Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army

Last updated
Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army - Chief of The Staff.svg
Rank insignia of Chief of the Staff
Edward Hill, Chief of the Staff.png
Incumbent
Edward Hill
since 3 August 2023
Style Chief of the Staff
Reports to General of the Salvation Army
Residence London, United Kingdom
AppointerGeneral of the Salvation Army
Term length At the General's Pleasure
Constituting instrumentThe Salvation Army Act 1931 and Salvation Army Act 1980 via the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Inaugural holder Bramwell Booth
Formation1881

The Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army is a Commissioner appointed by the General of The Salvation Army as the second in command internationally. The Chief of the Staff is stationed at International Headquarters in London.

Contents

The office of Chief of the Staff was created in 1880 by General William Booth. The first officer to take the position was his son, Bramwell Booth, in 1881.

The Chief of the Staff also summons all Commissioners and Territorial Commanders of The Salvation Army to form a High Council to elect a new general when a vacancy exists. [1]

Lists of Chief of the Staff

  1. (1881–1912) Bramwell Booth
  2. (1912–1919) T. Henry Howard
  3. (1919–1929) Edward Higgins
  4. (1929–1937) Henry Mapp
  5. (1937–1939) John McMillan (died in office) [2]
  6. (1939–1943) Alfred G. Cunningham
  7. (1943–1946) Charles Baugh
  8. (1946–1953) John J. Allan
  9. (1953–1957) Edgar Dibden
  10. (1957–1961) William J. Dray
  11. (1961–1961) Norman F. Duggins
  12. (1961–1969) Erik Wickberg
  13. (1969–1974) Arnold Brown
  14. (1974–1977) Arthur E. Carr
  15. (1977–1982) W. Stanley Cottrill
  16. (1982–1987) Caughey Gauntlett
  17. (1987–1991) Ron A. Cox
  18. (1991–1993) Bramwell Tillsley
  19. (1993–1999) Earle Maxwell
  20. (1999–2002) John Larsson
  21. (2002–2006) Israel Gaither
  22. (2006–2010) Robin Dunster
  23. (2010–2013) Barry Swanson
  24. (2013) Andre Cox
  25. (2013–2015) William A. Roberts
  26. (2015–2018) Brian Peddle
  27. (2018–2023) Lyndon Buckingham [3]
  28. (2023–present) Edward Hill

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General of The Salvation Army</span> Title of the international leader of The Salvation Army

General is the title of the international leader and chief executive officer of The Salvation Army, a Christian denomination with extensive charitable social services that gives quasi-military rank to its ministers. The general is elected by the High Council of The Salvation Army and serves a term of five years, which may be extended to seven years. According to the organization, the general is purported to be chosen by God, and the council identifies that person. Lyndon Buckingham is the current general, who assumed office on 3 August 2023 upon the retirement of Brian Peddle. The organization's founder, William Booth, was the first and longest-serving general. There have been 22 generals as of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Council of The Salvation Army</span>

The High Council of The Salvation Army elects a new general in the event of a vacancy or prior to the retirement of the existing office holder. It can also remove a general who can no longer fulfil their duties. The council is made up of the chief of the staff, active commissioners who are territorial commanders or who hold an international or national headquarters or territorial leadership appointment, territorial commanders with the rank of colonel, and territorial leaders with the rank of colonel. It is not a governing body of the Salvation Army, and is regarded as having no continuity of existence between meetings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bramwell Booth</span> General of The Salvation Army

William Bramwell Booth, CH was a Salvation Army officer, Christian and British charity worker who was the first Chief of Staff (1881–1912) and the second General of The Salvation Army (1912–1929), succeeding his father, William Booth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Higgins</span> General of The Salvation Army

Edward John Higgins was the third General of The Salvation Army (1929–1934).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence Booth</span>

Florence Eleanor Booth was the wife of Bramwell Booth, Second General of The Salvation Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. Henry Howard</span>

Commissioner Thomas Henry Howard OF was the Second Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army, succeeding Bramwell Booth on his appointment as General on the death of his father William Booth in 1912.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick Booth-Tucker</span>

Commissioner Frederick St. George de Lautour Booth-Tucker, was a senior Salvation Army officer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the son-in-law of Willam and Catherine Booth, the Army's founders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore Kitching</span>

Commissioner Theodore Hopkins Kitching CBE was a prominent officer in The Salvation Army, acting as Secretary and confidant to Generals William Booth and Bramwell Booth, and was The Salvation Army's International Secretary for Europe from 1914 to 1916.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commissioner (The Salvation Army)</span> Second highest rank

The rank of Commissioner in The Salvation Army is the second highest rank attainable by Officers in the organisation, and many of the Army's Territorial Commanders and even the Chief of the Staff hold this rank. The rank of Commissioner has been an active rank since 1880, and is one of the original ranks created by General William Booth, the first appointed Commissioner being George Scott Railton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Lawley</span>

Commissioner John Lawley was a Commissioner in The Salvation Army, the second highest rank attainable by Officers in the organisation, and the highest 'appointed' rank. An early Salvationist, he joined The Salvation Army in 1877 when it was still called The Christian Mission. He was aide-de-camp to General William Booth from 1890 to 1912 as well as to General Bramwell Booth from 1912 to 1921.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William A. Roberts</span>

Commissioner William A. Roberts is a retired American Salvation Army officer who served as the Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army from October 2013 to November 2015 under General Andre Cox.

Minnie Lindsay Carpenter, née Rowell, was an Australian writer and an officer in The Salvation Army in Australia. She authored more than twelve books about Salvationist history. She also helped establish the Salvation Army International Nursing Fellowship and served as World President of the Home League. She married George Lyndon Carpenter, a Salvationist who was later elected as the fifth General of the Salvation Army in 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunbury Court</span> Salvation Army building in England

Sunbury court is a historic building located in Sunbury-on-Thames. Since the 1920s the court has been owned by The Salvation Army and has been the meeting place of the High Council of The Salvation Army

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvation Army Act 1980</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Salvation Army Act 1980 is the legislation that governs the International Headquarters of The Salvation Army. The act limits and regulates the authority of the general of The Salvation Army, who serves as the organisation's chief executive officer (CEO). The legislation gained royal assent from Elizabeth II on 1 August 1980 and took immediate effect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salvation Army Act 1931</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Salvation Army Act 1931 was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was passed in 1931. Until it was amended in 1963 and again in 1980, the legislation governed the International Headquarters of The Salvation Army. The act limited and regulated the authority of the general of The Salvation Army, who serves as the organisation's chief executive officer (CEO), and removed his ability to act as the sole owner of Salvation Army trusts. The legislation gained royal assent from George V on 31 July 1931 and took immediate effect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Mapp</span> Salvation Army officer

Henry Mapp was a British minister and Salvation Army officer who served as the 4th Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Baugh</span> Salvation Army officer

Charles Baugh was an English minister and Salvation Army officer who served as the 7th Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army from 1943 until 1946.

References

  1. "The Salvation Army International - New Chief of the Staff Announced". www.salvationarmy.org. Retrieved Dec 2, 2020.
  2. "900 ATTEND SERVICE FOR JOHN M'MILLAN". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  3. "The Salvation Army International - The General Announces Next Chief of the Staff". www.salvationarmy.org. Retrieved Dec 2, 2020.