place of concern for the person and confidence in the self rather than in fear of rejection or hurt.

God has sent you there for a reason. Trust that and get on with the job.

You cannot please everyone. Don’t take it personally when people don’t like you or don’t want to be part of where you are going. You can read more about not judging others and giving people grace here.

Top Tip 9. Let Go Of What Was

You cannot hold onto the past. Try to learn from it, but you can’t take it with you.

You need to learn to let go of your previous appointment and of your employment before ministry, and to do so in a healthy and constructive way.

If your previous appointment was good, don’t keep looking back at it. Don’t bring up all the things that were accomplished. You have learned from them what can be achieved and what is possible.

But you don’t need to use those experiences as a stick to beat the new appointment.

If your previous appointment was difficult or just plain rubbish, don’t keep holding onto the resentment, pain and anger. Don’t trash them every chance you get. Learn the lessons and let it go.

Remember, with your employment before ministry, everything you learned can be useful and helpful. Nothing is wasted in the economy of the Kingdom of God.

But you are not that person anymore. You are in a different role with a different purpose and a different way of working. Take what you learned with you, but don’t try to work in the same way that you did before.

If you are struggling to let go of the past, of previous appointments, then you will struggle to be able to give everything you are to your current appointment. Not only that, but you will find yourself unhappy, resentful, and stressed out.

Find a way to healthily let go of what was, so that you can positively embrace the present moment. Leaving an appointment often includes grief and loss. You can read about that here.

Top Tip 10. Look After Yourself And Your Family

This is absolutely fundamental to everything. If you don’t look after yourself and your family then everything else won’t matter.

Moving house and changing jobs are two of the most stressful things someone can do. When you take on a new appointment, you will be right in the middle of an incredibly stressful period. You need to factor that in when you are working out what you will be doing.

It is really worth taking a holiday immediately following the move and installation.

Give Yourself Time

You will need time to set up your home. To get to know the area. To get comfy and settled. If you try and do new things at work, where you will be trying to present yourself in the best way possible, then come home to boxes and packing paper and a continuing sense of dislocation, then everything will be just that much harder.

Make sure that at the top of your to-do list is finding places for your hobbies and interests. You will need places and things that make you feel like you. This is not an indulgence or a luxury. It is a necessity if you want to be an effective minister.

If you have a family and children, then there will be other considerations you will need to make.

First on the agenda is making sure the kids feel that the house is their home. Then it’s finding places to go over the summer. Making sure their schools or nurseries are sorted.

Continuing to reassure them around the changes and uncertainties of a move, whilst recognising the difficulties that will come later down the line when the loss of friends kicks in. Remember that they didn’t choose this life.

Look After Your Spouse

If, like me, you are a single-spouse officer married to a non-officer, or if you are a TE or employed leader married to someone with a different job, then this time will need to be really carefully managed in the relationship.

Have they kept their old job, and will they have to commute? Will they have to find a new job? How will it affect your available time for the appointment? Remember that they didn’t choose to live where they are.

Maybe you’re not married and don’t have kids. Then you will need to make sure you have time to visit family and friends. Work out the best ways of doing so. Make sure you are not alone for too long in a new place without meeting someone you know and care about.

Loneliness is really high on the list of issues for people in ministry, especially those who are single. This is only exacerbated by a move to a new community. Take care of yourself, and don’t be alone for too long.

Look after yourself and your family, you won’t last the distance. Part of that means learning to take delight in the Joy and love of the people around us. You can read more about that here.

Final Thoughts

These are only my top ten. You may have your own ideas. It would be great to hear what they are. I hope that these tips are helpful for you or at least give you something to think about.

If they have been interesting to you, then maybe look back at the blog post I did on 5 lessons from my first 5 years, if you haven’t already read it.

https://mytheologycorner.com/2024/04/14/5-lessons-from-my-first-5-years/

Sign Up to My Theology Corner Newsletter

If you want to keep up to date, sign up for My Theology Corner Newsletter for a weekly bite-sized theology hit. Get short-form reflections from topics on the main blog and or on other interesting topics from that week.