General of The Salvation Army | |
---|---|
The Salvation Army | |
Style | General |
Type | Chief executive officer |
Residence | London, United Kingdom |
Appointer | High Council, but must be under 68 years old |
Term length | Five years, extendable up to a maximum of seven years |
Constituting instrument | The Salvation Army Act 1931 and Salvation Army Act 1980 via the Parliament of the United Kingdom |
Formation | 2 July 1865 |
First holder | William Booth |
Deputy | Chief of the Staff |
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 (who are therefore known as officers). 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. [1] 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.
Usage of the title "General" within the context of The Salvation Army, began with the founder of The Salvation Army, William Booth. His wife, Catherine Booth, the organisation's co-founder, became known as the "Mother" of The Salvation Army. General Booth served as General until his death in 1912; Booth selected his son, Bramwell Booth as his successor. It was William Booth's intention to have each General dictate their successor, but the Salvation Army Act 1931 passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom requires that each General is selected by the High Council of The Salvation Army. Every General after Bramwell Booth has been selected by the High Council. [2] In accordance with the Salvation Army Act 1931, a General must retire at age 68 and may serve as long as seven years. [3] The General is elected by the High Council when their predecessor retires or dies (known within the Salvation Army as being promoted to Glory). William Booth was the only general to die in office. The High Council is composed of the Chief of the Staff, all active commissioners, except the spouse of the incumbent General, and all territorial commanders. The High Council may also remove a General from office for violations of their "covenant to God", disability, or the inability to fulfill their duties, though this has never happened.
The officer of the Salvation Army who is elected general is the worldwide spiritual leader of the Salvation Army and the chief executive officer of the organization. The General has a role that is similar to the Pope's role within the Catholic Church. Since The Salvation Army maintains a hierarchical, quasi-military structure, all appointments and regulations are issued under the General's authority.
Three women have been elected General of the Salvation Army: Evangeline Booth, William Booths's daughter, in 1934, Eva Burrows in 1986, and Linda Bond in 2011.
On January 31, 2011, after 10 days of meetings which began on January 21, 2011, the 17th High Council elected Linda Bond as the 19th General of The Salvation Army. Bond was the third woman to hold the post and the fourth Canadian. This election was handled by the largest High Council in history and was especially significant due to the number of women delegates (57) outnumbering the number of men delegates (52). [4]
On 3 August 2013 the then-Commissioner André Cox was elected by the High Council of 2013 as the 20th General of The Salvation Army. [5] The High Council of 2018 selected Brian Peddle as Cox's successor in May 2018; he took office in August 2018.
On 26 May 2023 the High Council of 2023 elected Lyndon Buckingham as Peddle's successor.
In the event of vacancy, either by death or resignation, the Salvation Army Act 1980 requires that the Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army serve as acting general if a successor had not already been elected. [6] The most recent instance of vacancy was in 2013 when Linda Bond retired unexpectedly; Andre Cox served as acting general.
There are four retired generals living. The most recent general to die was Paul Rader on 18 January 2025.
The General serves as the chief executive officer (CEO) of The Salvation Army at the international level, but the organization is divided into many subunits controlled by other individuals. For instance, Commissioner Kenneth Hodder, appointed by Peddle, serves as the National Commander of The Salvation Army of the United States.
