Salvation Army world leaders leave Australia for ‘time in the throne room’
In an interview with Salvos Online journalist LAUREN MARTIN after their Australian tour, the world leaders of The Salvation Army – General Lyndon and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham – discuss the importance of rest and spiritual wellbeing and of demonstrating this to others.
Lauren: Well, you have circumnavigated this vast nation of ours, what have been some of your highlights?
General Lyndon: I think for me, in each division, there has been an enthusiasm and joy about being together … and I’ve sensed that in each of the places [we have travelled to], there is a hunger for a fresh release of spiritual energy that will result in innovation and creativity around the mission of the movement. And the Army world is looking to Australia, ‘Come on guys, you can do it; let’s get on with it!’ The potential of that excites me.
Commissioner Bronwyn: One of the highlights for me has been seeing the young adults involved in ministry and leading worship. The group of young people who raced to the altar in Brisbane – that was such a special moment where you just see that the spirit of God is on the next generation.
The seven days of the Australian tour were a whirlwind – so, as busy international leaders, how do you carve out time for Jesus in your schedule?
General Lyndon: Bronny and I maintain a fairly disciplined approach to the protection of our spiritual wellbeing. People have a right to expect that of us as spiritual leaders of the movement. We have got to be in the throne room, we have got to be in prayer, we’ve got to be people of the Word. So, in our normal daily pattern of life, we are carving out good time to ensure that that happens. We hold ourselves to account for that and we have people who speak into our lives about that. So, we are filling the tank so that when we have the opportunity to engage in ministry like this, we’re not coming to this from an empty tank. We are coming full! We are coming ready! We are coming prepped. We are prayed up! We are ready to go. And, you can feel the Spirit of the Lord reviving you and restoring you and enabling you to do that.
But, I know, when I get on the plane to go back to London, I will be depleted, I will be vulnerable, so it will be important for me, immediately when we get home, to get back into my regular patterns of being in prayer and in the Word on a regular basis so that spiritual energy and intimacy with the King is being restored and cultivated. I think that the people we serve deserve to expect, and to know, that it is taking place.
Commissioner Bronwyn, I recall that during the Queensland Divisional Officers Councils, the Divisional Commander had really encouraged his officers and mission leaders to take a sabbath, and you stood up and publicly thanked him for that. Tell me about the importance for you of deliberately carving out time with God?
Commissioner Bronwyn: I’ve done a lot of reading about sabbath in more recent years, I guess because life has become busier and busier, and the responsibilities and demands of ministry have become heavier. The responsibility of international appointments is an amazing privilege, but it’s a huge responsibility. So, I’ve done a lot of reading and studying about sabbath and the fact that it’s not only that Jesus encourages sabbath, it is actually one of the 10 commandments.
I don’t believe that in our busy ministry space, sabbath is necessarily about Sunday ministry. Often, we think about Sunday being the sabbath, but for those of us who are giving out in ministry, that’s not the sabbath rest piece. So, somewhere else in the week, there needs to be that space for coming aside and engaging in those activities that bring us into the presence of the Lord, whatever they are. That’s not necessarily about just sitting down with your Bible and praying; it might just be a beautiful walk in nature; it might be engaging in family activities. Whatever it is that brings us life – and restores us – is part of the sabbath piece, and I want that our salvationists and our officers would be engaging in that.
General Lyndon: For me, I think, I get ‘energised’ by being with people. But I get ’restored’ by being with the Lord. So, any opportunity where I can slow it down, quieten it down and be a bit still allows the Lord to do what only the Lord can do – because there are things that only he can do in terms of our souls’ wellbeing and health. And so, I appreciate the value of the sabbath because it’s where I feel I get most of my restoration. I know when I need it, I can feel it, I can feel it in my attitude toward people, I can feel it if I’m becoming a bit irritable, I know I need a sabbath rest. I need to go and re-switch all the buttons and get things back in the right place. I make no apology for it. Sometimes it might be a weekday where I’ll say to the team, ‘I’m not coming in tomorrow, I need sabbath rest’. Or it might be a Saturday that we grab in between specialing events. We are pretty guarded about it.
You’ve been talking to officers and mission leaders across Australia about the importance of coming to the table, as described in Psalm 23, feasting on all the goodness that God has for us and being an example of spiritual wellbeing for those in our congregations or spheres of influence.
General Lyndon: Yes, absolutely. We can’t do the role and we can’t serve the people if we’re not in a good space ourselves, a wholistically good space ourselves – so sabbath is part of our work. It’s part of our gift to the people we serve to be in those spaces [of spiritual rest and refreshment]. And I think people are hungry for it. At each venue we have been in, there is a sense in which people are hungry for God to work in their own lives, but also within the life of the movement so that we can engage again in fresh and innovative ways with our people.
To listen to General Lyndon Buckingham’s message: ‘Present, Prominent, Pre-eminent’, click here
Please continue to pray for our world leaders as they return to their international duties. Pray also for the Holy Spirit to continue to guide, revive and refresh our Salvation Army in Australia as we seek to be a movement of Jesus-focused, Spirit-led and hope-revealed people.
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