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Territorial Commander Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder issued a call at the start of 2019 for every corps, unit and adult rehabilitation center in the Western Territory to have a functioning advisory board, council, auxiliary or Echelon chapter by Jan. 1, 2020.
“The Salvation Army’s strength is drawn from its ability to respond to community needs in the name of Christ,” Hodder said in a New Frontier Chronicle report on the challenge. “To do that most effectively, we must have a close working relationship with the communities in which we serve—which is why there is an even greater premium today on having a functioning advisory organization everywhere we exist.”
Now, a year later, current reports show the West has met the goal.
“I made this request within the context of our territorial vision, ‘Christ and Him Crucified,’ which calls for a renewed emphasis on community engagement,” Hodder said in a recent letter to divisional leaders. “At the time, only about two-thirds of our corps had an advisory organization of any kind, and I was well aware of the enormous task that lay ahead…The territory responded energetically to the challenge, and as a consequence, we now have a stronger Army with which to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of others.”
Download a free guide on “How to start and operate a successful advisory board” by Dick Hagerty, a long-time national, territorial and local Salvation Army board member at bit.ly/AdvisoryBoardGuide.