No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Term of office | Nationality | Chief of the Staff | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
1 | William Booth OBE (1829–1912) | 2 July 1865 | 20 August 1912 † | 47 years, 49 days | Bramwell Booth | ||
2 | Bramwell Booth CH (1856–1929) | 21 August 1912 | 13 February 1929 | 16 years, 176 days | T. Henry Howard | ||
Edward Higgins | |||||||
3 | Edward Higgins (1864–1947) | 14 February 1929 | 11 November 1934 | 5 years, 270 days | Henry Mapp | ||
4 | Evangeline Booth OF (1865–1950) | 11 November 1934 | 1 November 1939 | 4 years, 355 days | | ||
John McMillan | |||||||
Alfred G. Cunningham | |||||||
5 | George Carpenter (1872–1948) | 1 November 1939 | 21 June 1946 | 6 years, 232 days | |||
Charles Baugh | |||||||
6 | Albert Orsborn (1886–1967) | 21 June 1946 | 1 July 1954 | 8 years, 10 days | John Allan | ||
Edgar Dibden | |||||||
7 | Wilfred Kitching CBE (1893–1977) | 1 July 1954 | 23 November 1963 | 9 years, 145 days | |||
William J. Dray | |||||||
Norman F. Duggins | |||||||
Erik Wickberg | |||||||
8 | Frederick Coutts CBE (1899–1986) | 23 November 1963 | 21 September 1969 | 5 years, 302 days | |||
9 | Erik Wickberg (1904–1996) | 21 September 1969 | 6 July 1974 | 4 years, 288 days | Arnold Brown | ||
10 | Clarence Wiseman OC (1907–1985) | 6 July 1974 | 5 July 1977 | 2 years, 364 days | Arthur E. Carr | ||
11 | Arnold Brown OC (1913–2002) | 5 July 1977 | 14 December 1981 | 4 years, 162 days | W. Stanley Cottrill | ||
12 | Jarl Wahlström (1918–1999) | 14 December 1981 | 9 July 1986 | 4 years, 207 days | |||
Caughey Gauntlett | |||||||
13 | Eva Burrows AC (1929–2015) | 9 July 1986 | 9 July 1993 | 7 years, 0 days | |||
Ron Cox | |||||||
Bramwell Tillsley | |||||||
14 | Bramwell Tillsley (1931–2019) | 9 July 1993 | 18 May 1994 | 313 days | Earle Maxwell | ||
15 | Paul Rader (1934-2025) | 23 July 1994 | 23 July 1999 | 5 years, 0 days | |||
16 | John Gowans (1934–2012) | 23 July 1999 | 13 November 2002 | 3 years, 113 days | John Larsson | ||
17 | John Larsson (1938–2022) | 13 November 2002 | 2 April 2006 | 3 years, 140 days | Israel Gaither | ||
18 | Shaw Clifton (1945–2023) | 2 April 2006 | 2 April 2011 | 5 years, 0 days | Robin Dunster | ||
Barry Swanson | |||||||
19 | Linda Bond (born 1946) | 2 April 2011 | 13 June 2013 | 2 years, 72 days | |||
Andre Cox | |||||||
20 | André Cox (born 1954) | 3 August 2013 | 3 August 2018 | 5 years, 0 days | William A. Roberts | ||
Brian Peddle | |||||||
21 | Brian Peddle (born 1957) | 3 August 2018 | 3 August 2023 | 5 years, 0 days | Lyndon Buckingham | ||
22 | Lyndon Buckingham (born 1962) | 3 August 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 178 days | Edward Hill |
Below is a timeline of Salvation Army Generals' terms in office.
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.
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.
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.
Evangeline Cory Booth, OF was a British evangelist and the fourth General of The Salvation Army from 1934 to 1939. She was the first woman to hold the post.
Edward John Higgins was the third General of The Salvation Army (1929–1934).
Shaw Clifton was a Salvation Army Officer born to Salvation Army officer parents stationed in Northern Ireland, who served as the 18th General of the Salvation Army. He succeeded John Larsson on 2 April 2006.
Commissioner Barry C. Swanson is an American Salvation Army Officer who was commissioned as an Officer in The Salvation Army on June 11, 1978 and who was the 23rd Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army under Salvation Army Generals Shaw Clifton and Linda Bond. He was succeeded by Andre Cox in February 2013. Swanson was also a candidate for the 20th General of The Salvation Army in August 2013, but he was not elected.
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.
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.
Linda Bond she served as the 19th General of the Salvation Army. She was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada.
General André Cox is the former chief executive officer (CEO) and 20th General of The Salvation Army. He was commissioned as an Officer in The Salvation Army on 25 May 1979. He was elected to the position of General by the 18th High Council of The Salvation Army on 3 August 2013 and retired on 3 August 2018; he was succeeded by Brian Peddle.
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.
General Brian Peddle was the 21st General of The Salvation Army from 3 August 2018 to 3 August 2023. He was formerly the 26th Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army from 1 November 2015 until 3 August 2018 under General André 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.
Lyndon Vernon Wayne Buckingham is a Salvation Army officer and Christian minister from New Zealand, currently serving as the General of The Salvation Army since 3 August 2023. He is the first person from New Zealand to hold the office.
Sunbury Court is a historic building in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, England. 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
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.
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.
Edward Hill is an American minister and Salvation Army officer with the rank of commissioner who serves as the 28th Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army. He assumed office on 3 August 2023 and serves under the leadership of General Lyndon Buckingham.
Henry Mapp was a British minister and Salvation Army officer who served as the 4th Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army.