John Alfred Larsson (2 April 1938 – 18 March 2022) was a Swedish Salvationist, writer and composer of Christian music and hymns, who was the 17th
General of The Salvation Army
General is the title of the international leader and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Salvation Army, a Christian denomination with extensive charitable social services that gives quasi-military rank to its ministers (who are therefore known ...
.
Biography
The son of
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
Sture Larsson and Flora Ethel Mildred Benwell, he spent his early years in his native
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, in Denmark, Chile and Argentina. Even his grandparents were officers in The Salvation Army, and his grandfather on his father's side, Commissioner Karl Larsson, is known in the Army's history as the one who "opened fire" in Russia the first time (1914). John Larsson became an officer in 1957 from the
Upper Norwood
Upper Norwood is an area of south London, England, within the London Boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark. It is north of Croydon and the eastern part of it is better known as the Crystal Palace area.
Upper Norwood is situated ...
Corps, London, England. He graduated from the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
with a
BD degree.
After a year as a corps officer in the north of England, he served on the staff of the International Training College in London for seven years before returning to corps appointments.
Larsson and Captain Freda Turner were married in 1969 while Larsson was stationed at the corps in
Ealing
Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan.
Ealing was histor ...
. They have two sons, Karl Larsson and Kevin Larsson, who are both members of The Salvation Army.
Larsson and his wife were appointed to the
South America West Territory in 1980, he as Chief Secretary and she as Territorial Home League Secretary. In 1984, they were appointed to the International Training College as principal and librarian, respectively. They were appointed to
International Headquarters in London in 1988. Larsson, as assistant to the Chief of the Staff for United Kingdom administrative planning, was given the task of researching and planning for the separation of the international and national administrations. Freda Larsson served as coordinator for married women officers.
The Larssons were then appointed Territorial Commander and Territorial President of Women's Organisations for the
United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland in 1990. In 1993, they were appointed territorial leaders for the
New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory; and in 1996, they received similar appointments for the
Sweden and Latvia Territory.
Larsson was the author of ''Doctrine Without Tears'', ''The Man Perfectly Filled with the Spirit'', ''Spiritual Breakthrough'' and ''How Your Corps Can Grow''. He is also the author of ''1929'', a history of the events that took place that year in The Salvation Army, ''Inside a High Council'', explaining the workings of The Salvation Army High Council, and ''Those incredible Booths: William and Catherine Booth as parents''.
Larsson was also a composer and, together with
John Gowans, co-authored ten full-length stage musicals, ''Take-Over Bid'' (1967), ''Hosea'' (1969), ''Jesus Folk'' (1972), ''Spirit'' (1973), ''Glory'' (1975), ''White Rose'' (1977), ''The Blood Of The Lamb'' (1978), ''Son Of Man'' (1983), ''Man Mark II'' (1985), and ''The Meeting'' (1990).
In 1999, Larsson became
chief of the staff, second-in-command of The Salvation Army worldwide. His wife became World Secretary for Women's Organisations (later Women's Ministries).
Larsson was elected General on 6 September 2002, and assumed the office following the retirement of his predecessor, General John Gowans.
Shaw Clifton
Shaw Clifton (born 21 September 1945) is a former General of The Salvation Army. He succeeded John Larsson as the 18th General on 2 April 2006.
Career
Shaw Clifton was born on 21 September 1945 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Clifton was commis ...
succeeded to the office of General when Larsson retired at midnight on 1 April 2006.
Larsson died at his home in
Bromley, London on 18 March 2022, at the age of 83.
References
External links
The Gowans and Larsson musicals website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larsson, John
1938 births
2022 deaths
Swedish Salvationists
Christian writers
Composers of Christian music
Salvation Army officers
Swedish Christian hymnwriters